Designed by student Elisaveta Loseva, it is a tabletop device that explores how the use of aroma can emotionally connect with the culinary experience
Date
03 July 2026
“ORA”, a project exploring how scent can connect the two sides of the culinary experience – the kitchen and the diners – has won the 3rd IED Alfaro Hofmann Collection Award, which recognises the Best Product Design Thesis at IED Barcelona.
Created by student Elisaveta Loseva, the project is an elegant tabletop device for restaurants that releases fragrances in sync with the succession of courses through a system of pre-set scent combinations controlled via an electronic interface. Conceived as the ideal complement to wine tastings and other curated gastronomic experiences, the design helps create an emotional connection with food through the sense of smell, establishing a direct relationship between the chef and the diners.
The award ceremony took place on 11 June at La Casa de la Llum, the innovation and meeting space for lighting culture created by the multinational company Simon in Barcelona. The jury, comprising Andrés Alfaro Hofmann, collector and interior designer; Salvi Plaja, SIMON Company Chief Design Officer and President of FAD; Reme Semper, Head of Exhibitions at the Alfaro Hofmann Collection; and Uli Marchsteiner, lecturer at IED Barcelona, selected the winning project after attending presentations of all the proposals competing for the award. They praised “ORA” for both its creativity and compelling narrative, as well as the quality of its final execution.
The proposal responds to the challenge set by the IED Barcelona Design School to Product Design final-year students to imagine objects that mediate between physical experience and digital information, providing solutions for harmonious coexistence within the new hybrid environments of our society.
In addition to “ORA”, the project “TIMBRE”, by Kymberley Cronin, received a special mention. It is a tactile and expressive MIDI controller that reintroduces gesture as the primary means of shaping digital sound.
The winning project, together with the two finalists, was exhibited at La Casa de la Llum until 19 June as part of an exhibition open to the public.
The Alfaro Hofmann Collection is a private institution dedicated to exhibiting and promoting its collection focused on the culture of everyday objects. It comprises more than 8,000 items from a wide range of origins together with the graphic material associated with each object.
Photo cover (left to right): Berta Julià, Programme Leader of Product Design at IED Barcelona; Elisabeta Loseva; Andrés Alfaro Hofmann and Raffaella Perrone, IED Barcelona Director.
"Ora" by Elisaveta Loseva.
Kymberley Cronin showing her project “TIMBRE”.
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