Design Museum x Bethan Laura Wood ‘Seamless’ Tray
Last updated: 20 September 2026
The Bethan Laura Wood tray carries ‘Seamless’, a pattern she drew during a residency in Venice, on glazed wood made in Sweden. It costs £20 at the Design Museum Shop and measures 18 by 12cm. Wood’s work is held by the V&A, SFMOMA and the Art Institute of Chicago. So £20 is a short route to owning a piece of her design. Price and stock checked at the Design Museum Shop on 5 September 2026.
What £20 buys
A glazed wooden tray, 18 by 12cm, made sustainably in Sweden and printed with Wood’s ‘Seamless’ design. Twenty-four were in stock when I checked on 5 September 2026, which is steady for this shop at this money.
The pattern blends photographic marbling with hand-drawn texture. Wood took it from traditional Venetian terrazzo flooring and from the work of the local artisan Roberto Patrizio. The marbling is a photograph of a real floor, not a generated texture.
| Detail | Figure |
|---|---|
| Price | £20.00 |
| Size | 18 x 12cm |
| Material | Glazed wood |
| Made in | Sweden |
| Design | ‘Seamless’ by Bethan Laura Wood |
| Stock | In stock, 24 on 5 September 2026 |
| Delivery | Free UK standard over £60, or free click and collect |
Who Bethan Laura Wood is
Wood was born in 1983 and studied 3D design at Brighton, then the Royal College of Art, where Jurgen Bey and Martino Gamper tutored her. She runs studio WOOD London. Her jewellery, furniture, lighting and installations are all built on colour, pattern and marquetry.
Her clients include Hermès, Valextra, Moroso, Bitossi Ceramiche, Perrier-Jouët, Tory Burch, Baccarat and Abet Laminati. Her pieces sit in the V&A, the Art Institute of Chicago, SFMOMA, the National Gallery of Victoria, the Wellcome Collection and Mudac.
That is the argument for the tray. A designer with work in six museum collections made something that costs £20. The pattern on it is hers, not a licence.
What ‘Seamless’ actually is
Wood made the design during a residency at the Fondazione Claudio Buziol in Venice. Terrazzo is a Venetian floor. Stone chips are set into a binder, ground flat and polished, so no two square metres repeat.
Her version photographs that surface and then draws back into it by hand. Look closely and the chips break into greens, oranges, greys and bone whites over black, with drawn marks between them. At arm’s length it reads as one dense field. Hence the name.
Living with it
- It holds two mugs. At 18 by 12cm this is a keys-and-rings tray, or a coffee-for-one tray, not a serving tray.
- Hand wash it. Glazed wood does not belong in a dishwasher.
- The pattern hides marks. Dense multicolour terrazzo forgives ring stains. A plain tray does not.
- It sits flat and reads loud. On a plain surface it works as a small piece of colour rather than as furniture.
The honest catch. 18 by 12cm is small. Anybody picturing a breakfast tray will be surprised when it arrives. Glazed wood rules out the dishwasher. A pattern this loud either suits a room or fights it. So it is a better present for a colourful flat than a beige one.
Buying it, and getting it
The Design Museum Shop sells it directly and it is not stocked elsewhere. UK standard shipping is free once an order passes £60. Click and collect at the museum costs nothing at any order size. Members get 10% off automatically at checkout when logged in, which brings the tray to £18.
FAQs
Is the Bethan Laura Wood tray dishwasher safe?
No. It is glazed wood, so wipe it or hand wash it.
How big is it really?
18 by 12cm. That is about the footprint of a paperback, so it takes two mugs, a set of keys or a small pile of rings and earrings.
Where else can I buy it?
The Design Museum Shop is the only stockist. It was made for the museum, so there is no third-party listing to compare on price.
Is the pattern printed or inlaid?
Printed. ‘Seamless’ is a photographic marbling worked over by hand, then applied to the glazed surface. That is how her design lands at £20 rather than at gallery prices.
What else has she designed that I might know?
Work for Hermès, Valextra, Moroso, Bitossi Ceramiche and Perrier-Jouët. She also makes her own lighting and furniture through studio WOOD London.
More from CoolCuration
- The £25 and under gift guide: everything the site lists at this money.
- The gift guide for designers: a wider shortlist at every price.
- The Alessi Blip spoon rest: another small design object that earns its place on a worktop.
- Jutaku: Japanese Houses: a design book for the same shelf.
- theprintspace discount code: for putting colour on a wall as well as a worktop.
Small print
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