Modern Tray and Teapot

Category: Furniture

This project was born from a porcelain tableware set assignment. Rather than treating porcelain as an isolated material, I decided to bring wood into the set as an accent and a link between the pieces, a second material that runs through the whole set. The tray takes inspiration from school trays, but takes a modern, minimalistic approach to the stability problem: the dishes sit inside the tray rather than on top, so nothing slides. A slit holds the cutlery, so the whole setting (plates, cup, cutlery) can be carried stable to the table in one go. The tray is CNC machined, allowing precise, repeatable cutouts for each piece while keeping material waste low. The teapot has a wooden stand. It can stand on its own, but the stand gives it a place to rest, a distinct spot at home that emphasizes its importance. The stand is an effort to make an everyday object worth appreciating. The teapot becomes a design piece, always presented in your living space rather than tucked away in a cupboard. Should the porcelain ever chip or the stand wear down, the two parts can be repaired or replaced independently, extending the life of the object. The cup borrows its form from the Japanese kurinuki tradition, carving a vessel from a solid block, but strips away its handmade aesthetic in favour of clean lines, precision and an industrial finish. It's a way of asking what kurinuki would look like when it meets an industrial environment. The cup and bowl are made with slip casting molds. Together, the set strives for a longer relationship with tableware. Ceramic and wood are left honest and legible as materials, nothing is refined to hide what it's made of. The set is built to be lived with: the pieces can be repaired (and cleaned) individually and all of the pieces are made of 100% natural materials. The set encourages an appreciation of everyday things.