Remnant

Every piece on this panel is what was left over.

Driftwood taken apart and put back together on purpose — not whole, not restored, and not pretending to be either.

The fragments scattered across this panel were cut from a single piece of driftwood found in the coastal inlets of North Carolina. Half of them were left the natural color the water gave them. The other half were stained dark. They are set across a pieced ground of light and dark boards inside a mitered frame, so the whole surface reads in two tones at once — what was kept, and what was changed.

The arrangement is not random, and it is not symmetrical either. Pieces drift across the field the way things settle in water: clustered in places, thin in others, nothing lining up with anything.

The ground and frame were stained in two tones, light against dark, and laid up in a checkerboard. That pattern is the only part of this piece that was planned.

Everything is finished under a polyurethane sealant, which is what gives the dark pieces their wet look — the same look driftwood has when the tide has just gone out from under it.

Three ways to live with it

Flat. On a coffee table, an ottoman, or a console as a sculptural centerpiece. The raised fragments mean this is a decorative surface, not a working tray — nothing should be set on top of it.

On the wall. Hung square or turned on the diagonal as a diamond. The diagonal is the stronger read, and it costs nothing to try both. Wall-mount ready, hardware not included.

Standing. It can be stood upright against a wall or on a shelf, but it must be secured or braced — at twelve inches square it will not stand safely on its own.

Details

• Dimensions: 12" W × 12" D × 1.375" H
• Weight: 4 lb 8 oz
• Materials: Cut driftwood fragments (half natural, half dark-stained), pieced and stained wood ground, mitered frame, polyurethane sealant
• Origin: Driftwood from the coastal inlets of North Carolina
• Lays flat, hangs, or stands with support — decorative surface only, not a functional tray
• One of a kind — this piece will not be repeated

Found, then finished

Most of what we make is left exactly as the water made it. This piece is different, and we want to be straight about that. The driftwood was found, not grown for this — but it was cut, arranged, and half of it stained by hand. What the water gave us is the material. The composition is ours.

Care

Dust with a dry, soft cloth. Wipe the sealed surface with a barely damp cloth if needed, then dry immediately. Do not set food, drinks, or heat on the surface. Keep out of direct sunlight. For indoor display.