IDEATION
The dining experience is shaped not only by the food or the rituals around it, but also by the personal memories it evokes. Even an ordinary meal with family, friends, or loved ones holds deeper meaning. We wonder: What if we could capture these moments in a tangible form and share them with others?Dining connects us to memories and sparks ideas of food, culture, and the stories that unfold around the table. Inspired by the art pieces shown, a tablecloth could serve as a canvas for documenting our meals — where we sit, what we eat, what we do, and who we share these moments with. This medium, simple to fold, pack, and gift, becomes a meaningful invitation. Our friends who receive it are invited to join us as guests to celebrate these intimate and cherished moments of our lives.
Case Study: Table Mat
PROCESS & DEVELOPMENT
We began by narrowing down to three ideas from our precedent study.- On-the-go fine dining experience.
- Using projection to enhance dining experience.
- Designing utensils to simulate conditions that hinder eating to build empathy.
The final idea ended being a combination of aspects from the first two ideas: design and create a tablecloth that would transform to fit different table sizes and arrangements. We wanted to bring in elements of cultural exchange that we explored in the second idea, by drawing out how we eat back home with our family.
Brainstorming draft
Our first prototype was a pill-shaped table linen that would cover the entire surface of the dining table. Placements for plates are marked on the linen to dictate the position of the plates on the mat. We sew on buttons and draw fold lines, which allows the user to fold the linen to serve variety of arrangements and numbers of guests. The paper prototype aimed to achieve a similar result, but in a rectangular form.
First Prototype: Table Mat Assembly
We discovered however, that in the process of creating these foldable linens, we lost our original vision for the project: To share my own personal dining experience to other people. The demarcations of plate placements made it sterile and typical. We explored using different types of fabric to allow varied arrangements, but we ended up backtracking to our very first idea. Instead of creating a table mat that can conform to any table size, we decided to simply create 1 table mat, designed for 1 person of 1 particular dining experience.
There are areas demarcated by different colors of clothes representing the family characteristics, with names attached to each plate. We also added placements for phones and tablets, with QR code to the show or app that they would often watch/use while eating. The compass in the corner is less about exact position of the table mat in reference to the Earth’s magnetic field, but rather to indicate where the TV, the center of family dinner ritual, should be in reference to the table. There is a flexible area for shared dishes defined by cute illustration.
Final Idea: Personal Dining Experience
The final product is a close collaboration, with every team member contributing to each stage—from sewing and pattern design to painting. Together, we have worked to preserve these memories, as if we ourselves were part of the family.
Team Co-creation
FINAL PRODUCT
The final tablecloth mat has different colored fabric stitched on, representing different family members. This particular mat represents Brie’s family. The Southeast corner is reserved for her brother, who often eats away from their family and in his own room. The corner is therefore detachable and reattached via buttons. Those receiving this can also scan the QR Code on the iPad area and cloth edge to see what the gift senders see during the meal and get the digital version of the manual.
Final Product: The Table Mat
Additionally, we made a manual to illustrate the dining experience on the tablecloth, including an introduction to the family, the legend for dishes, utensils, and accessories, and the scenario of everyday dining routines as storyboards. We encourage those who receive this gift to experience life on the cloth immersive by imitating the indirect dining settings.
Final Product: The Manuel