WOOL
Made from discarded merino felt and hardwood offcuts, this set of wine markers help everyone remember their glass at a gathering.
Skills
Sustainable Design
Marketing
Process Optimization
8 Weeks
Spring 2025
Wine Markers
WOOL repurposes merino felt and hardwood offcuts into wine markers that help everyone keep track of their glass at a gathering
Felt Cutouts
FilzFelt produces large panels of 100% wool felt with patterns punched into them, generating many high-quality cutouts that go unused
Wood Offcuts
A local woodworker crafts high-end cutting boards, producing hardwood offcuts that are too small or irregular for conventional use
Focus on Circularity
What is Circularity?
Circularity is a systems-based approach that keeps materials and products in use through reuse, repair, remanufacturing, and recycling.
Circular designs tend to preserve value and minimize waste.
Material First Approach
Exploration
An exploration of piercing, flexing, and weaving between wood and felt, embracing the unique strengths of each
Direction
Embracing the natural flex of the felt, this direction allows for a simple, tactile experience that invites interaction and inspires connection
Solving the Color Problem
The challenge was to create a color accent that made each wine marker distinguishable, while allowing the inlaid felt to flex naturally with the main piece.
This was solved by splicing felt halfway through the main piece, adding color only where needed through an opening.
Optimizing Process
The first wooden pin took 25 minutes to produce. With each batch, new methods were tested and refined, reducing production time to just 2.5 minutes.
An organized assembly line process reduced production time for a felt piece from 30 minutes to 4 minutes.
