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Glass Grove

Glass Grove is a tabletop ecosystem that makes daily nutrition a simple, caring ritual. At its core is algae, a living organism grown at home to support the body with fresh, personalized nourishment. Designed for future homes, it connects living systems with thoughtful design to invite a closer, more hands-on relationship with how we care for ourselves.
How might we reimagine nourishment as a form of care—grown in reciprocity with living systems, rather than imposed by extractive ones?
Glass Grove empowers users to grow their own nutrient-rich algae at home by controlling light and CO₂ levels, tuning the algae’s growth toward specific health goals. Crafted from glass, ceramic, and brass, the device creates a sensory connection to the growth cycle, encouraging participation, reflection, and nourishment.

Sketching Pre-Process

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Gallery

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Key Design Elements

• Living Ecosystem: The algae is visible and alive, making nutrition a process, not just a product.

• Material Language: Glass, ceramic, and brass create a tactile, timeless and weighty feel that honors both craft and biology.

• User Customization: A wind-up brass dial lets users adjust growing conditions, tuning for chlorophyll, protein, or omega-3 outputs.

• Ritual Integration: Daily interaction (checking, harvesting, adjusting) builds a sensory relationship with nourishment and care.

• Closed System Thinking: Growth, harvest, and replenishment cycles are designed to minimize waste and maximize self-sufficiency.

Why Is This Important?

As I witnessed chronic illness shape my family, I began to wonder if nourishment itself—when designed in partnership with nature—could offer a gentler form of medicine. This project became a collaboration with algae, a quietly enduring organism whose efficiency and adaptability contrast sharply with the bluntness of many modern interventions. By working with its biology, not against it, I explored how personalized, nutrient-rich cultivation could support the body’s needs while honoring the rhythms of living systems. Glass Grove is not just a device—it’s an invitation to reimagine wellness as something grown, not extracted; sustained, not prescribed.

Initial Sketches