This curious shape has been studied to confuse, to invite kids to think and challenge themselves. The goal is to inspire their creativity through the process of making their own stool.
One day, Catherine Hamon (Industrial Design professor at AI) drew a cube on the blackboard and said: I want you to push yourselves, don't take it easy this time, no easy shapes. After class, I sat there staring at that cube and I thought "there's so much more hidden in a simple cube".
That's how Grudadinho was born.
The stool’s shape is very simple and yet complicated, it’s hard to get it right the first time. I wanted to encourage kids to don’t give up at the first try, to find independence, freedom and creativity.
"Grudadinho" means sticky in Portuguese. But it can indicate something that is stuck to another piece. In a more familiar context, it's usually used to talk about someone or their loved ones.
It has been designed to have multiple purposes. Thanks to its shape, Grudadinho can become a perfect shelving system, and it can be stored if fixed on the wall, serving as a table or an extra shelf.
To build a wood prototype and print a 3d model of the stool was essential, specially to study its stability, movement and the identity of the two pieces. Grudadinho still has a long way to go, and a few more challenges ahead.
It's currently being tested and used by everyone who passes by my house, in Italy.
