Wooden Tic Tac Toe Game

Only 4cm tall, so it never interrupts the view across a room.

On a coffee table. Place it slightly off centre rather than dead middle, with a low bowl or a tray nearby. Dead centre reads as a set-up rather than a home.

On a bookshelf. Stand it on edge, or lay it flat on a short stack of books. The second option gives you the height variation a shelf needs.

Leave room to play. Two people need to reach across it, so keep clear space around rather than ringing it with candles and vases.

The pieces have somewhere to go, which is the whole difference between display and clutter.

Side compartments are built into the board itself, not supplied as a separate bag or box to lose. With the pieces housed, the board presents as a clean, complete object. That is the difference between something that lives on your coffee table and something that lives in a cupboard, which is a bigger distinction than it sounds.

The recessed grid works the same way from a different angle. Cut into the surface rather than built up from it, it holds the pieces in position without walls or barriers. Nothing sticks up, so the board reads as a wooden object rather than as equipment.

Then the game itself. Tic tac toe needs no explanation, which is precisely why it gets picked up by guests of any age rather than admired and left alone. A beautiful game nobody knows how to play is an ornament.

Solid wood throughout, hand finished, with the grain left visible rather than painted over. On an object this small, the timber and the finish are the entire product.

• Built-in side storage, so the board always looks complete rather than mid-game
• Recessed grid with no raised walls, giving a minimal profile that suits a styled surface
• Solid wood, hand finished, with contrasting ball pieces
• Everyone already knows the rules, so it gets played rather than admired
• 30 x 21.5cm, the right scale for a coffee table or a bookshelf
• Only 4cm tall, so it never blocks a sightline across a room
• Genuinely good gifting, which very few decorative objects are
• Works in a holiday let, where guests need something to do and nothing to lose

Pieces in the compartments when it is not being played. Left scattered across the grid it reads as clutter, and the compartments exist for exactly this reason.

Wood and geometry want something rounded nearby. A low bowl from bowls and dishes, or a small vessel with foliage, stops a coffee table looking too rectilinear.

A board inside a larger tray gives the arrangement a border and lets you lift the lot when the table is needed for something else.

Two or three books laid flat with the board on top gives height variation and makes a small object read as deliberate rather than simply left there.

Warm wood sits with almost anything, but it looks best against natural textures rather than glass and chrome. Linen, ceramic, rattan and stone.

Dust with a soft dry cloth. Wipe spills promptly and use a coaster if drinks are sharing the table, since timber marks.

Keep it dry. Never soak the board or the pieces, and avoid cleaning sprays, which dull a hand-applied finish.

Small parts. The playing pieces are small wooden balls and are not suitable for children under three, or for anyone who might put them in their mouth. Supervise younger children, and store the pieces in the compartments between games.

Worth knowing if you have a dog that picks things up. The compartments keep the pieces contained, but a board left out mid-game is an invitation.

Interior use, out of prolonged direct sunlight, which lightens timber unevenly over time.

What to expect. Real timber, hand finished, so grain and tone vary slightly from board to board.

Your board is checked and packed before it leaves us. Current timescales and charges are set out on our delivery page.

Buying as a gift and not sure it will land? Ask us. Reach us via our contact page or live chat.

If it is not right, our returns process is straightforward, and everything is covered by our guarantees and warranties.

Kitting out a holiday let, or need several? Ask about trade accounts before you order in quantity.