We wanted one object on the counter that says the day is winding down. This is it: a straight-sided jar in a warm, light grey, with a matte glaze that feels closer to skin than to glass. The lid sits down inside the rim, the knob is a single turned wood ball, and de- is laser-engraved on the base, so there's nothing printed to wear off. Turn it over and a ring of bare clay at the foot shows what it's made of.

Capacity: 380 ml (about 13 fl oz)
Size: 7.6 cm (3 in) across, 14 cm (5.5 in) tall
Material: stoneware fired at 1280°C, wood-ash matte glaze, natural wood knob
Lid: sits snugly inside the rim to keep out light and dust
Care: wipe clean or hand wash; keep the wooden knob dry and out of the dishwasher
Made in: Dehua, Fujian, China

Dehua, in Fujian, has been firing ceramics since the Song dynasty and is still one of China's best-known porcelain towns. Our canisters come from a workshop there that forms and finishes each piece partly by hand and fires it at 1280°C. The glaze is made with wood ash, which is why no two are quite the same shade; expect a little variation in the grey.