DESIGN NAME: Herbal Tea Garden
PRIMARY FUNCTION: Hot drink service with fresh plants
INSPIRATION: Using standardized legs, shelf, wheels, and body, and a special assembly method, I had already created what I call the K Series. These carts are each different but together have a range identity. The Herbal Tea Garden is a member of this range, together with the KEZA, the Km31, the Kvin, the Sweet-Kit and the Kali. Adding an Asian element to this generic design, I endeavored to meet the needs of the Mandarin Oriental. I was inspired by the poetry of this project. On the top I arranged soil, plants, water, and stones as if in a Chinese landscape painting.
UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION: This trolley was a unique creation for the Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Hong Kong.
The catering manager of this well-known establishment asked me to design a trolley for performing the tea ceremony, much as the French Chef Alain Ducasse did at the Louis XV restaurant, Monte Carlo.
OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION: Cultivated in the garden, the plants are repotted in the trolley with earth. The waiter rinses the leaves in the tank, crushes them with a mortar, prepares the infusion and sweetens it with honey. With these simple actions performed slowly, and the strong aromas of the fresh plants, the ceremony creates a meditative end to good hearty meal.
PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION: The project was designed in Toulouse in 2014. It was modeled in 3D software in two weeks. The client approved the photo-realistic picture but asked that the material of the top, initially white Solid Surface, be changed.
FITS BEST INTO CATEGORY: Furniture Design
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PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY: The Herbal Tea Garden is a one-off based on the standardized solid oak components of the K Series, allowing different trolleys to be designed for restaurants with an economy of scale. The top is made of hard waterproof black quartz. It has be cut by digital milling . The water tank and plant pots are made of Krion Solid Surface.
SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES: Overall dimensions W x H x D : 620 x 930 x 620 mm. Extended cheese box W x H x D : 620 x 930 x 850 mm. Structure: solid oak. Top: quartz. Tank and pots : in Solid Surface. Super-soft wheels on bearings. Finish : polyurethane varnishes. Packaging : wrapped in sturdy cardboard and strapped to a pallet.
TAGS: infusion cart, infusion trolley, herbal tea trolley, herbal tea cart, chariot à infusions
RESEARCH ABSTRACT: Nothing existed other than the Alain Ducasse trolley. From the start I was convinced that the square design of the K Series would be suitable. I had a long conversation with my client’s project manager to understand how they wished to use the cart. It is very enjoyable to design something precisely for someone.
CHALLENGE: I designed the cart from the my K Series components stored in my computer’s hard drive as well as on the shelves of my workshop. I took photos of plants and stones in my garden which I could use in my 3D software. I composed the trolley like arranging a bunch of flowers on the screen. It was efficient and exciting. Having forgotten that associating black and white together has a gloomy significance in Chinese culture, the design appropriately changed using black throughout the whole trolly. Fortunately, as I have a direct relationship, it was not an issue.
ADDED DATE: 2017-02-19 10:19:19
TEAM MEMBERS (1) :
IMAGE CREDITS: All images: photographer Patrick Sarran.
PATENTS/COPYRIGHTS: Copyrights belong to Patrick Sarran 2014
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