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Who knew a trivet was something to get excited about? It looks, dare I say it, slightly magical in the way it changes shape. The Quad is made from 16 wooden cubes connected by a heat-resistant silicone strip (not magnets, as I had originally assumed). Do take a look at the video below to see it in action, and then figure out if you think $40 is worth backing the project.

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Remember this? Also called the Cubist Nutcracker by some, this nutcracker by Adam and Harborth does the job in a straightforward way. Place a nut in an appropriately sized indention in the larger cube, take the other smooth cube and place it on top of the nut and then give it a good whack. Voilá, the nut is cracked.
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This is for all the honey lovers out there. There’s a lot of ceramic honey jars out there, but it’s a little hard to find one that isn’t too Winnie the Pooh, if you know what I mean. This one from Core Bamboo has a handy lid/dipper to make for easy serving. When not in use, the lid keeps the jar sealed for freshness.
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Have a guess to what this is. Hint: it is not a plate, nor a pie chart showing wood consumption, and the title probably gives it away…
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Trivets aren’t necessarily exciting, are they? Charged with the task of protecting our tabletops, they’re meant to be covered up with pots and dishes with little thought to their aesthetic value. However, this walnut trivet does a neat trick of extending from a small area to a rather long length, allowing it to fit your feast from one dish to several. It looks like a stack of chopsticks when closed, which is exactly what I thought it was when I saw it in person. Designed by Sabine Meyer with SidebySide, a studio partnered with Wendelstein Werkstätten, a workshop for the handicapped.

Never underestimate a good bottle opener; the same goes for a corkscrew. If you use it often, a well designed opener can make the experience of removing the lid of your beer or beverage even better, while using a poorly designed one can be quite irritating, and even dangerous (if and when inebriated). This bottle opener was originally designed in 1960 by Achille Castiglioni for the Splugen Brau bar project in Milan. Also, note that this is tagged in our gift guide, for your future reference.

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Chances are if you’re near a wooded lot and own a saw, you could make something similar to these coasters pretty easily. However, they probably wouldn’t be teak and you’d spend a few hours replicating 4 coasters that cost $12.

4.25″ approx diameter.
Set of 4.

If you have a need for coasters, at least make them decent to look at, for goodness sake. After all, we’re not barbarians, are we? You can leave them clustered together or break them apart for separate drinks. They, of course, can be rearranged like a puzzle for a trivet type of arrangement.

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Coasters might not be forefront in your design wants and needs, but these by simbiotekdesignlab on Etsy are worth bookmarking. Inspired by “triangulated arrangements” in geometric patterns, the coasters can be clustered together to make shapes (sort of like tangrams, maybe) or broken apart for smaller combinations.
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I’m a big fan of honey. A little bit in chai tea, on bread, with plain yogurt, etc… I go through a small jar so fast it’s silly. Now, I’m thinking this set from BioDidactic Designs might just outperform the plastic squeeze bottle that’s near its end, plus it’ll look a lot nicer on the counter or tabletop.

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Whether you have breadcrumbs on your table or eraser shavings on your desk, this brush and dustpan set will make short work of cleaning up. Made by the Iris Hantverk company (they employ visually impaired craftsmen in Sweden).

Small oiled beech wood dustpan and horsehair brush.

These cork trivets are made to look just like toast, which is a cute thing for the breakfast table (unless you have really bad eyesight). Right now it looks like the ‘side order’ of 2 pieces is out of stock, but the ‘half loaf’ of 6 pieces is available.

Approximately 4″ x 4″ x 3/8″

These colorful bowls remind me a bit of Loyal Loot’s Log Bowls, except made in sustainably harvested mango trees. I can’t imagine any room or tabletop these would look bad in. Each measures 6” in diameter and are available in white, blue, or green.

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This pretty little napkin ring is “giving me”, as they say, Viktor & Rolf Spring Summer 2010. Both are at once: feminine, delicate, bold, and surreal. The inspiration behind Viktor & Rolf’s cut-out tulle creations? “With the credit crunch and everybody cutting back, we decided to cut [holes into] tulle ball gowns,” says Rolf. The inspiration behind Urquiola’s napkin ring? Maybe the rolling hills of her native Oviedo, Spain.

Manufacturer: Rosenthal, Germany
Material: Porcelain

[via goodnight cruel world]

For your cyclist friends (as long as they own a bike, they count)…

Materials: Compressed wood with a high gloss melamine finish
Dimensions: H9.5cm x D0.4cm

[via Cool Material]