Teddy Luong, BID/11

Life in a fishbowl is a common metaphor for lack of privacy. But what if a goldfish had the same right to personal space that humans enjoy?

That question prompted Teddy Luong, BID/11 — then a second-year student — to design the Fishhotel: a square glass bowl inside a frame of white plastic. Windows in the plastic give people glimpses of the aquatic residents, but there are also corners where the fish can escape the madding crowds.

Luong created the design for a class assignment, inspired by a magazine photo of a beautiful fishbowl. “The project was to design a novel item that organized clutter or displayed a household item,” he explains.

He entered the design in the 2009 Build a Better Competition sponsored by Umbra, a Canadian company known for sleek housewares. It took top honours, and Umbra now sells stackable Fishhotels for $30 each at its stores and through affiliated housewares retailers. The condoesque fishbowl was Luong’s first commercially produced design. “It was exciting to see it in stores and in the press,” he says. He later interned at office furniture design company Teknion before graduating in June.

He was drawn to the School of Industrial Design by its co-op program, and he says his Carleton education prepared him to adapt to this rapidly evolving field. “Things are always changing, especially in design–there are always new technologies, new techniques,” he says. “What I really learned was how to learn.”