8 Favorites: Scandinavian Birch Plywood Trays, a Midcentury Design Star that’s Back on the Table
“Grouping objects on trays is the equivalent of adding frames to artwork,” we write in our book Remodelista: The Organized Home. “Trays elevate what they contain and create cohesion.” We use trays in every room, whether for serving food, anchoring a vase, corralling small objects, or just standing at the ready and looking good.
A favorite type, the Scandinavian birch-veneered tray, is a midcentury design star newly popular again. Made from layers of wood adhered in a hot, high-pressure mold, these trays have melamine-based, heat-resistant coatings that are highly durable and serve as perfect canvases for color and pattern. They come in many sizes and a huge range of designs: you can spot them by the stacks of thin birch visible along the edges. Here are 8 geometric standouts.
Above: The 12-inch Circular Pattern Tray, $32.45, is one of a large collection from Desenio Home.
Above: The Constantin b11 Tray, 36-by-28 centimeter, £36, is part of a collection printmaker Stephen Dow of Heraldback designed for The Conran Shop.
Above: The 12-inch Parentheses Pattern Round Tray in Pesto, a House Industries collaboration with Arc-Com Design Studio, is $80 at Heath Ceramics— but currently sold out.
Above: That’s a 1954 Alvar Aalto textile design on Artek’s Siena tray, 16.9-by-12.9 inches; $78 via The Finnish Design Shop and available in several color combos (shown also in the featured image above).
Above: Pine needles pattern the 15-inch Barr Tray, $51, one of many laminated birch trays available from Fine Little Day of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Above: Marimekko’s Piccolo Coasters are $42 for four from Little King in Hudson, New York.
Above: Hem’s 25.6-inch Stripe Tray by fashion designer Arthur Arbesser comes in several color combinations. This one is terracotta and cobalt; $159 from Per Diem.
Above: The 12.5-inch Abstract Square Tray features a Pietertje van Splunte collage; $48. It’s one of many made-in-Sweden birchwood trays from Avenida Home.
More trays and other serving pieces:
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