Point of View: The Serving Tray

Whether it’s to present breakfast in bed, to offer coffee and dessert for guests after dinner, or to serve as a foundation for a coffee tabletop or console display, the serving tray provides limitless possibilities on its function.

I remember visiting my Oma’s house in Kijkduin, The Netherlands from the time I was a toddler up until my adulthood and she always presented house guests with an array of Dutch sweets and the most delicious coffee or tea. As a kid, I admired her etiquette in even owning a serving tray and using it in such a seamlessly fashionable way. I was accustomed to the American way I was raised in just going up to the fridge and grabbing things as cravings came. I now own and use several trays for a handful of purposes and I often give serving trays as a housewarming gift or to support a gift when packaging something together wanting the tray to uphold all the other gifts.

Taking the serving tray in the context of its straightforward usage - as a tray to hold and serve something - there are still creative approaches to the design option of the tray. For instance, using a ceramic tray that has an Arabesque or Mediterranean painted motif on the inset of the tray adds some drama to frame the elements being served. Selecting a tray that is constructed of textured material, like a handwoven rattan or a rugged, distressed wood for a rustic touch, would also enhance the style component of what’s being served.

A serving tray can also be altered to serve or display something entirely different in its function and purpose. For example, the bamboo wood and handwoven rattan tray in the above photos is a trendy option for a serving tray but the same tray could be used uprightly to store and hang earrings, as a backdrop to display a photo collage, or to create a fixed or interchangeable vision mood board by using hooks from a craft store to hang clippings or other memoirs as inspiration. Other adaptions could be to use a ceramic, lacquered, or clear Plexiglas serving tray for a guest bedroom platter of “goodies” to include snacks, wifi password in a frame, travel size toiletries, local tourism materials for guests visiting from out of town and new to the area. A serving tray could also become a bathroom caddy for rolled washcloths, a scented diffuser, display jars with cotton swabs and cotton rounds, hand soap dispenser.

Need more design inspiration? Visit our online store here to browse our handmade products and ideas. Perhaps you already have a tray in your possession that can be repurposed. It’s all about your point of view.