AXOR Cover Plate
BRIEF
Using the skills I have acquired thus far, I am required to design a high-end ceramic cover plate for the AXOR My Edition mixer, inspired by my idea of luxury.
Our plate must be designed for a specific ceramic manufacturing process and must incorporate a unique relief pattern. During this project, I will prototype my cover plates through a series of steps including CAD modelling, master pattern making, mould making, casting and finishing.
RESEARCH
I loved the concept of modern houses being surrounded by nature as it gives the individual a sense of comfort and elegance. I then went and looked deeper into how these houses incorporated nature into their house design and was heavily inspired by the look and feel. I then came upon the idea to use the leaves of plants as my design inspiration.
The curves of the leaves are a good choice for 3D printing as it has many different heights and layers that will show the manufacturing process nicely.
IDEATION
This was the beginning stage of my design. Here i had to explore many different possible designs that fit my theme.
CONCEPT DIRECTIONS
These were my first designs for my tap. My designs were too literal and had to be changed. Instead of having a physical leaf design, I had to dig deeper into how I can make my tap represent nature but in a more organic form.
DEVELOPMENT
These are my new and improved designs. I had to consider my manufacturing process and make my designs more organic. The last photo is my final design that I ended up picking that best suited my theme and vision for my project.
REFINEMENT PROCESS:
We received valuable feedback for our final designs, these sketches show how I have applied them to my final design.
RENDERS
IN STUDIO
This is in studio renders of my final cover plate on the AXOR My Edition tap.
IN CONTEXT
This is my cover plate in context
MANUFACTURE
MASTER
MOULD MAKING
In this process we had to take our 3D printer master pattern and spray it with baking spray. After a few coats we had to stick it flat to the plastic mould face up. After that we had to mix the plaster and pour it over and into the plastic mould and wait for it to dry. Once dry, we gently remove it from the plastic mould to reveal the plaster mould.
CASTING PROCESS
The next process is slip casting. Slip casting is the process of a thin slurry that is poured into a mould made out of Plaster of Paris. As the liquid is 'sucked' into the mould the suspended clay particles are forced towards the mould walls leaving behind a stiff layer of clay particles on the walls of the mould creating the even wall thickness of the final product.
FINISHING
For the finishing, we didn't do glazing because of the risk of the plates cracking, instead we spraypainted the finished ceramic tile to give it the feeling that it was glazed.
FAILS
WHAT HAPPENED AND WHY
The extruded parts of my master resulted in the mould breaking due to the deep grooves between the leaf designs
WHAT I DID DIFFERENTLY
I casted the plate like I normally did, but i used a sharp tool to carve out the shapes and remove the build-up of slip that was between the leaf designs
FIRING
PAINTING
FINAL OUTCOME
GIF/STOP MOTION
This GIF is made to showcase the different color variations my tap would come in.
IN-SITU ADVERT
WRITE UP
My theme that spoke the most to me when thinking about luxury was 'serenity', and that is what my design is all about. When thinking of the brand AXOR I immediately thought about elegance, peacefulness, serenity.
My design came to be the patterns of leaves which, to me, speaks luxury.
REFLECTION
This project may have been tough, but I personally enjoyed designing something that tests my limits of my design capabilities. The project made me learn new skills like ceramics and made me feel free to express myself. I feel proud of myself for achieving my final design.
This project showed me how I deal with working under pressure and it was my first experience working for a client, which I feel, is an amazing opportunity to get a feeling of what it would feel like in the real world.
What i would do differently is to dive deeper into the process of designing something that i envision.
The part i enjoyed the most was the slip casting, not only was it satisfying, it was a fun process.
However, the thing i struggled the most with was removing the plate from the mould, the plate would stick and break which was really frustrating.
