Fledge

The designers aim was to make an everyday cutting board with added amenity. Other innovative cutting boards on the market tend to compromise on the core functions, such as flatness and durability, so the design team aimed to achieve a board that felt natural to use despite its extra functionality.

The flip-up edge created for this board is helpful for many tasks, yet is unnoticeable when flipped down. Fledge’s outer lip can be quickly flipped up to transfer food, or to quickly contain juices and liquids. When turned down the lip does not impede the visual appeal or function in any way. In this configuration also serves as a juice groove on the reverse side of the board. The manufacturing method developed for this idea also exhibits considerable innovation - A unique multi-stage moulding process was developed to achieve a board of this thickness.

The moulding process developed for Fledge vastly improves the sustainability of this product. A thin outer shell is first moulded from food-safe polypropylene. The core of this shell is then filled with non-virgin plastic. The result is a thick plastic board, made mostly from recycled materials. The design of a cutting board can improve the safety for the user, and this was an important design consideration. The surface texture, and the subtle rubber feet are both designed to prevent slipping, and therefore improve cutting safety.

Fledge was intended to be an everyday cutting board, so numerous additional practical considerations were made in addition to the amenities provided by the flip-up lip. Fledge has a food gripping, knife friendly pattern. It is also dishwasher safe, with the size and thickness chosen to fit the plate rack of all dishwashers. The range includes a large and small size, and is available in black, or selection of bright colours. The colours also allow the customer to differentiate between boards to prevent cross contamination if desired. Concealed non-slip feet also improve the safety and ease of use of the board. The hard outer edge of the lip helps to prevent the user accidentally cutting the softer TPE rubber. The aesthetics of Fledge were treated with a typical minimalist styling, yet attention to fine details typical of Dreamfarm products. This is apparent in details such as the ultra-fine pattern, and way the non-slip feet are subtly integrated into the TPE moulding.