Spinning Top Coasters

These coasters are made from traditional wood native to southern Japan and painted with the bold concentric patterns seen in Japanese toy making. Manufactured in one of Japan’s last remaining wooden toy factories, they borrow materials and manufacturing processes from battling ‘spinning tops’, a classic game beloved by Japanese youth. Six pieces.

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Final images & renderings

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Process and context

I designed this product for the SVA Made in Yame program, which was created in collaboration with the Museum of Modern Art Store. I traveled to Yame, a small town in Japan known for its traditionally trained craft masters. Along with a delegation of designers, we visited the studios of over a dozen artisans.

The objective was to design products that showcased the craftsmen's skills while being suitable for distribution across MoMA's wholesale and retail channels.

I sketched this product in Japan after observing the spinning top making process in a toy factory. Coasters are a perenially popular item in design shops — especially ones with unique colors that allow drinkers to tell their cup from others.

I produced the prototype at the SVA Visable Future Lab in New York City.

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Process/mechanicals/sketches/inspiration

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