Design studio Heirloom showcased products ranging from cotton buds to butt plugs, acid tabs and catheters at its London Design Festival exhibition, which aims to “infuse the things we have to put in our bodies with a bit more care”.

For the east London launch event, dubbed “the opening of all openings”, visitors were invited to guess what the 35 different objects – presented on an ovoid table – were used for.

Heirloom, which designs healthcare products as well as products such as speakers and taps, also created a website with the correct answers to what the different products are.

A contraceptive sponge was among the products

Among the pieces on display were contact lenses, a grill, a suppository and an inseminator.

“Even though we do work on speakers, we do work on taps and furniture, we thought it would be quite fun to talk about design that goes in our bodies, also from a human perspective,” Heirloom designer Yemima Lorberbaum told Dezeen.

“Once you sort the table out from health to pleasure, you really start to see a gradient of joy; the things we choose to put in our bodies as opposed to the things that we have to put in our bodies.”

Out of Orifice showcased 35 items

Out of Orifice marked a change from the types of shows usually associated with design festivals, which tend to focus on commercial, easily approachable designs such as chairs and lamps.

To Heirloom, the show was an opportunity to instead draw attention to the design of the type of objects that people interact with on a daily basis, whether for pleasure or to alleviate pain.

“Why can’t we infuse the things we have to put in our bodies with a bit more care and joy and humanity?” Loberbaum asked.

“I think it kind of brings it to light in a nice and interesting way, and it’s just a conversation starter – maybe we should talk more about stuff that we put in our bodies, and not just stuff we sit on.”

The exhibition also showed an acid tab

As the products were all displayed next to each other on the central table, a theme became visible, with many of the objects featuring pastel colours and having soft, rounded shapes.

The appearance is something that Heirloom takes into account when it designs healthcare objects, for example, a urinary catheter that it is currently working on.

“Obviously, we have to think about dexterity issues for women who need to use the catheter,” Lorberbaum said.

“But can’t we make it a joyous experience, even though it’s something horrible and tedious that they have to do every day? Can we make that experience better for them?” she continued.

“There’s no reason why it should be that serious. Finding that balance, I think that’s part of the challenge of designing beautiful objects.”

Posters featured instructions for use

The Out of Orifice exhibition also featured posters that show phrases that were all given in advice for how to use the various products, including “Spread your labia”, “Stop at resistance” and “Look up”.

“Sometimes when you try to describe how to use this stuff, that’s also a challenge,” Lorberbaum explained. “So they’re instructions – for instance, ‘spread your labia’ came out of the research we did for the catheter.”

Out of Orifice took place as part of London Design Festival

She hopes that the installation will evoke empathy in its visitors and make them consider what it would be like to have to use one of the medical products on a daily basis.

“I hope that it, first of all, will get people thinking about design that they do put in their bodies, and how they can make decisions about making it a nicer experience,” Lorberbaum said.

“A lot of the stuff here is used by people who have a problem, and by highlighting the products they use, it also brings that into focus for all of us able-bodied people.”

Other recent healthcare products published on Dezeen include a design that aims to provide comfort after pregnancy loss and a hormometer that lets users check their hormone levels at home.

The photography is courtesy of Heirloom.

Out of Orifice is part of London Design Festival, which runs from 13 to 22 September 2025. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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