selvini's S-pot warms the body with multifunctional cooking stones

selvini’s S-pot warms the body with multifunctional cooking stones
all images courtesy of maddalena selvini

the design process can be spurred from simple observations of the world around and us the human interactions that happen within it. maddalena selvini understands this very well, as she has used it to form the ‘S-pot’. she describes her research as follows: ‘in the winter, warming up our hands with a cup of tea is a comfort to our minds. but nowadays it’s normal to set the heat to 22°, wasting money, energy, and even worse, forgetting that it’s actually cold outside. by doing so we end up being completely detached from our surroundings and ourselves. back in the past people gathered around the chimney, with food always rumbling on top of a stove and burning charcoal put in their beds before going to sleep.’ 

from this nostalgic image, selvini has created a set of pots and objects that can be piled together on the same fire for cooking or warming up the stones. the material used is called ‘pietra ollare’, which is specific soapstone from valtellina, italy where each piece is handmade according to an old craft that is slowly being forgotten. thus, the components are naturally lubricated by talc, with a touch and ability to offer warmth for long periods of time. for this reason, the pieces can be spread around the house as pleasant items for the body. in addition, the properties of rock allow the designer to use the sand left over by the lathe for other kinds of stoneware and glaze. therefore, nothing is wasted and plates, cups and teapot become part of the collection. selvini concludes with the idea that with this project, she hopes to bring ‘the intimate feeling of a stove back into our homes.’

feeling the warmth from a plate

the stone at 0° and 1220°

the three circles of the lid allows the user to fit different shapes on top 

the lid with another pot fit inside 

the collection from the pot to the ceramic stoneware 

the shades from less stone sand to more stone sand

an effect on piling up

multiple ways of configuring the objects

the study on the material

alberto gaggi, the craftsman 

valtellina, italy

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.