Project 02
Lemon Lid
Designed to be
Broken.
An edible surface designed to be broken, releasing a sensory experience of aroma, texture, and presentation.
- Role
- Industrial Design, Material Study
- Timeline
- Spring 2026
- Tools
- Rhino, 3D Printing, Silicone Casting, Isomalt
Premise
The project started with the lemon as a material, not a flavor.
Peel, oil, aroma, and texture were all treated as raw material. Scent became the starting point of the experience rather than a finishing note.
Perfume and a sculptural diffuser came first, but both drifted away from the food. The question narrowed: how can scent stay attached to what you eat?
Exploration
Stage 01 — The Peel
The lemon was chosen for its peel rather than its flavor. Its aromatic oils held the strongest signal in the fruit, and the first experiments pulled that scent into a clear liquid.
Stage 02 — Holding Aroma
Early concepts sealed the aroma inside the lid itself. Lifting it released the trapped scent into the air, letting fragrance meet the diner before the first bite.
Stage 03 — Edible Materials
Gelatin domes read as glass but collapsed at room temperature. Silicone molds gave repeatable geometry. Isomalt, a sugar used in pastry, finally held: clear, brittle, edible.
Stage 04 — Designed to Break
Instead of protecting the dome, the design embraced its fragility. Cracking the lid became the interaction itself, releasing aroma and sound at the same moment.
Material Tests
Five experiments, each one narrowing the answer.
Alcohol Extraction Captured the aroma effectively, but shifted the project toward a bottled product rather than an interactive experience.
Gelatin Achieved the desired transparency, but softened too quickly to maintain its form.
Silicone Mold Created a repeatable form for testing different edible casting materials.
Failed Casts Revealed how thickness, temperature, and cooling time affected brittleness and release.
Final Material: Isomalt Combined transparency, rigidity, and edibility in a thin shell that broke cleanly on impact.
Final Experience
A dessert that opens with a crack.
The isomalt shell sits over the dessert with lemon aroma and dry ice held underneath. A light tap breaks it, the scent lifts, and the fragments dissolve as they are eaten.
Reflection
The project changed every time a material failed. Rather than forcing early ideas to work, each cast narrowed the question until one interaction remained.
In the end the object was never about preserving lemon. It was about a brief moment where scent, sound, and taste arrive together.