Werk is a small series of furniture and products inspired by my experiences from primary school. The series seeks to share those experiences with the user, while facilitating the creation of new experiences and moments between the user and the objects.

The Werk Wastebasket is based off of memories of attempting to throw trash from across the room into a waste bin, an action that was gamified and frequently attempted throughout the day. Several different forms were explored before settling on a funnel shape. The funnel shape both aids and alludes to the action of throwing trash into it from a distance. The final prototypes explore several different combinations of colors and materials; from translucent materials to solid color combinations which could be used in a final production to create a unified series of wastebaskets.

From the outset, I had wanted to play with the idea of tossing trash into a basket from a distance, which formed the basis throughout my ideation process.

One of the final designs; the concept being trash could be bounced off of the back wall of the wastebasket much like a basketball net. At this point, I began to experiment more with different materials and transparencies.

The eventual final design, a funnel shape, as it doesn't need a specific orientation for the design to perform its intended function. In addition, it translates well to molds and different colors and materials.

The se

Prototyping began with a large MDF block, which was cut into the general mold shape.

After being cut to a general shape, the block was then lathed into its final form.

Sanding and filling of the mold in order to make it as smooth as possible before vacuum forming.

The vacuum forming process is relatively straightforward, with heated plastic being drawn over the mold with a vacuum pump.

Initial attempts led to webbing of the plastic, due to the height of the mold.

The solution to the webbing problem was to cut the mold in half and form each part separately, before assembling them into the final product. This also allowed the use of different plastics and colors for each part of the wastebasket.

Trimmed parts ready for painting and assembly.

A few basic colors were chosen to give a better impression as to what a series of wastebaskets may possibly look like.

A complete wastebasket, with a painted top and translucent bottom.

Final product, with a mix between opaque and translucent bottoms.

An experiment with vacuum forming; Styrene, when excessively heated, begins to boil away, resulting in a pitted surface- adding a subtle texture to the part.