Backflow Incense Holder

Two stones pulled from the Waal, a river that has been moving through the Netherlands for longer than anyone has been counting. A slab of slate underneath them. That is the whole object. It does not need anything else.

Set a cone on the stones and light it. Instead of rising, the smoke falls. It slides down the face of the rock in a slow white sheet and settles on the slate like fog in a valley at dawn, moving the way weather moves. Ten or fifteen minutes of watching something you cannot control and do not need to.

This is the piece we reach for when we want the room to slow down. Before people come over. After they leave. Sitting on the floor with nothing to do for once.

When the cone burns out, the ash keeps its shape and lifts off in one piece. The stones stay cool. The slate takes on a little of the smoke over time, which is the point.

Handmade in Amsterdam by BinDesign. The holder comes with nine waterfall cones in three woods: sandalwood, agilawood, and thujawood. It also takes a standard incense stick when you want smoke that rises instead.

• Slate plateau with two Dutch river stones. About 7" x 4.3" x 1.2", 1.3 lb.
• Includes 9 backflow incense cones (3 sandalwood, 3 agilawood, 3 thujawood). Burn time 10 to 15 minutes per cone.
• Refill boxes of Thujawood cones are available separately.

To use: set the holder on a flat, heat-safe surface out of any draft. Place a cone on the stones with the hole facing down, light the tip until it catches, wait a few seconds, then blow out the flame. Never leave burning incense unattended. Let the ash cool fully before lifting it off.