Elaine Mansure

Boone

NC

28607

Floret is an interactive lighting object intended to be used by children. I designed Floret with the goal of creating a gender-neutral lamp that is tactile, encourages learning, and is a playful addition to a child’s bedroom. Initially inspired by the opening of a flower bud, Floret can be opened and closed to alter the color and amount of light emitted. Floret features a maple base with a satin lacquer, a cast resin body, colorful acrylic “petals,” and cast resin feet. To create the finished piece, I used a variety of construction methods, including casting the main resin body using a custom two-part silicone mold (referencing a specific 3D print), creating laser cuts (for the acrylic petals), and constructing flush-trim jigs to cut the maple to fit the cast components. While I had cast parts out of resin and completed laser cuts before this project, I had never done so with this level of complexity or with such close tolerances. Georgie is a cabinet designed to encourage healthy habits through ritual. Inspired by apothecary cabinets of the English Regency, Georgie takes a modern form, while still featuring the brass inlay and floral designs of that period. I designed Georgie with the goal of creating a high-end, small, personal cabinet that could hold the items necessary for a morning or nightly routine. Small drawers hold personal items- from skincare products to one’s phone, while spaces for books and journals enclose a mirror, which can be removed to reveal a hidden compartment (a feature common among English Regency apothecary cabinets). Georgie features alder (with a satin lacquer finish), brass, and a custom floral pattern printed on aluminum. To build the cabinet, I utilized many processes that were new to me; I used CNC processes on both the alder and brass to create the inlay, created a custom jig to shape the top and bottom of the carcass in a uniform fashion, and designed a specific floral pattern to be printed on aluminum for the bottoms of the drawers. Designing and building Georgie was both an exciting and rewarding process.

I am the designer and builder of this object