Pause Shelf

What was the first question you asked yourself to start this project?

Connor Schulz: I think the first question I asked myself was, how can I enhance rituals that we have in our daily lives around comfort in our home? Like brewing tea or lighting a candle. I think that continuing to focus on those rituals really guided my process.

How did your project change throughout the design process, how did it turn out differently from your original vision?

CS: At first, I was really focusing on traditional tea shelf cubbies, and that traditional very square, rectangular design language. I kind of held on to a little bit of that, but I wanted it to be a little more of my own statement, a little more contemporary. That's where the half-circle came in, and it kind of became this mirroring language of the half-circle of ply and the half-circle of cubbies.

What challenged you the most about this project?

CS: Getting that hardware placed right so that all the components fit together was definitely a challenge. Making the hardware all connect correctly so that it was able to mount on the wall and it wouldn't be too much of a hassle for someone to put up.

What was your greatest success in this project?

CS: My greatest success was probably the jars. That was my first time slip-casting anything and for them to come out really nice, really clean, and fit the holes I had designed perfectly was a real great success.

In what ways would you like to further improve your project?

CS: I think the jars still could be improved, even though I had a great success with them. I played around with the idea of adding rubber gaskets onto it so it would seal a little better and just working on the tolerances to make everything fit right.