The Dovetails standard
What leaves our shop carries our name.
We build in small numbers, answer our own email, and put our hands on every piece before it leaves. These are the standards we hold ourselves to, no matter what we are making.
- Built hereDesigned and made in our workshop. Not outsourced, white-labeled, or bought finished.
- Materials named plainlyWe tell you what a piece is made from, where it matters, and why we chose it.
- Designed for real roomsIt has to work once someone lives with it, not just look good in a photograph.
- Clear expectationsWe tell you what is in stock, what is made to order, and when it should leave the shop.
- We make it rightIf something arrives damaged or is not as it should be, we take care of it.
For this piece
- Solid hardwood from our custom furniture work
- Walnut, cherry, hard maple or white oak
- Removable glass propagation tube
- Two sizes available
- Softened square profile, shaped by hand
- Hand-rubbed natural oil finish
THE SHAPE
A circle inside a softened square.
Asha cores a round opening through a square block of hardwood, then softens the entire outside profile. The corners are rounded, and the sides ease gently through the middle so the piece no longer reads as a hard-edged box.
But the square never disappears.
Neither does the circle.
That tension is what makes the design work. The round opening creates a strong piece of negative space in the middle, while the softened square around it gives the glass tube somewhere to belong.
Add a cutting and the geometry gets interrupted again.
A straight stem. New roots. Leaves going wherever they please.
We like that part too.
THE RESCUE
Too small for furniture. Too good for the scrap bin.
We were building a thick modern farmhouse table for a client in Idaho, and when the larger parts were cut to size, we were left with several substantial pieces of walnut.
Too small for the table.
Too good to throw away.
That happens a lot in a furniture shop. We build quite a few walnut tables, and every one leaves behind pieces that no longer have a job in the furniture itself.
This design gave some of them one.
Richard squares the rescued block and gets it ready for Asha. She cores the circular opening, shapes and softens the outside profile, fits the glass tube and finishes the hardwood by hand.
The first ones happened to be walnut because that is what was sitting on the bench.
Now we make them from whatever good hardwood offcuts the shop gives us.
What began as the piece left over becomes the whole piece.
Shop note
The circle was already there. The square had already been softened. The glass tube was in place.
Then somebody looked at it and said, “Will It Go Round in Circles.”
Billy Preston had apparently been waiting for us to notice.
Some product names take a while.
This one was sitting on the bench making the case for itself.
THE HARDWOODS
Whatever the furniture shop leaves us.
Walnut, cherry, hard maple or white oak, each cut from solid hardwood left from a larger build.
White Oak
White oak has structure. The grain is more pronounced, the lines more confident, and it sits naturally against modern rooms and black hardware. If walnut feels quiet, white oak feels intentional.
Maple
Maple lets everything around it do the talking. It brings light into a darker room without demanding attention, and the finish leaves it with a soft honey tone instead of a pale, unfinished look.
Walnut
Walnut doesn't ask for attention. It already has it. Deep chocolate brown with a quiet authority that settles a busy room rather than competing with it. It's the wood we reach for when a piece should feel like it has always belonged there.
Cherry
Cherry is the only one that keeps changing after it leaves our shop. It starts warm and gets richer every year, especially in sunlight. If you like the idea that your home should tell time, cherry rewards patience.
CARE: Remove the glass tube before cleaning. Wash the glass with warm water and mild dish soap, then rinse and dry before returning it to the wood. Wipe the hardwood with a soft, slightly damp cloth and dry promptly. Do not soak the wood or place any part of the vase in a dishwasher. If water spills onto the hardwood, wipe it up rather than letting it sit. For regular propagation, change the water as needed and rinse the glass when you do. If mineral deposits build up, clean the glass separately before placing it back in the vase.
Specifications
Every measurement has a reason.
| Regular | Approx. 8" W × 8" H × 2" D |
|---|---|
| Regular glass tube | Approx. 6" long × 1" dia. |
| Small | Approx. 5" W × 5" H × 2" D |
| Small glass tube | Approx. 4" long × 1/2" dia. |
| Hardwoods | Walnut, cherry, hard maple or white oak |
| Construction | Solid hardwood with removable glass tube |
In the box
- One hardwood base
- One glass tube
Frequently asked questions