Forgotten Tools by Studio Droog

Studio Droog
Forgotten Tools, 2013

Forgotten Tools is a tableware collection by Studio Droog that brings overlooked eating utensils back to the table. The project revisits historical cutlery shapes that have gradually disappeared from everyday use and reintroduces them as contemporary objects, questioning how habits, rituals, and tools evolve over time.

Instead of designing new forms, Studio Droog turned to the past. Salt scoops, fruit spoons, sugar spoons, butter trowels, and other once-common utensils were rediscovered in historical archives and carefully reinterpreted. These “forgotten” tools are presented not as nostalgic replicas, but as refined, functional objects for today, each celebrating a specific gesture at the table that modern cutlery has largely absorbed or erased.

The collection combines traditional references with contemporary production methods. Some pieces were produced using advanced techniques such as 3D printing in titanium, resulting in lightweight yet precise forms that underline the dialogue between craftsmanship and technology. Together, the tools form an almost encyclopedic set of eating implements, encouraging users to rediscover the richness and specificity of dining rituals.

Forgotten Tools reflects Droog’s ongoing interest in heritage as a source for innovation. By reviving objects that have fallen out of use, the project invites reflection on what we choose to keep, discard, or reinvent and how even the most ordinary tools can carry memory, meaning, and beauty when seen through a new lens.