Bloom
Combining classical and contemporary elements into an elegant, timeless Turkish coffee set.
Role
Student Product Design Project
TOOLS
Rhino, Blender, Adobe CC
TIMELINE
5 Weeks, Fall 2023
Learn how to research and design for a new user base by designing around a global coffee or tea tradition.
Unique texture texture Turkish coffee’s foamy texture is a result of the extra-fine grounds and absence of filtration.
Life & Culture Coffee is a both a ceremonial tradition and regular occurrence for the Turkish.
Turkish Coffee Sets typically consist of the cezve (Turkish coffee pot), coffee cups, small water glasses, and sometimes a dessert tray.
Symbolism Sharing coffee represents hospitality, friendship, peace, and community.
Water, sugar, and coffee grounds are added to the cezve. The sugar sinks to the bottom and is not stirred, which will allow it to caramelize.
The cezve and its contents are slowly brought to boil, creating the distinct ring of foam.
The coffee is temporarily is removed from the heat in order to spoon off some foam and prevent overflow.
After the coffee froths a second time, it is served immediately to preserve the texture of the foam. A glass of water is often served before the coffee to cleanse the palette.
Turkish coffee has a rich sociocultural history that persists today with its presence in traditions, ceremonies, and daily life. However, Turkish coffee design is polarized between modern and traditional aesthetics.
Inspiration was taken from both modern and traditional Turkish coffee sets, including coffee machines by Turkish designers. Copper is a popular material choice for cezves because of its workability and heat conductivity, so it was a priority to include it in the final design.
Initial form explorations began with the cezve, the most important element of the Turkish coffee set. Later sketches explored cups, glasses, and a dessert tray.
Key sketches were prototyped from corrugated paper board to assess the scale and affordance of each design. I consulted a Turkish professor for ergonomics validation. He brought in his cezve, which provided a reference for handle refinement and overall proportion.
Iterations of the handle and its relationship to the cezve body, and early materiality explorations. Handle angle and shape were user-validated for comfort and safety. Done cocurrently with Rhino work and preliminary modeling.
Key iterations of the glass, cup, and cezve using Rhino. Over 70 iterations were created in total.
304 stainless steel, matte black
Spun PVD copper
Stainless steel, copper plated
Dark walnut handle
Ceramic body, satin black
Ceramic handle, glazed
Rose-tinted, frosted glass
Prototypes were 3D printed in PLA. The cezve was printed in four parts: body, main handle, handle connector, and pin. The pin pierces the body for a durable mechanical connection allowing the prototype to be realistically handled.
Pieces were filled, primed, and spray painted, with sanding in between each step.
Tulips were cultivated in the Ottoman empire and are culturally significant blooms in Turkey.
Blooming describes the carbon-dioxide degassing reaction when brewing freshly roasted coffee.
Sharing Turkish coffee is an invitation to be socially intimate, allowing for conversation to bloom.
Special thanks to Ali Ilhan, a Turkish industrial designer professor at DAAP, who served as a design and culturE consultant to this project.
