A herbal doormat inspired by an ancient tradition of strewing herbs at the entrance to a home. Friends or strangers would wipe their feet on the herbs as they walked over the threshold to enter the house, releasing essential oils that fragrance the surrounding air. These fragrant compounds helped to stave off infection and keep bugs away.
Threshold was an original design for an exhibition, The Voice of Things. Curated by Sarah van Gameren and Philippe Malouin during London Design Festival 2015, it explored the subject of reproduction.
Each designer had to find a person who could describe a functional object to them solely through spoken word. The designers could not see, touch, smell or taste the authentic object. Each had to recreate their item according to the description they received. In the exhibition, the functional objects were displayed next to reproduced design objects.
My sister Annie Ridout, a writer and poet, chose a coir door mat with the word ‘Welcome’ printed onto it. Her description was; “Welcome: A bristled rectangle activated by friction”.
