Nakagawa Kyoto Mixing Tray “Ume”

A small tool with a very long history.

This traditional Japanese mixing tray takes the shape of an ume, or plum blossom. The petals create separate places for mixing and diluting color, turning the flower form into a genuinely useful little working palette.

It is also the sort of studio object Mercer loves: simple, reusable and attractive enough to remain on the desk after the paint has dried. Pair it with gansai, a good brush and an empty afternoon.