Six square coasters made from broken pieces of arborvitae wood set in frosted resin, with a matching holder that keeps all six standing upright on the table. No two of them are alike, so the set reads less like a stack of coasters and more like something you chose to leave out.
Put a glass down on one and the wood glows amber. It is a small thing, and you notice it every time. When everyone has gone, the six slide back into the holder and the table is clear again.
No two coasters in the set are the same
Each coaster starts as a few chunks of arborvitae with rough, natural edges, some showing the tight rings of the end grain and some the long lines of the side. The pieces are laid in at random and filled around with resin, so the wood lands in a different shape and a different place on every tile.
The resin cures to a soft frosted gray rather than a glassy shine. Thin dark streaks drift through it like ink in water, mostly following the broken edges of the wood. Look at the side of a coaster and you will see the wood carries on through the whole thickness, so the pattern is real wood all the way down rather than a print on top.
The faces are ground flat and polished smooth, and every coaster is the same even thickness. A glass sits level on each.
The holder is the reason they stay out
Most coasters end up in a drawer, and the mug goes straight down on the table because the drawer is across the room. This set has its own holder, frosted and clouded just like the coasters, with wood showing inside it, so it looks at home beside a lamp or a pile of books.
The six coasters stand on their edges in a single row. The front wall dips in a wide curve in the middle, so the face of the first coaster is on show even when the set is put away.
Made for the drink at the end of the day
At just over three inches square, each one takes the base of a rocks glass, a coffee mug or a small tea cup, with a little of the coaster showing around the edge. The resin and wood help keep the heat of a hot drink off the table, and the drip from a cold glass lands on the coaster instead of the tabletop.
They suit the coffee table and the desk, and they look right on a bar cart beside a bottle of whiskey. Six is enough for an evening with a few friends. The rest of the week, they wait in the holder.
Specifications
Material: Resin and arborvitae (thuja) wood
Shape: Square
Coaster dimensions: 3.1 x 3.1 x 0.3 in (8 x 8 x 0.8 cm)
Pattern: Wood pieces placed at random, so every coaster is different
Finish: Ground and polished smooth, frosted resin
Holder: Holds all six coasters upright, with a curved dip in the front wall
Use: Hot and cold drinks, under glasses, mugs and tea cups