yuli meroz cuts, folds and knits orange peels to create intricate crafts

guided by her ecological approach to life and design, yuli meroz has set out to discover the material potential of orange peel. by using the raw peel in a variety of ways, the israel-based designer has created a collection of unique and eye-catching crafts from one common resource.

template connectors – 9 oranges

all images courtesy of yuli meroz

yuli meroz began this material investigation by taking a closer look at the peel itself. she noticed that the outer part of the fruit has a pore-like texture, which locks in the oils that are responsible for that unmistakable orange aroma. meroz decided to preserve these natural properties when using the orange peel so that the material source can always be easily identified by its color, texture and smell.

knitted basket – 15 oranges

to craft the pieces, meroz developed different techniques and tools, enabling the creation of elements in different sizes, regardless of the peel size. from a thorough study that examined what can be derived from these forms of cutting, four main techniques of peel processing were selected that are suitable to the material: knitting with straps of oranges; cutting a template and creating a modular connecting unit; pressing the peel to itself and other materials; and creating a coating from the ground pulp, seeds and juice. 

knitting with orange peel

the process also led the designer to build a series of tools specific to the project. these include a template cutting machine, and a round and rectangular loom. staying true to the honest character of the peel material, meroz also choose to leave the designs in the form of the receptacle that made them. for example, the knitted basket preserves the shape of the round loom that made it.

containers in the coating technique

combined technologies – 26 oranges

the studio

extraction of orange straps

knitting with a round loom using the orange straps

the template cutting machine and its produce

coating technique

the round and rectangular loom

the template cutting machine

project info:

project name: I peeled an orange

design: yuli meroz

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.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom