Rebrew: A Ritual of Care
A dissolvable recipe book that reimagines nourishment through circular materials, sensory rituals, and zero-waste design.
ROLE
Design Researcher, Interaction Designer
CONTRIBUTIONS
Collaborated on product ideation, user research, recipe development, materials fabrication, and testing.
PROJECT TYPE & DURATION
Material Futures and Speculative Product Design - 10-week project
What if the future of wellness left nothing behind?
What if the future of wellness left nothing behind?
What if the future of wellness left nothing behind?
Rebrew began as a study of kitchen rituals, but quickly evolved into a deeper look at circular design, material waste, and food as healing. We found that while herbal remedies offer comfort and cultural grounding, they can often feel inaccessible or intimidating for beginners.
Rebrew began as a study of kitchen rituals, but quickly evolved into a deeper look at circular design, material waste, and food as healing. We found that while herbal remedies offer comfort and cultural grounding, they can often feel inaccessible or intimidating for beginners.
Rebrew began as a study of kitchen rituals, but quickly evolved into a deeper look at circular design, material waste, and food as healing. We found that while herbal remedies offer comfort and cultural grounding, they can often feel inaccessible or intimidating for beginners.
This led us to rethink not just the remedy, but the system around it: from sourcing and packaging to use and end-of-life. The result: an interface you can tear, dissolve, sip, and return to the earth.
This led us to rethink not just the remedy, but the system around it: from sourcing and packaging to use and end-of-life. The result: an interface you can tear, dissolve, sip, and return to the earth.
This led us to rethink not just the remedy, but the system around it: from sourcing and packaging to use and end-of-life. The result: an interface you can tear, dissolve, sip, and return to the earth.
A dissolvable recipe book rethinking the lifecycle of wellness.
A dissolvable recipe book rethinking the lifecycle of wellness.
A dissolvable recipe book rethinking the lifecycle of wellness.
When joy and guilt share the same kitchen.
When joy and guilt share the same kitchen.
When joy and guilt share the same kitchen.
In our research, we uncovered a recurring theme: for many, food is medicine, and cooking is a way of expressing care. But these rituals are often clouded by stress due to the overwhelm of complex recipes and the guilt of wasted ingredients.
In our research, we uncovered a recurring theme: for many, food is medicine, and cooking is a way of expressing care. But these rituals are often clouded by stress due to the overwhelm of complex recipes and the guilt of wasted ingredients.
In our research, we uncovered a recurring theme: for many, food is medicine, and cooking is a way of expressing care. But these rituals are often clouded by stress due to the overwhelm of complex recipes and the guilt of wasted ingredients.
Rebrew was designed to ease that tension by reducing complexity and waste, while preserving the joy and intention behind these rituals.
Rebrew was designed to ease that tension by reducing complexity and waste, while preserving the joy and intention behind these rituals.
Rebrew was designed to ease that tension by reducing complexity and waste, while preserving the joy and intention behind these rituals.
In-home interviews revealed the joy and ritual embedded in daily preparation.
In-home interviews revealed the joy and ritual embedded in daily preparation.
In-home interviews revealed the joy and ritual embedded in daily preparation.
But those rituals often coexist with confusion, guilt, and waste.
But those rituals often coexist with confusion, guilt, and waste.
But those rituals often coexist with confusion, guilt, and waste.
Where recipes become the remedy.
Where recipes become the remedy.
Where recipes become the remedy.
Rebrew is a dissolvable herbal recipe book. Each page is embedded with pre-measured ingredients for tea, broths, poultices, and inhalations. Crafted from organic, food-safe materials, every sheet is designed to biodegrade completely.
Rebrew is a dissolvable herbal recipe book. Each page is embedded with pre-measured ingredients for tea, broths, poultices, and inhalations. Crafted from organic, food-safe materials, every sheet is designed to biodegrade completely.
Rebrew is a dissolvable herbal recipe book. Each page is embedded with pre-measured ingredients for tea, broths, poultices, and inhalations. Crafted from organic, food-safe materials, every sheet is designed to biodegrade completely.
No measuring, no excess, no waste. You tear, steep, and it disappears. What begins as care for self becomes renewal for the earth, closing the loop between healing and the land it comes from.
No measuring, no excess, no waste. You tear, steep, and it disappears. What begins as care for self becomes renewal for the earth, closing the loop between healing and the land it comes from.
No measuring, no excess, no waste. You tear, steep, and it disappears. What begins as care for self becomes renewal for the earth, closing the loop between healing and the land it comes from.
A tactile, sensory interface for rituals of care.
A tactile, sensory interface for rituals of care.
A tactile, sensory interface for rituals of care.
The page as ritual.
The page as ritual.
The page as ritual.
Rebrew is designed as a tangible act of care. Each sheet blends organic herbs with edible, dissolvable paper; tearing a page becomes a tactile pause, a gesture of intention, and a return to slower healing.
Rebrew is designed as a tangible act of care. Each sheet blends organic herbs with edible, dissolvable paper; tearing a page becomes a tactile pause, a gesture of intention, and a return to slower healing.
Rebrew is designed as a tangible act of care. Each sheet blends organic herbs with edible, dissolvable paper; tearing a page becomes a tactile pause, a gesture of intention, and a return to slower healing.
Clear instructions inspired by ancestral practices are printed directly on each sheet, making herbal rituals more accessible for beginners. After use, the remnants dissolve or return to the soil, closing the loop with zero waste.
Clear instructions inspired by ancestral practices are printed directly on each sheet, making herbal rituals more accessible for beginners. After use, the remnants dissolve or return to the soil, closing the loop with zero waste.
Clear instructions inspired by ancestral practices are printed directly on each sheet, making herbal rituals more accessible for beginners. After use, the remnants dissolve or return to the soil, closing the loop with zero waste.
Four pages, four remedies. Each one crafted to disappear without waste.
Four pages, four remedies. Each one crafted to disappear without waste.
Four pages, four remedies. Each one crafted to disappear without waste.
Printed with clear instructions to make herbal practice more intuitive.
Printed with clear instructions to make herbal practice more intuitive.
Printed with clear instructions to make herbal practice more intuitive.
A system rooted in circularity.
A system rooted in circularity.
A system rooted in circularity.
We began not in a lab, but in Bay-Area parks, markets, and kitchens, sourcing local herbs and grounding the project in place and seasonality.
We began not in a lab, but in Bay-Area parks, markets, and kitchens, sourcing local herbs and grounding the project in place and seasonality.
We began not in a lab, but in Bay-Area parks, markets, and kitchens, sourcing local herbs and grounding the project in place and seasonality.
Back in the studio, we transformed those ingredients into dissolvable sheets through material experiments with natural binders.
Back in the studio, we transformed those ingredients into dissolvable sheets through material experiments with natural binders.
Back in the studio, we transformed those ingredients into dissolvable sheets through material experiments with natural binders.
Over several weeks, we tested dozens of combinations: wet vs. dry mixes, varying potency, and even methods for printing and perforation. The final recipe was sturdy yet dissolvable: flexible enough to tear, strong enough to hold, and gentle enough to dissolve in water.
Over several weeks, we tested dozens of combinations: wet vs. dry mixes, varying potency, and even methods for printing and perforation. The final recipe was sturdy yet dissolvable: flexible enough to tear, strong enough to hold, and gentle enough to dissolve in water.
Over several weeks, we tested dozens of combinations: wet vs. dry mixes, varying potency, and even methods for printing and perforation. The final recipe was sturdy yet dissolvable: flexible enough to tear, strong enough to hold, and gentle enough to dissolve in water.
Form meets function: balancing flavor, dissolvability, zero-waste, and ritual in every page.
Form meets function: balancing flavor, dissolvability, zero-waste, and ritual in every page.
Form meets function: balancing flavor, dissolvability, zero-waste, and ritual in every page.
A sensory invitation into herbal heritage.
A sensory invitation into herbal heritage.
A sensory invitation into herbal heritage.
Rebrew honors ancestral herbal practices while making them accessible to new audiences. The book includes four recipes: throat coat tea, warming broth, steam inhalation, and wound poultice, each designed for hands-on engagement. Rather than flatten or commercialize herbalism, Rebrew simplifies access while preserving its richness.
Rebrew honors ancestral herbal practices while making them accessible to new audiences. The book includes four recipes: throat coat tea, warming broth, steam inhalation, and wound poultice, each designed for hands-on engagement. Rather than flatten or commercialize herbalism, Rebrew simplifies access while preserving its richness.
Rebrew honors ancestral herbal practices while making them accessible to new audiences. The book includes four recipes: throat coat tea, warming broth, steam inhalation, and wound poultice, each designed for hands-on engagement. Rather than flatten or commercialize herbalism, Rebrew simplifies access while preserving its richness.
A pocket apothecary inspired by generations of wisdom, made approachable for the herbally curious.
A pocket apothecary inspired by generations of wisdom, made approachable for the herbally curious.
A pocket apothecary inspired by generations of wisdom, made approachable for the herbally curious.
Beyond the page: Imagining a sustainable future.
Beyond the page: Imagining a sustainable future.
Beyond the page: Imagining a sustainable future.
The world generates over 400 million tons of plastic each year, most from from single-use packaging and with only 9% recycled. Meanwhile, interest in natural remedies is growing, especially among younger generations seeking alternatives to over-processed care.
The world generates over 400 million tons of plastic each year, most from from single-use packaging and with only 9% recycled. Meanwhile, interest in natural remedies is growing, especially among younger generations seeking alternatives to over-processed care.
The world generates over 400 million tons of plastic each year, most from from single-use packaging and with only 9% recycled. Meanwhile, interest in natural remedies is growing, especially among younger generations seeking alternatives to over-processed care.
Rebrew sits at this intersection. By eliminating packaging, simplifying access to herbal knowledge, and rethinking materials, it shows how everyday rituals can support a more circular, sustainable future.
Rebrew sits at this intersection. By eliminating packaging, simplifying access to herbal knowledge, and rethinking materials, it shows how everyday rituals can support a more circular, sustainable future.
Rebrew sits at this intersection. By eliminating packaging, simplifying access to herbal knowledge, and rethinking materials, it shows how everyday rituals can support a more circular, sustainable future.
TOOLS
Material prototyping, food-safe paper fabrication, ingredient dehydration, laser engraving, natural binder experimentation
FOCUS AREAS
Circular design, material experimentation, product design, interaction design, research Synthesis
TEAM
Abigail Chen, Divya Srinivasan, María-Teresa Carmier, Shameemah Fuseini-Codjoe