Dualism

The clock is ticking the cutlery clinks as they are hastily placed on the beautifully decorated table. The table is set under a tree, a soft breeze brushes through the leaves and the roses placed on the table. Everything looks ravishing, awaiting the arrival of the guests for an eventful evening. Hatter takes one last look at the table. It's perfect. He still needs to get dressed. Hatter starts rushing into the Tulgey Wood. After a few hurried paces, he notices Cheshire Cat whiffling behind him. “Haste makes waste, so I rarely hurry” He hears him whisper from behind, and just like that he disappears into the air. Hatter doesn’t have time for Cheshires’ witty quotes. He can hear Tweedledum and Tweedledee singing and hopping around in the distance. There’s something different in Wonderland, something other-worldly, something strange. He wants to investigate but Hatter doesn't let his curiosity get the better of him. "Have I gone mad?" He murmurs to himself while passing the Garden of Live Flowers. The flowers were in their usual business of mockery. Flaunting their petals and arguing over who's superior. The tall mushrooms canopied the forest trail leading Hatter towards his destination. Dry leaves crunch under his boots as he makes his way towards the stairs. “Finally!” he pants, swinging the doors open and immediately adoring his reflection in the mirror in front of him. He reached his closet, and it's time to get ready for the tea party. This is where the magic begins...

INTRODUCTION

“Why is a raven like a writing desk” is a riddle that the Mad Hatter teases but never answers which speaks a lot about his personality. The Mad Hatter oozes individuality through his sense of style and work, incorporating creativity into everything that he does. Readers can see his artistic genius despite him being a fictional character.

Hatter never fails to make a statement with the extravagant tea parties that he hosts with his dear friends March Hare and Dormouse. Even though he is a skimpy, neurotic character he displays a passionate amount of loyalty and affection to his friends.

CONCEPT

The design matches Hatter's unparalleled spirit and reflects his originality and inventiveness. He has a dynamic personality where his moods swing from happy to sad, which he expresses through his sense of style, wearing grey and blue tones for his sad persona and colorful hues for when he is happy. His expression of emotion was the main focal point for this design. This inspired the design to be split into two paths, each being tailored to his respective emotion. The design comes to harmony with symmetry, balance, and emphasis on certain elements.

ZONING AND CIRCULATION 

The closet is mainly divided into two parts, both symmetrical and identical. The clothes and accessories are arranged in the sequence of dressing to make the process of getting ready easy.

To understand the design better, the circulation of the closet is explained as follows:

The main storage component, the wardrobe, contains undergarments, shirts, vests, and pants all placed according to the anthropometry (according to TSS standards). Madhatters’ coats are the finishing touch to his outfit. Since these long, elegant coats with rich patterns make up most of the outfit, they are placed on either side of the central mirror to try out various options without moving back and forth continuously. Since the closet is a walk-in closet it was felt that having the items of clothing on display would make it look ornate. 

The accessories wall is furnished with storage components for shoes, neckties, and hats. The shoes are stored in flap open cabinets and the neckties are displayed above to be accessible.

CONCEPTS BEHIND FURNITURE DESIGN 

-Hat Display:  Madhatters’ look wouldn’t be complete if it were not topped off with a hat and it was felt that the hats needed to be displayed chiefly. Hat stands are aligned along the wall for a horizontal exhibit of hats. These are placed at eye level to give it more visual importance.

-Collage of Mirrors: The elegant arrangement of mirrors represents his knack for flair. The mirrors are placed above the hat display reflecting light to various parts of the room.

-Knobs: Alice converses with live flowers in Chapter Two: The Garden of Live Flowers. As mentioned in the book, in wonderland all flowers can talk and have similar facial profiles to humans. To incorporate the environment and draw inspiration from wonderlands flora, the knobs were designed using the live flowers as reference.

-Checkered Floor: Checkered patterns symbolize the ability to contain contrasting colors and prominence. It aptly resonates with Madhatters’ duality and fluctuating nature.

White Macael marble and Black Marquina tiles

-Atrium roof: The overhead structure gives an opulent impression to the closet. It beautifies the closet from the inside and the outside. It allows natural light to permeate the closet during the day and allows the user to have a view of the sky during sunrises, sunsets, and starry lit nights.

-Chandeliers: To serve as a reminder to the extravagant tea parties Hatter throws, the chandeliers were made to resemble cutlery used in a tea party, mainly teacups, and kettles. 

-Cheshire cat couch: The seating was designed using the Cheshire Cat as inspiration. The curved cat-tail-shaped couch embodies malicious behavior.

-Bowtie display- Apart from the hats, bows are another staple accessory of Hatter and hence must be presented admirably. The model was designed as a rotatable display taking inspiration from sunglasses displays in retail stores and malls. There are four subdivisions for bowties, organized based on size, pattern, color, shape, and material.