Organic Minimalist Puzzle Holder – Answering the “What”?

Inspirations

For this project, I knew from the beginning that I wanted to make something that would be of use to me and was aesthetically pleasing to me. After some thought, I ultimately decided to create a puzzle holder. I love making puzzles, as it has been a hobby of mine for many years now. Initially, I was looking for some inspiration for puzzle holders on YouTube- primarily looking at existing tutorials so I not only got an idea as to what the finished product looked like, but the fabrication process as well. During this searching, I found MANY different types of puzzle holders… some that were rotatable, some that were foldable, some with drawers, and some that could be adjusted at different angles for better comfort during puzzling activities. Although all of these designs were pretty neat (and I even contemplated trying to combine a bunch of these different features to make a mega epic puzzle holder), I had to be realistic given my lack of experience with certain skill sets. Thus, I ultimately decided to just focus on making a puzzle holder that had removeable drawers. These drawers would allow me to keep my pieces confined to a certain area and help with organization (for patterns, colors, etc.). I figured the drawers could be quite helpful in keeping track of the pieces and avoid losing some (which is always a heartbreaking discovery at the end of a puzzle).

Upon considering what I myself wanted to accomplish (along with what I could feasibly achieve given my skill set and the project’s timeframe), I decided on a puzzle holder with drawers on the bottom for puzzle piece organization and storage! My main inspiration came from Thrift Diving’s tutorial on YouTube, and later through looking at their step-by-step tutorial blog post online [1, 5]. I heavily based my initial design (dimensions and features) and fabrication plans on this tutorial. The main changes that I am implemented are to the exterior appearance (as I am trying to accomplish a certain aesthetic) by adding felt to keep the puzzle pieces from sliding [2], by painting certain surfaces, and implementing 6 drawers as opposed to 4. Additionally, as my fabrication process went on, dimensions were altered and adjusted as needed upon working with the wood, so my design does not perfectly align with Thrift Diving’s design and process. Other inspirations for the project came along during the process (for the knobs or decor). I looked into leaf/vine paintings to find ideas in case I had time to include some additional decorations.

Vision

My vision for this project was to create a puzzle holder with drawers that had an Organic Minimalist aesthetic (will get back to this soon). Functionally, I wanted to be able to build a 1000 to 2000-piece puzzle on the top board. I wanted a layer of felt and trim on this top board to add comfort (for me) and security (to keep the pieces from falling off the board). Additionally, I wanted the base to have 6 drawers that can be pulled out easily and act as a means of storage and organization for the pieces I am not actively using. Initially, I was going to have the puzzle itself be rotatable during use (via a Lazy Susan), with the drawers stationary below. However, upon further consideration I decided that such a feature was not really necessary for my personal use since I normally enjoy moving around the puzzle myself- as I get pretty immersed in it and the movement helps me avoid getting stiff on the floor. Additionally, as I foresaw this project requiring new skills for me, I wanted to try to keep the project as feasible as possible given my skill set. I told myself that if I was progressing faster than anticipated, I would consider adding additional features (but that did not necessarily play out unfortunately).

 

As for aesthetic visions- since I planned on using wood as the primary material, I wanted to use an aesthetic that had wood as a main element. Personally, I really like the Minimalist aesthetic and find it to gives off an elegant and neat style. I tend to favor neutral tones and decor, so the color palette associated with minimalism is really appealing to me as it mainly uses beige. black, or white with pastel accents. Although wood can be used in minimalism, it is not necessarily a main element to the aesthetic. Thus, I contemplated how I could find an aesthetic similar to minimalism that has more of an emphasis on wood as a primary element- and in searching for a solution, I found Organic Minimalism! So, for this project I looked into Organic Minimalist elements and examples… I really liked it and thought it would suit a puzzle holder nicely!

 

I pursued this aesthetic since it has the minimalist style, but with a slightly different color palette (more earthy tones beyond just neutral tones) and more visible wood (to better match with my main material). I really liked the use of plants in Organic Minimalism- even though I don’t have a green thumb ☹- and thought this project could be my way of having something nature-inspired since I do not really own any actual plants. I did want my product to have more of a lighter concept to it- with light wood as opposed to darker woods/stains. This was purely a personal and subjective preference, since I felt like light wood gave me more “sunlight shining in” vibes- which I wanted! I hoped that if I had some time to spare before the deadline that I could add some extra decor- primarily by painting on some leaves or referencing plants in some way. Thankfully, I was able to do this! Which I am VERY happy with, since I think these subtle details added immensely to the overall aesthetic.

Specifications

What are the top 5 things I wanted my project to look like, to feel like, to do??

1. I wanted my project to successfully give off organic minimalism vibes (simple, neat, elegant, etc.). Hopefully people can look at it and recognize the aesthetic I was aiming for without me having to specify it.
2. I wanted my project to be comfortable to use. I didn’t want to get splinters or scratched while using it. I wanted my hands to rest comfortably on the top frame and the felt while spending hours on a puzzle, and I wanted it to feel relatively lightweight (at least for me personally) so that I can easily move it around.
3. I wanted my project to be convenient to use. I wanted the drawers to fit snuggly so that they do not slide easily out but are not too difficult to slide back in to the base. I wanted them to successfully store my puzzle pieces, so that I can color coordinate them and keep them from getting lost.
4. I wanted my project to be aesthetically pleasing. I wanted the materials I am using (and the final outcome) to look good (to me) and support the organic minimalist aesthetic I am trying to achieve. I wanted the quality of my work to come out nicely.
5. I wanted my project to successfully accommodate my large puzzles. Hopefully the size I chose will adequately fit 1500-2000 piece puzzles, since those are the sizes I usually work on.

To me, my project can be considered a success if I met my 5 listed specs above! That being said, I do consider it a successful project! Of course, some of my specs are subjective and depend greatly on my own idea of what I am looking for, but I believe that I accomplished what I was going for as listed above (with the exception on the size requirement since I have yet to test that out). Additionally, since my product ended up being functional (primarily in regard to the drawers), I think that demonstrated functional success as well. I was aiming for a pretty good balance of achieving form and functional success, and believe that I was able to do such (primarily thanks to having some time to add on additional decor).

Design Plans

Some initial sketches I made of the puzzle holder are included. I ended up making a CAD model too, as I needed some engineering drawings before diving into fabrication in the woodshop (I have included these images below as well). The semi-complete drawings (woodshop just required dimensions, so the drawing is minimal for their reviewing purposes and all units are in inches) for the CAD model can be found here. My concept was relatively simple, but I feel like that in itself lines up with Minimalism- which was the point- and I wanted to see if I could even keep the fabrication process along the minimalist route as well.

As shown in the CAD, I wanted the top board to have tan felt and white trim. I wanted the bottom assembly to be made of multiple pieces of light wood, with these pieces being left untouched and purely just showing the beauty of the wood itself (really to highlight the Organic Minimalist look).

 

I chose to use a tan piece of felt, which was placed on top of the top board to keep the pieces in place and keep them from sliding around too easily. I also believed it would be a more comfortable surface to work on (i.e. when my hands or arms are rubbing against it). I planned for the top board’s trims to be all white, as I felt like white suited the light wood appearance I wanted to aim for (I wanted the puzzle holder to have more of a light concept than minimalism with darker tones, as I felt like the lighter tones gave off more of a “sunlight shining on it” vibe). Similar to accent pieces in Organic Minimalism (or even a direct reference to the plants), I wanted to paint the outward faces of the drawers either a Sage or Olive to incorporate an earthy tone. I figured the remaining surfaces can be left unpainted, as the light wooden appearance was what I wanted to have/emphasize in the design. Originally, I was going to get wooden knobs for the drawers as well, but ultimately decided to shift upon looking into minimalist drawer inspirations. Luckily, as I was working in the woodshop, I came across some wood that had a really pretty grain pattern that was slightly darker than my other pieces of wood. I felt like it was a nice contrast and did reinforce my desire for the puzzle holder to be “organic” and emphasize the natural appearance of the wood.

 

Final Product!

I am very happy with how the final product came out! Some changes that I made (from my original design) included painting only the top/inner trim surfaces as opposed to all surfaces, making drawer handles instead of buying them, and adding vines near the drawer handles! I personally feel like I accomplished what I set out to do, both in terms of functionality and form. I think the puzzle holder captures the minimalist aesthetic I was going for while the painted vines do give that subtle nod towards organic minimalism. I am pleased with how the puzzle holder itself looked post-fabrication. Being able to see the different woods that were joined together was very neat (and the reason I did not want to paint all of the trim, as I did not want to cover these surfaces).

References:

[1] https://thriftdiving.com/diy-puzzle-board-with-drawers/

[2] https://atopserenityhill.com/handpainted-vine-as-window-valance-alternative/

[3] https://www.rowabi.com/blogs/lab-of-wabi-sabi-blogs/organic-minimalist-interiors-design?srsltid=AfmBOoqX1dawRf-eo-wHVGvUQHPvYtG2Owd8y0nmTx5K9sVq-RO7-P1M

[4] https://www.rowabi.com/blogs/lab-of-wabi-sabi-blogs/organic-minimalist-interiors-design