The Mug, as a project, is intended to address the prompt of creating a “lunchbox” to consume food in pairs. This container for food is meant to be able to hold the ingredients for the meal, freshly prepare it, and then divide the portion in two for an intimate, two-person dining experience. In this case, because the food chosen was coffee, the lunchbox created was a mug, which is initially carried with the white lid at the bottom with coffee grounds contained in the wooden area. Upon one wanting to prepare coffee, water can be boiled in a separate container and then, once the mug has been inverted, poured over the ground. The concept is that the metal mesh will act as a coffee filter and strain the completed coffee into the two mugs situated below. The white, 3D printed lid that initially kept the grounds in will then act as a saucer for the two cups, forcing the two participants drinking coffee to place their cups next to each other. This allows for a more physically close and emotionally intimate experience. 

The two half-circle mugs, created in such a way that they both serve to close the vessel when it is full of dry grounds to avoid spilling and then act as mugs, are meant to be the perfect shape for the human hand, to mimic the feeling of holding a warm drink in a typical, larger mug. The lack of handle on either mug is duel purpose: on one hand, it forces one to hold the cup in one’s hands to feel the warmth of the drink, and on the other hand, it is meant to make one more physically close to their companion while reaching for their cup. Once full and being drank from, the cup is intended to have a certain orientation. In order for the hands to cup the mug a specific way, and so as to avoid spilling, one must press their lips to the curved side.

All-in-all, the Mug is meant to create a drinking atmosphere of comradery and friendship. Built from half inch bass wood slices which were stacked atop each other and then hollowed out with a drill press and sander, it is the culmination of hours of design, within the woodshop, at the studio desk, and using Rhino and a 3D printer in order to perfect the intended result. The snug fit of the 3D-printed elements with the  wood and metal elements is no mistake. It resulted from much effort in the pursuit of creating something that, with the help of some polyurethane and imagination, could theoretically hold water. That being said, it is merely intended to be the design for a product that, when actually produced, would be far more watertight.