Imagine a warm summer day on the back deck, looking out to your favorite lake. You go inside to pour some drinks and gather some finger food for your loved ones to share as you relax together.
When you picture yourself delivering refreshments to your family, you surely don’t see yourself fumbling with glasses and bowls. In your mind, you are orderly and calm, carrying your goodies out on a traditional serving tray.
Serving boards bring control to our lives, and with beautiful wood serving trays, you can also remember your favorite destination. In fact, it may be that lake you envisioned just a moment ago.
The Tradition of Serving Trays
Serving trays have been in castles, estates, and households for centuries, allowing people to elegantly move food and other items from one place to another. The serving trays we are familiar with now likely came from the “salver,” a term from England in the 1600s referring to a flat tray made of silver. Originally, the salver signified the food served on it was ready to be consumed by royalty, often checked for poison before being served.
As time passed, the purpose and production of serving trays changed. While they are less likely to deliver food that has been tested for poison, serving trays made of a variety of materials, including bamboo, silver, acrylic, wood, and metal, can be found in households worldwide.
Why Wood Serving Trays?
Some of the most elegant trays today are wood serving trays decorated with intricate details. Wood maps, for example, provide a unique layer to a traditional serving board, displaying an important site or treasured vacation spot.
Wood Chart serving trays are made using bathymetric charts that show the depths of the oceans and lakes. While other wood maps are built with multiple layers to signify these depths, serving trays are built with the land slightly raised above the water.
The details are not lost on these boards, though, as landmarks and important points are laser etched into the high-quality wood. Wood serving trays have several features to keep them functional and beautiful, including:
- Ultra-transparent acrylic glass top
- Built-in handles
- Stained birch wood
Choosing the Right Serving Board for Your Needs
With all the variety available, it might seem overwhelming to decide on the right serving board for you. Serving trays can be a statement piece or work of art, and you can keep many different factors in mind, such as material and your existing décor, when choosing a board.
With wood map serving trays, you can honor your favorite destinations while serving up delicious food or decorating your space. Serve your sweetheart an anniversary breakfast in bed with a serving board commemorating your Hawaiian honeymoon, or decorate your San Francisco rental property with a serving board map of the Bay area. Finding the right serving board can be as easy as remembering a special vacation or cherished memory.
3 Different Ways to Showcase Your Serving Board
Part of choosing the right serving board for you includes deciding how you will use your tray. At first, it seems obvious that a serving board is used to move food from one place to another, but there are many other applications to explore when considering a serving board.
Decide where and how you will use your tray to determine what size, shape, and aesthetic you want to use. It is essential to keep your current décor in mind when choosing a serving board to display, and commemorating a special place can be as easy as finding the right wood serving tray.
Serving trays can have different applications in different areas of the house. Find your purpose and location to get started with your serving board application.
1. In the Kitchen
Obviously, serving food is a practical, common use for a serving board. Make a special meal and bring it to the dining area, or mix up some drinks to deliver outside from your serving tray.
But what about organization in the kitchen? Use a serving tray to house useful spices, kitchen gadgets, and utensils that you want to be able to easily access. Displaying these items neatly on an elegant serving board will keep the area from seeming cluttered.
A serving board can also be the foundation of a small indoor potted herb garden. Keep your favorite herbs within arm’s reach by arranging potted plants on a serving tray. Your platter will freshen up your kitchen just like your herbs freshen up the dishes you love to cook.
2. In Your Living Spaces
Serving trays make beautiful catch-all areas for those busy spots in your house. Beauty and purpose are critical components of a clutter-free yet functional home. There are several areas where you can find a practical application for your serving trays, including:
- A place to put your keys and wallet when you walk in the door
- A designated area for the remote controls in the living room
- A specific location for the necessary office supplies in your study
When refreshing a space with new décor, consider incorporating serving trays as a part of the aesthetic. Look around your home and see what you already have, and then use decorative odds and ends to create a beautiful display for an end table, coffee table, or mantel.
3. In Your Personal Spaces
Clutter tends to congregate in personal spaces like bedrooms and bathrooms, but a serving board can also bring order and elegance to these spaces. A Martha’s Vineyard serving tray might be the perfect addition to a classically-decorated nautical bathroom. The tray can be a landing spot for cosmetics, creams, perfumes, and jewelry for the classy woman who wants to keep things tidy.
Is your nightstand in need of some organization? A serving board can be the answer to your side table trouble. Decorate with a few items to draw the eye away from the necessary chargers that might make an unsightly appearance.
Even with their rich history, serving trays are certainly not a thing of the past. With the correct tray, you can display a place of importance, making your selection personal and sentimental. Find the perfect application, whether decoration or serving food or drink, and display your serving board with pride.