Cast Octopus Mug Tree

Most mug trees are a bent wire hoop that does the job and nothing more. This one is a sculpture that happens to hold mugs: an octopus modelled in cast resin with an antique bronze finish, its eight tentacles curling outward and upward into hooks. Every arm is shaped differently, with suckers picked out along the underside and the metallic patina rubbed back on the raised edges the way real aged bronze wears.

It stands nineteen centimetres tall on a base measuring twenty-seven centimetres square, and weighs a little over a kilogram, so it stays put when you lift a full mug off one of the upper arms. The tentacles are spaced widely enough that mugs hang without knocking together, and the lower curls will take smaller items too. The finish is deep and slightly uneven by design, which is what stops it reading as moulded plastic.

It earns its place in a coastal-themed kitchen, but it is just as good in a hallway holding keys and dog leads, on a dressing table for necklaces and bracelets, or on a desk for headphones and cables. Dust with a dry brush or soft cloth. Keep it out of reach of small children, as it is heavy and decorative rather than a toy.

• Cast resin with antique bronze finish
• Eight tentacle hooks at varied heights
• Approximately 19 x 27 x 27 cm
• Weighs around 1.15 kg
• Holds mugs, keys, jewellery or headphones
• Free standing, no fixing required
• Dust with a dry soft cloth or brush
• Heavy decorative object, keep out of reach of small children