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THE SITUATION.
KEY DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES.
Hexnub wanted to expand its range of coffee accessories with a stovetop pot stand designed for everyday kitchen use. The product needed to support the weight and heat of stovetop espresso makers while feeling visually calm, minimal and suitable for modern home environments.
We were brought in to design and develop the stand into a product that balanced usability, material performance, manufacturability and commercial practicality.
Although simple at first glance, the product had to resolve several competing requirements.
It needed to:
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Support the weight of different stovetop espresso makers.
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Withstand high temperatures during everyday use.
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Maintain a small, practical footprint.
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Reduce shipping and packaging cost through lower weight and size.
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Feel refined and unobtrusive in a domestic kitchen setting.
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Align with sustainable material goals and manufacturing constraints.
The challenge was to create a product that felt premium and considered, while remaining practical to produce and efficient to distribute.
OUTCOMES.
The project resulted in a manufactured product that became available to purchase as part of Hexnub’s range. The final design reduced shipping and packaging costs through its lighter, more compact form, aligned with manufacturing constraints, accommodated different stovetop pot sizes and used more eco-conscious materials.
The result is a product that combines everyday practicality with a refined domestic presence.
"Excellent work by these guys, very knowledgeable and professional. They created beautiful concept designs, great mock-ups and easy to understand tech packs. Highly recommend, cheers!"
Founders, Hexnub, 2023
DESIGN & MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT.
The final stand combines a bamboo structure with a cork placemat and a moulded bamboo-fibre tray housed within the product. This supported both the functional requirements of the product and Hexnub’s ambition to move towards more renewable material choices.
Key considerations included:
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Broad usability - the footprint was designed to accommodate different sizes of espresso stovetop pots, making the product more versatile in everyday use.
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Heat and weight resistance - the stand was developed to support stovetop espresso makers under real-use conditions, ensuring the product could cope with both load and temperature.
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Material balance - bamboo, cork and moulded bamboo fibre were used to create a product that felt warm and premium while supporting sustainability goals.
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Compact & efficient form - the geometry was refined to reduce bulk, helping minimise packaging weight & size and shipping cost without compromising function.
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Quiet visual presence - a soft, rounded and symmetrical form helped the product sit naturally within a home environment rather than feeling overly technical or intrusive.
These decisions helped shape a product that is simple in appearance, but carefully resolved in how it works, how it is made and how it is used.
OUR APPROACH.
Development focused on refining the core function of the stand early - understanding how it would perform in use, what materials made sense and how the structure could be simplified without losing strength or visual quality.
Key areas of work included:
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Defining the overall product architecture.
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Balancing thermal performance with lightweight construction.
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Refining the footprint to accommodate different stovetop pot sizes.
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Integrating storage in a way that supported the product’s everyday use.
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Simplifying the product for manufacture, packing and shipping.
Rather than overcomplicating the object, the focus was on resolving the essential decisions that would make the stand practical, durable and commercially viable.
Designing Consumer Accessories for Manufacture.
Refining everyday tools through precision, usability and considered product development.
Client: Hexnub | 2023
Our Role: Consumer Product Design & Engineering
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