Core77

I had to wrack my brain to remember "Rock-a-Stack," the name of the Fisher-Price toy some of us had as children. Designer Nathan Day's Rainbow Side Table recalls that object's classic form, but updates the base (and top) with classy Jarrah wood rather than plastic; the "donuts" are made from solid timber shop cut-offs, glossed up nicely with automotive paint.

Day is a bespoke furniture maker out of Yallingup, Western Australia, hence the access to Jarrah, the Aboriginal name for a species of Eucalyptus common to that region. For those who've never heard of it, it's an interesting wood, as the Fun Facts below will attest:

- Young Jarrah trees can regenerate after a forest fire, as their root crowns are swollen with lignotubers, a sort of nutrient bank that allows a new stem to sprout up after the tree's been burned

- One can work Jarrah wood when it's fresh-cut; after it's seasoned, it becomes too hard to work with tools

- That durability mentioned above—coupled with natural termite resistance—means in Australia you can find existing bridges and telephone poles made from the stuff

- Jarrah wood is so resistant to rot that it can be used to make jacuzzis

Sadly I've never seen Jarrah in person. I envy designers like Day who get to catch whiffs of Jarrah sawdust on a regular basis, as he must while crafting his jewelry boxes, below.

Check out more of Day's stuff—tables, chairs, drawers and more—here.