Box 52 – 52 Boxes in 52 Weeks

Box 52. Done. And that’s all I have to say about that.

Kidding. I always have plenty to say. This is another stacking box, like box 49, but I changed the shape from rectangle to square, taking box 48 as my starting point (I really like box 48).

I think box 49 is too tall, so this time I made the sides 1 1/4 in. tall instead of 1 1/2 in. I know it’s impossible to tell from these photos, but the lower height is an improvement. I also like the square format for the boxes. (I’m actually excited about designing more square boxes in the future. I can’t believe I never tried a square box until No. 48.) The biggest benefit of the square is that I had more latitude in dividing the boxes into compartments. For the top box, I used the same arrangement as I did for box 49. For the middle box, I added a compartment. For the bottom box, I added another compartment, but not another lid. A square compartment in the middle of a box with others wrapping around it: I’ve had this arrangement in mind for years. I finally said fuck it and gave it a try. It wasn’t as hard to do as I had feared. I did not use a lid for it because I wanted a pop of color in the middle, and I thought the fabric would be cooler than a painted lid.

Here’s something I don’t like: Dumb figure holes on the two lower boxes. They suck. As I was working on this box and running through all the different ways I could make a pull for them, I was getting bummed out because I thought that I just wasn’t able to design a good pull for them. The problem is that the bottom of the box above sits on the lid of the box below, so the pulls on the box below must be flush with the lid. That’s a tough constraint to work with. However, I realized that the problem wasn’t really a design problem. It’s an engineering problem. I needed to change how the upper box sat on the lower box. I’ve figured that out now, and the next time I build a box like this (soon, I think), I’ll be able to have pulls that are at least a bit proud of the lid. Then, I’ll be able to design a lovely pull for the lower two boxes. So, some progress was made.

I think that’s all I have to say, so let’s here are the customary random thoughts.

1. The inside edge of the finger holes are painted with green milk paint. The underside of the bottoms on the top two boxes are also painted with green milk paint.

2. I am happy to be done with the 52 boxes, but I’m also bummed. I loved being in a constant state of design and build. I need some time to reflect on what I learned, but I do plan to write at least one blog about the project as a whole.

3. I have many more box designs that I wasn’t able to make. I’ll be making them.

4. Choo choo, everybody! (That’s for you, LH and BE.)