The problem was straightforward: Apple has admitted the HomePod leaves a white ring on naturally finished wood, the same type of finish on our wood products.

There are some easy fixes. We could’ve just modified our wool felt coaster to solve the problem. But it didn’t sit right with our team. It was too easy. It worked, but it felt like a bandage—it ruined the form of the HomePod. We didn’t want to just protect the table, we wanted to make the HomePod better!

That meant designing something to solve the problem the right way.

We moved in and out of iterations and explorations, creating a variety of rough prototypes by hand, everything from tiered and fluted stands, to large pedestals, to coaster-like discs.

Through our explorations, we landed on a simple solution—an elegant ring. From the outside, it looks identical to a solid disc. But when considered by itself, it’s much more striking. We wanted the object to be beautiful on its own, even though you’d hardly ever see it when in use. It’s a design we’re proud of.