Latte Empress Lotus

In times of crisis, I've found that people develop attachments to the most unexpected things. My sister once devoted an entire spring to photographing strangers' garden gnomes, but my latest obsession – a ceramic lotus in a shade of ecru that suggests vintage wedding dresses and well-loved library cards – feels somehow more dignified.

"It's inspired by an empress lotus," I explained to my partner, who discovered me contemplating wall spaces with the concentration of someone decoding ancient hieroglyphics. "Though really, it looks more like what would happen if a Japanese spring decided to bloom in sepia tones." I traced the delicate edges of each petal, marveling at how the cream-colored clay managed to capture the ephemeral nature of actual lotuses in permanent form.

The ceramic piece came with a keyhole mount that my mother said reminded her of a tiny fortune cookie. But there was something perfect about its medium size, like it understood the art of making a statement without shouting. I hung it in the kitchen, replacing a collection of commemorative plates that had been silently judging our eating habits for the past decade.

"It would be lovely in a nursery," my partner suggested, though we both knew our spare room had morphed into a repository for ambitious cooking gadgets we'd never mastered. "That's what you said about my collection of pressed flowers from places we've never visited," I reminded them. But this was different.

The latte empress lotus had transformed our kitchen from a place where we occasionally attempted recipes beyond our skill level into a space that felt like dining inside an old photograph where everything is slightly soft and nostalgic. Every time I look at it while making dinner, I imagine it's quietly appreciating how we've managed to burn pasta in increasingly creative ways.

• Year Designed: 2020
• Material: Ceramic
• Finish: Glazed
• Keyhole for Wall Hanging