Sketching pots and pans with the 50s in mind
When Mikael started designing the new cast-iron cookware VARDAGEN, he kept coming back to the old everyday pots and pans in his own kitchen. We talked to the IKEA designer about combining a 50s approach with modern 3D printing techniques.
If you peek into Mikael’s own kitchen cabinets, you will find cast-iron cookware from the 50s. Some of them came with an old building he turned into a workshop. He cleaned and re-seasoned the pots and pans, and now they are the ones he uses for his go-to chickpea casserole. When Mikael Axelsson, designer at IKEA, started to work on the new VARDAGEN series of pots and pans he researched kitchenware from different periods but kept coming back to his own kitchen, and the durable cast-iron cookware from the 50s.
“The pots and pans from the 50s are really durable, without coating or wood details, which I really like. They were made to last for a really long time. Cast-iron is also really tactile and has a beautiful texture to it. The ones I have at home, which are quite numerous, get better over time. I have a really old pan that I use for pancakes. It has been used a lot and is really smooth,” says Mikael.
Mikael started with sketching some ideas, where he combined the traditional and straightforward style with insight from IKEA customers.
“We got a lot of consumer insights regarding the weight. Cast-iron is really heavy, and you need to keep that in mind all the time. We wanted to make VARDAGEN really ergonomic, for example, we put two handles on the biggest ones,” says Mikael.
In what way is VARDAGEN more ergonomic?
“For the pots, it’s about having a nice grip. The angles underneath the handles play a big role as well as size proportion and transition between body and handle. I also find it really important to have a well-balanced lid together with a flat top of the pot. This way you can place the lid off-center giving you access to the contents without risking the lid falling off. We also designed the lid in a way so that you can serve the food while the lid hangs securely on the side. For the pans, the long handle needed a nice thumb grip, palm support, and finger grip.”
Mikael and his team used new 3D software to create prototypes. Looking back, he thinks he made at least one hundred prototypes where he tried both various shapes and different kinds of handles.
“I always try to find the most efficient way to develop the product, in this case 3D printing. I added a weight equal to the volume in cast iron. Eventually you need to make a prototype in cast iron to be able to evaluate it properly, but this is done late in the process with only minor adjustments. When it comes to something you hold in your hand and interact with, this is the only way to do it to reach a good end result.”
The 3D technique together with a modern manufacturing process has helped them a lot in the design process.
“If you look at old pots and pans the handle often looks glued on to the body, with very sharp transitions. The manufacturing process today lets you do really smooth shapes. As long as the melted cast iron can reach all the cavities in the mold you can do pretty much whatever you like. We focused on making a surface with smooth transitions between body and handle, utilizing the full potential of modern 3D computing and manufacturing methods,” says Mikael.
When they had their first prototypes, they still wanted some more input. They decided to consult the experts and reached out to a couple of chefs and asked if they could try out the VARDAGEN prototypes and give them their opinion about volume, diameter, lid functions and balance.
How did you work witch Democratic Design when designing VARDAGEN?
“Democratic Design is always present. You always have form, function, quality, sustainability, and low price in mind. I see this as a tool, but it is also a big challenge. It is usually easier to design an expensive and nice sofa than an equally nice but affordable sofa.”