The Pivot is a flip open toaster designed by Nicholas Baker and Brandon Gilmore. Inspired by the motion of pulling a book off the shelf, the flip open arm allows you to easily insert and retrieve the toast without the risk of burning your fingers. A simple slider indicates desired golden brownness by snapping to the color setting of your choice.  Pivot automatically flips open when the toast is done to present the slice of golden bread. The dip in the top as well as the exposed hinge sends subtle cues to the user creating an engaging and user-friendly experience. 

 

We designed Pivot through researching two notable designers, Naoto Fukasawa and Santiago Calatrava, and taking inspiration from their design philosophies. We also dissected a toaster and looked into problems of existing toasters. From there we ideated and created sketch models. We then built a working model out of mdf, urethane foam, and aluminum. The single slice toaster could easily be expanded width ways to be able to toast more bread.