Made of a special tin alloy, the X Chopsticks Rest is a set of double-purpose chopstick holders, created by the poetic souls of the Woo Collective: they can be used as part of a table setting and to securely store chopsticks when the utensils are not in use. In an effort to combine craft techniques with contemporary design aesthetics, the set is inspired by the steel structure of buildings; the designers wanted to create a “micro-building” on the table. Due to the x-shaped structure of the holders, they can also support forks, knives, and spoons. The design was so impressive it won the 2015 Golden Pin Design Award in Taiwan. From the creative minds of the local Woo Collective, this product serves as a great introduction to what the group does. For example, the tin alloy that Straight is composed of is a specialty of Woo Collective, which you can find out more about here. Luckily, the site is in English but the syntax might pose some difficulty; some familiarity with Chinese culture would also be useful.

This story was originally published in Form magazine.