The ritual of a shared cup of tea carries with it many meanings, but at its core it represents a sharing of a delicate unfolding of elements. An unfolding of a conversation with a guest. A time to process and share thoughts with another, to relax and lower one's guard as the delicate and subtle flavors of the tea unfold in the steeping brew.

Featured in the August edition of Bespoke Magazine p.25

The functional expectations of a tea set are well known and established: a teapot should pour without dripping, serve several guests, etc. This provided an opportunity to explore a refined aesthetic statement. The design of A Precious Vessel is inspired by the delicate ritual of folding paper and the intersection of basic geometric shapes: the square, triangle, and circle.

An exploration of ritual:
Ritual: A practice or pattern of behavior regularly performed in a set manner. In many cultures there is a ritual around the sharing of a cup of tea. I drew inspiration from origami, and the set order of folds required to create delicate three dimensional forms. I chose to make paper models in my early explorations and practiced the ritual of cutting, folding, and joining to arrive at my final form.

Early sketches of ideas. Check out the package design for this tea set.

Building the model.