Sarah Surprise

The kitchen table in my family is the center of our home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. My childhood memories are focused around this table, like the time that our cat Tom jumped into my sister's mash potatoes. The kitchen in homes used to be the heart of the home, literally where a hearth would be at the center of the single room home providing heat, nourishment and bringing people together to share food. Our relationship with the kitchen has been modernized to quicken the process of cooking, this making our relationship with food different. I wanted to make way for a kitchen centered lifestyle, providing a place where we come together to enjoy each other's company. Through this project and beyond I am interested in exploring what modern New Mexican Design looks like and how it can evolve.

Website

Tile Cushions

Raw silk
13.5" x 13.5"

Foodie Napkins

Raw silk dyed with Juniper bark, Silkscreen
83 x 51 x 10 mm (3 ¼ × 2 × ½ in.)

These napkins are based on previous paintings. The food depicted are foods locally grown around New Mexico.

Connection place setting

Hand Knitted Raffia, Handmade Buttons
20"x 14"

To create a comforting environment I chose to incorporate knits because of our unconscious association to sweaters. I also wanted them have handmade quality to them so they have a warm essence, rather than a mass produced look. The Placemats are in a modular systems and can be connected with connection dollies, making it more of a table cloth unity.

2616 Knot Dog Bed

Wool
43"x 38"

Exactly 2616 knots in total, the dog bed is made through a process of felting and knotting pieces together.

Folky Wallpaper

Paint, Collage
Repeat unit 17"x 12"

Painted Wood Blocks

Wood Scraps, Paint
Various sizes

Each of these blocks are apart of my process of contextualizing modern New Mexican design. The root of the blocks is inspired by the lifestyle in New Mexico.

Kitchen Tiles

Plastic, Craft paper, Cork, Paint
13"x 13"

Each square is based around the different components of my kitchen. There are squares that represent the people and pets in my family, the daily rituals and the food we eat.