Folding the origami hydrangea box was a visit back to 8th grade, when I folded this model for the first time (link to post from 8th grade). I revisited this model because I thought that this beautiful duo paper with one side red and the other side gold – which I found while browsing the paper store at the OrigamiUSA Convention, 2019 – would be perfect for this intricate little box. The gold paper swarmed with dragon-like flowers and the red was a powerful, stark contrast, serving well as a ribbon on the golden box. The paper was very high quality: it was naturally strong and did not break, while maintaining flexibility so I could perform the various collapses and reverse folds. I was delighted by the solid yet refined finish.
I had the pleasure of meeting the designer, Dáša Ševerová – she designed the model, using the hydrangea (designed by Shuzo Fujimoto) as a decoration on the top of the box – at the OrigamiUSA convention in New York last June. As I was taking the elevator down from the housing my family and I were staying in for the convention, on the way to breakfast at the dining hall, we realized that Ms. Ševerová was in the elevator with us. My family and I recognized her – she was a visiting artist, all the way from Germany, who was invited as a special guest to the convention. She told me what size of paper she used for this model, and described how she had folded a set of these boxes on display that nested inside each other. I was happy to meet a female origami artist, because in the origami world most designers are male. Ms. Ševerová even let me take a picture with her.
Folded by Sophie Usherwood Designed by Dáša Ševerová and Shuzo Fujimoto
The Origami Journals 