Parva Res Furnishings

A Catholic Start-Up Business

Where We Started

Parva Res Furnishings started as my Senior Capstone in 2024. Our goal is to bring faith into every home through beautiful home goods that enhance your prayer habits and experience of faith.

Who are We?

Mission: To provide Catholics goods and services to enhance their use and experience of sacramentals already owned in their home.

Vision: Bring faith into every home of the world by changing people’s habits of their faith and sharing it with others.

Value Proposition: The only Catholic company focused on holy furnishings for the everyday home.

Why 'Parva Res'?

"Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love." - Mother Teresa

Parva Res is Latin for "small things"

Latin is the universal language of the Catholic Church.

The Opportunity

Catholics collect an abundance of sacramentals (prayer accessories/tools). Leading to an unorganzed collection of items that rarely get used.

Most Common Sacramentals

Rosaries

- Meditation to empathize and enter into Christ's life

- Reflect upon scripture

- Closeness to Mary & Christ

- Intercession

- Repetitive

- Pray with others

Prayer Cards

- Closeness to specific saint or icon

- Building relationship and connection to Christ and saints

- Remembering the dead

- Devotional reminder

Medals

- Reminder of God's protection and power

- Inspiration to live a Holy life, role modeled by the saints

- Use a jewelry

- Reminder to ask for intercession

- Help recall faith and religious duties

Unused and Unorganized Sacramentals in the Home

What if sacramentals could be organized and used more frequently?

Design Goals

Beautiful, Reverent, & Holy

A design that points back to the Lord and is a reminder of goodness and beauty in the home.

Organized & Simple

Keeps sacramentals organized in an elegant way that is not overwhelming.

Inspires to Practice Faith

Intentionally serves as a reminder to practice faith through prayer and adoration.

Inspiration

Concept 1: Cross Shelf

Multiple floating shelves that can create a cross when arranged.

'Clip' to display different kinds of sacramentals.

Prayer card storage on side.

Concept 2: Tabletop Organizer

Place on table or desk.

Weave sacramentals through metal bars.

Gather items behind it as well.

Concept 3: Wall Altar

Hangs on the wall. Storage system with altar to lean on when kneeling on the floor.

Alludes to the cross.

Prayer card display built into altar.

Concept 4: Floating Shelf

Simple floating shelf with brackets.

10 pegs to hang and display sacramentals (alludes to rosary).

Etch designs into the front.

Alludes to stain glass window shape.

Consumer Testing

11 Face-to-Face interviews

64% of people ranked Concept 3 as #1

"it draws me into pray"

"it would be great for my prayer corner to have easy access to all my things"

"I think you might run into logistical problems with the altar and trying to hang it, I think most people would have their own altar to kneel at and I could see them putting this about it or placed in a prayer corner"

"it feels like it would hold all my things"

"even without the altar this would be my top one to store my sacramentals"

Prototype Development

CAD Ideation and Development

Prototype based off ideation and feedback

What was Learned:

- Good scale, but too short for some rosaries

- Design could be pushed even further

- Is there a way to eliminate hardware? Brainstorm custom hooks

- Feasable joinery and fabrication logistics

CAD Ideation and Development Round 2

High Fidelity Prototype:

- Able to figure out and understand manufacturing process

- Knowledge of all materials and tools necessary for manufacturing

- Validate design feasability

Test of new hang design that required no hooks or fasteners.

Intentional Design

The Process

Working in the woodshop, 13 units were made.

From bandsaw to CNC machine, each piece was specially handcrafted and intentionally developed to encompass the mission and vision of Parva Res Furnishings.