Midcentury design star: a concise orientation before we get practical.
Midcentury design star: Quick notes
“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 blank canvases. They’re affordable, come in many sizes, and a huge range of patterns: 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 centimeters, £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. 
Above: Pine needles pattern thev 15-inch Barr Tray, $51, one of many laminated birch trays available from Fine Little Day of Gothenburg, Sweden. 
Above: Marimekko Piccolo Coasters from Little King Hudson NY 
Hem Stripe Tray by fashion designer Arthur Arbesser 
Abstract Square Tray from Avenida Home
(Visited 30 times, 30 visits today)
