Cup Holder

    

     This smooth wooden cup holder exhibits a very functional design: flat and wide to accommodate cups of various sizes, with an earth-toned painting atop its face for aesthetic purposes.  Basic needs for a homeowner include places to store their drinks that will prevent damage to their furniture.  Holders like this one were created to meet this demand, and given the particular choice of visual design it also wanted to appeal to its audience's sense of visual quality.
   
     As can be observed in the example of the bottom image, the holder fits well on a typical home table next to other decor and items.  It is small enough that it accentuates the layout of the surface it inhabits without becoming too distinct.  The brightness of its colors makes the holder stand out against the dark wooden table, yet by that same token its warm hues harmonizes with the bright red bowl and red candy packaging nearby.  This particular installation of the item was clearly thought out in regards to how its design interacts with the current environment.  With this particular execution, the cup holder is visible and appropriate in its environment, thus its function and its aesthetics are strengthened.
   
     The idea for this design was to create a structure, with the right materials and physical construction, that can provide the basic household need of a sufficient space to place a drink in order to protect the surface of furniture.  The problem here is twofold: the visual design must be visible enough that homeowners will be drawn towards it and think of the object itself when they need.  However, the materials and structure chosen must remain functional, and not become so engrossed in visual appeal that it sabotages its own primary purpose.
   
     A thick material like hardened wood, in theory, sounds ideal for absorbing liquids, and it can be easily fashioned into the desired flat structure.  Unfortunately, it is not a material that produces good friction, especially when smoothed out and glossed the way this particular cup holder has been.  Without good grip, the cup will slide across the surface and possibly fall over the gap between the height of the holder and the surface under it.  Accidents like that are entirely within the realm of possibility, like an absent hand casually reaching for the cup with too much force.  Even sticky cup holders can only do so much to prevent such accidents, but a smooth, wooden holder like this only increases the possibility of such an accident happening.
   
     While perhaps not the most visually appealing solution, including small bumps and indents across the surface would provide additional friction that acts against the bottom of the cup, reducing its chances of slipping and falling over.  On the other hand, there are rubber cup holders constructed with a surface design that foregoes visual appeal and instead creates abstract, flat geometric shapes, like the bottoms of a shoe, that allow more grip. Perhaps rings of plastic, still painted with the same color scheme, that repeat across the circumference of the cup holder in different sizes, can alleviate this issue of smoothness without removing the visual style outright.