portfolio - michael chiarella

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MICHAEL CHIARELLA

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A design portfolio of work from my studies at the Maryland Institute College of Art, up to and including 2014.

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MICHAEL CHIARELLA

PROSTHETICS

This project represents the second half of my senior thesis project, which dealt with utilizing the structural systems around us for more than their intended use. By treating bricks, cinder blocks, and studs as modules and foundations for other pieces, users can customize their space with furniture and objects that are naturally linked to the architecture.

bricks | mortar | 2x4s | steel | plywood |drywall

CHAIR-TABLE

A coffee table made from two chairs. This is the first piece made for my senior thesis, and uses chairs found around the studio as the structural foundation for a table. Specifically, the legs’ extension halfway up the seat back allows the tapletop to sit at the proper height. Due to sliding bent-acrylic panels, the table is reconfigurable.

chairs | plywood | acrylic

ASHTRAY-TABLE

An end table made from a cigarette urn. This is the second piece made for my senior thesis, and uses a cigarette urn found outside the studio as the structural foundation for a table. Specifically, the wedges of negative space allow the tapletop to sit at the proper height. A disc of white acrylic serves as a water-resistant coaster.

ashtray | plywood | pine | acrylic

DESK

A folding desk influenced by Shaker furniture design and chair rails. While stored vertically, the desk is 5’ tall and stands off the wall only 4.5”. Unfolded, the desk extends 5’ and sits 2.5’ off the ground, an industry standard dimension. The three pieces that make up the top, leg, and foot of the desk are held together with a canvas hinge, which is housed in a routed channel. Canvas handles facilitate the moving of the desk.

plywood | pine | canvas | hardware

SINE

A light designed parametrically in Grasshopper using a series of sine waves, and made of laser-cut bristol board and plywood. At 18” x 24”, The light works perfectly in the corner of a room, and gives off a comfortable glow and exciting shadows.A folding panel allows for a flat-packing form,and a pop-up book style paper shade. Gracefully mathematical curves lend a chic modern aesthetic to the light, while humble materials keep it usable in a domestic space.

bristol | adhesive | plywood | light

CROSSES

A pair of modest wooden lights. The wall-mounted and table lights face each other and create an implied miter between them. Additionally, the forms and light reference a humble or religious space. A cast resin film diffuses the light, and adheres itself to the wooden case, which friction-fits onto the full-lap joint cross. Hole plugs cover the screws used to fasten the one light to the wall.

poplar | resin | lights

SCONCEA battery-operated light which takes full advantage of its purposefully selected materials. The light is held together without adhesives or hardware, instead using the natural flexibility and tension of copper and acrylic. By design, this light is simple to assemble, replace the bulb, or swap out parts that break. Translucent acrylic diffuses the fluorescent light, while a copper backing plate reflects the light outwards. Finally, a routed walnut board holds the electrical components and provides a rigid substrate for the rest of the design. A jig was laser-cut out of craft plywood in order to control the heat-bending of the acrylic sheet.

walnut | acrylc | copper | light

FRUITBOWL

A collapsible fruit bowl with a modular design that encourages customization. Contents include an octagonal plastic unit, with interchangeable wooden and aluminum legs, as well as rubber and cork feet (to keep the bowl from scratching one’s kitchen counter or table). Due to its spiraling design, the bowl is held together by friction and compression - no “hardware” is used. And, while not necessary for the structural integrity of the bowl, rubber bands, baker’s twine, and other similar materials can be used to personalize the bowl.

plastic | dowels | aluminum | rubber | cork | twine

STARBUCKSA packaging design concept for Starbucks coffee stirrers. This design is meant to repurpose the cardboard used in shipping other supplies from warehouse to store, encouraging a closed-circuit system. One piece of cardboard is partially delaminated, and made into the holder and the sleeve. To reinforce the “green” message, trees are shown as more stirrers are removed from the packaging, illustrating how this packaging saves natural resources. Text on the back of the packaging explains the eco-friendly initiative, and the rubber band that keeps things in place during shipping holds the packaging together on the store’s counter.

cardboard | print | rubber-band

TYPOGRAPHY

A typeface designed with the change from folk-culture to industrial life in mind. Letter forms were created in Adobe Illustrator, then laser-cut, laminated, set, and printed. Numbers, several punctuation marks, and specialty characters are missing but will be added at a later date.

plywood | digital | ink | paper

MICHAELCHIARELLA.DE/SIGN/