Aayla TABLEWARE

A set of tableware designed for a hypothetical Egyptian restaurant located in New York.

Aayla tableware is designed to not only reflect and be indicative of Egyptian culture but also be understood by Americans. The forms of the set were designed to reflect the geometric, repetitive patterns and modularity seen in Egyptian art and architecture.

‘Aayla (عائلة’ comes from  the Arabic word for family, resembling the type of atmosphere my hypothetical restaurant would have.

Mezze dish set

A modular set of dishes for appetizers that act as the main portion of the meal, which is shared with the group. It is designed to keep the dishes from shifting around on the serving board, while still allowing for customization of how the dishes are organized depending on what is ordered.

Sambousa dish

This dish was design specifically for sambousa (fried stuffed pastry triangles) which is often served with vegetables and sauces on the sides. The notches allow for the triangles to be propped up and give more organized space on the dish.

cutlery - redesigning the spoon

It is uncommon to use a fork or knife in Egyptian cuisine as it is mainly only used due to the influence of western culture. The spoon, often the only utensil used in Egypt, is used to scoop the food onto the plate or into the pocket of the pita bread.

I redesigned the spoon to have an ovular rectangle shape to make it easier to use on its own, by allowing you to use the edges of the spoon to cut the food.

The restaurant

Aayla is the hypothetical family-style restaurant this collection of tableware is designed for.

It is located in Astoria, New York, which is also known as Little Egypt. The collection is designed for the food that would be served at this restaurant (as shown in the sample menu).