Some form of cannabis, whether recreational or medicinal, is now legal in the majority of states in the United States. By population, nearly 50 percent of Americans live in a state with legal recreational cannabis. Progress on ending cannabis prohibition was slow, and then very fast over the past decade or so. With that came the shift in perception of people who use cannabis from the Dazed and Confused set with stereotypical stoner paraphernalia to the conscious consumer with items that look more like they belong in a Wes Anderson film. Houseplant, Seth Rogen’s pottery line, falls squarely into the latter camp. And his new Ashtray 3.0 is the perfect example: equal parts statement coffee table piece and functional ashtray.
It’s hard to think of another celebrity who more defined my outlook on cannabis throughout my life. His movies, particularly Pineapple Express, ranked among my favorites as a high schooler smoking ditch weed out of an apple. Now, as an adult in Colorado working on a book about cannabis and someone who always has at least a couple of special plants growing around the house, I’ve got his gorgeously designed ashtray on my dining room table.
Houseplant started after Rogen took a pottery lesson with his wife, Lauren. Naturally, he created an ashtray with all of the features that he wanted: a notch to rest a joint, a deep ash well, and a saucer that can double as a second ashtray. Houseplant isn’t a one-note company. There are also eye-catching vases like the Gloopy (technically a vase could be an ashtray, but that’s a different conversation). The ceramics designed for a more artful high, however, are what brought Rogen’s company to my attention, and I’m sure I’m not the only one, as a representative for the company noted the Ashtray series is one of Houseplant’s best selling.
The Ashtray 3.0 by Seth (Rogen designed the pieces, but the making of each one sold to customers is done by someone else) has a timeless look that wouldn’t make it an anachronism in the hippy heydays or out of place in the modern home. A deep notch to hold joints is similar to the others in the series, but the latest iteration has a wavy design as opposed to the straight cylinder of 1.0 and 2.0. It also has a new-to-the-company glossy black and brown tortoise glaze, so no two pieces are exactly the same. The container portion has a 4.5-inch well—frequent emptying is not a concern. It ties together a few things in my house without screaming “ashtray.” Most often, people ask what it even is as if it’s a vintage heirloom ceramic.
It’s not just any piece that can double as a functional smoking tool and aesthetic home decor. Then again, the Ashtray 3.0 isn’t just any piece.
