Problem.
Rayware is a major housewares retail supplier who own several well known brands including Typhoon, Price & Kensington, Ravenhead, Viners, Mason Cash, and Kilner. They have now grown into a business that distribute their products all across Europe as well as the United Kingdom from their base in Liverpool.
Mason Cash currently have a very iconic but very traditional range of bake-ware and in particular mixing bowls. Although this aesthetic is a proven design for them other companies are leaving them behind by developing a more contemporary and modern range to launch alongside.
Family meal times are important as it is a time of the day for everyone to meet and share experiences together which is rare in such a fast pace world. It helps to regulate eating patterns particularly in adolescence. It also decreases rates of obesity and depression and contributes to the whole family's well-being.
Increasing number of people using and making their own condiments at home. Adding a boost of flavour to a meal in different and more radical ways using increasingly abstract ingredients like green tea or aubergine.
Solution.
Contrast in materials and finishes was a huge drive for the aesthetics surrounding the project. I wanted to combine two different types of finishes and materials together to create a contrast between old and new to look fresh and bold.
The shine and clean edges that metals provide look against beautiful next to the softer and textured edges of the ceramic.
The concept uses your sight to understand the flavors in the pot without having to look inside. The sharpness of the flavors inside corresponds to the sharpness of the angle of the pot. People can either empty out sauces from bought jars or make their own and store it in the fridge. It also asks the user to use them intuitively, placing sharper and stronger flavors in the pots with most angled edges and smaller volumes.
Stoneware offers a similar texture to earthenware whilst also offering a raw beauty and durability needed to provide a long lasting and visually compelling contrast to the metal lid and eventually the condiments inside. The material choice is also crucial for the texture and natural look to encourage people to talk about, pass and share the condiments around during a meal.
The Product.
The Bostin range of products from Mason Cash has been established to appeal to a more modern and cutting edge consumer. It has been designed and developed with modern spaces and food trends in mind creating center pieces and kitchen tools for old and new customers. It gives consumers something never before offered by Mason Cash, a choice in style.
The Bostin Condiment Set allows the users to quickly decipher what condiment is in what pot. With its range of angles and volumes the user can put sharper flavours that require less volume into smaller pots and more staple, milder and popular condiments in the larger pot.
Its stoneware ceramic material encourages people to pick up and pass it around a dinner table to help share the mealtime experience with family and friends. The pots and board are designed to slide into a fridge and take up as little space as possible. The product allows you to make and store your own condiments at home and is a stylish way to present your sauces on the dinner table.
The shallow holes of varying sizes tells the user which order and what location to put the pots back on the board. This means that muscle memory could develop for certain favorite flavors and sharpness.
The inner cork of the lid makes the contact between the ceramics and metal less harsh. It also offers that same contrast of new and old in all scenarios for the pot. With the pot on the metal and stoneware contrasts between new and old and with the lids off offers a sharp and soft contrast with the cork and meal.
The project was supported by Jono Smart. A London based professional studio ceramicist who commented “love the idea of the objects asking to be passed and telling you how to pick them up... Have to say these look amazing. I want a set!”
