Could the Floating Mug actually be the world's most beautiful mug?

Why grab your mug and a coaster when you can just grab a mug? We know, we know — you’re worried about stains and water rings. But fret not — thanks to the Floating Mug, those are issues of the past. This new Kickstarter project actually melds a mug and a coaster into a single design, creating not only a functional vessel but quite the conversation starter, too.

Heralded as “the world’s most beautiful mug,” the Floating Mug was actually inspired by a banana. Not the fruit, actually, but a banana stand, whose curved design quite resembles the handle of a mug. And indeed, if you look at the Floating Mug, it certainly does recall elements of that memorable design. The handle of the mug extends to the base, which is, in fact, a built-in coaster. The liquid-containing part of the mug floats above the base and is attached only to the top part of the handle, creating a slight gap between the bottom of the vessel and the coaster. And that, friends, is how you avoid creating water rings.

The first iteration of the Floating Mug made its first appearance on Kickstarter in 2012, whereupon it raised around $40,000 from nearly 600 backers. At the time, however, the Floating Mug was made out of ceramic and was rather small (if you really needed a caffeine boost, you were going to need a couple cups). But now, the Floating Mug is back, and it’s bigger and better than before.

For starters, it is now made of glass, which somehow makes the design all the sleeker. More importantly, there is the fact that it now holds 12 ounces of liquid, which means that you can probably make do with just one non-table-staining cup. Clearly, the people are excited by these improvements. Already, the new and improved Floating Mug has surpassed its initial funding goal of $20,000, having already raised nearly $30,000 with more than a week left in its campaign.

If you’re interested in housing “the world’s most beautiful mug” in your own home, you can preorder the glass Floating Mug on Kickstarter for $17, with an estimated delivery date of December.