Living Lavishly with Coco Gin Lacquered Trays

The culmination of both the old and the new worlds — isn’t that a lovely space where things come together? I love when modern design is interpreted through ancient artisanal practice and centuries-old inspiration. That’s exactly why I fell for CÔCO GIN Lacquered Trays: their collection of hand-lacquered trays celebrate ancient craftsmanship inspired by extraordinary characters in history.

CÔCO GIN Lacquered Trays are created using an elaborate process. Each piece is handcrafted in Vietnam utilizing a centuries-old 32-step process. The technique starts off by applying two dozen layers of lacquer resin extracted from cashew nutshells. Then, each tray is etched, painted, and accented with metallic leaf — a ritual that takes no less than 100 days for each tray.

Franco-Brazilian duo Lucila and Ludovic de La Bédoyère launched CÔCO GIN to celebrate ancient personalities, artists, scientists, and sophists. “Drawing heavily on both the old and new worlds, CÔCO GIN designs punctuate the home with a touch of the eccentric, the bizarre and forgotten, teaching object lessons in the fine art of possession.”

The ‘Casati’ Tray was inspired by Marchesa Luisa Casati, a famed figure of the Jazz Age. Known for eccentricity, she delighted European society for nearly three decades. The extravagant woman astonished others by wearing live snakes as jewelry and parading her leashed cheetahs. As an homage to her fondness for the big cats, the tray features a Venetian maze design with a small Cheetah illustration.

While the ‘Casati’ tray honors an eccentric personality, the ‘Étoile’ Tray was inspired by the great Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe — though Brahe was quite unconventional as well. The astronomer devoted his life to understanding things far greater than ourselves, a calling he took with great pride and conviction. So much so that he lost his nose dueling at a friend’s wedding over a math problem to a fellow Danish nobleman and mathematician. From age 20 on, he would sport a precious-metal prosthetic. However, he would continue to entertain royalty, scientists, and hedonists alike after finding favor from King Frederik II. Although he created quite the spectacle, his observational data is still considered some of the most rigorous and comprehensive in pre-telescopic astronomy. To commemorate the brilliant and peculiar Brahe, the ‘Étoile’ tray features a map of the stars.

“To commemorate, to collect and to gather, CÔCO GIN is on a relentless search for pleasure, and the simple thrill it is to share.” Extraordinary characters from history, centuries-old techniques, and the chicest lacquered trays I’ve ever seen — all that’s missing is my martini and a fabulous guest list.