At a party, everyone gathers around the wood tray full of snacks and treats. When you enter a home, your eyes are drawn to thoughtful décor details, like the wood tray with the fresh vase of flowers sitting upon it. Whether you are serving, decorating, or just showing off, your wood serving tray deserves to be the center of attention with every use.
There are countless uses for a wood serving tray, whether that be for décor or for entertaining. Looking for an extra-special piece to add to your life? Wood serving trays will add a special je ne sais quoi to every room and event you bring it to! Grab your favorite wood tray, take a seat, and let’s explore the many uses of wood trays.
History of Wood Serving Trays
Serving trays originated as types of platters called salvers, derived from a Latin word meaning “to save.” This is because having your food served on this type of tray indicated that the food had been tested for poison and was deemed fit for consumption. Years went on, and the trays became larger and carried less royal meaning. And that’s the root of where your wood serving tray comes from!
Adding a wood tray to your home will give you and your family a special piece of history. Make your serving tray even more personal when you pick one with an acrylic-topped wood cut map design of your hometown or a beloved family vacation spot. With special care, it can be passed down from generation to generation as a beautiful piece of family history.
Use Your Wood Tray for Home Décor
The obvious use for your wood tray would be for serving food, but have you ever thought about the personality these trays can bring to your space? Not only will choosing a special tray, like one with a wood cut map on it, bring happiness and fond memories of favorite travel locales to your home, but there are countless places you could put it to make your living space beautiful.
There are tips and tricks to selecting your perfect wood serving tray design. When you do finally own your favorite wood cut map, try using the “rule of three.” Odd numbers are appealing to our brains, so placing three key items on your tray will draw the eye in a pleasant way.
In the kitchen, keep the wood tray stocked with your favorite coffee items, like your favorite mugs, flavored syrups, and creams, for a homey coffee-lover tray. Or put it in your bedroom and top with a flower vase filled with fresh-cut flowers and your luxurious perfume bottles stocked and ready for spritzing! No matter where you put the wood cut map or the trinkets you display on it, it will bring a perfect personal touch to your home.
Wood Trays Will Keep Your Home Organized
On top of the lovely décor bonus, keeping a favorite wood tray around will keep you tidy. By having empty trays around your home, you’ll have a handy designated place to drop your essentials, like keys, mail, and other stuff that tends to add to clutter. Now, rather than a mess, you have a tray keeping all the items in one place that typically sprawl across the dining table.
Wood serving trays can also be easily moved from one room to the next. Realize you don’t like the pile of books and knick-knacks in your dining room? No problem—pick up the tray and bring it somewhere else in one easy movement. No more back and forth with every single item.
3 Opportunities to Use Your Wood Serving Tray
Now that you have a beautiful wood tray, when should you use this beautiful décor piece? There are countless events and opportunities for you to use your serving tray, from using it as the base for the charcuterie board at your next special event to adding a homey touch to your space that you can enjoy every day.
- Breakfast in bed
- Charcuterie board
- Dinner parties
1. Serve Breakfast in Bed on a Wood Tray
When Mom is ready to celebrate her special day, decorate your wood serving tray with flowers picked from the backyard, a handwritten card, and her favorite homemade breakfast. When she sees that engraved wood cut map featuring her favorite destination, the extra touch of magic will kick in for her day. Swoop into the room, surprising her with this beautiful arrangement, and watch her eyes light up, seeing how thoughtful you are!
2. Charcuterie Boards on a Wood Serving Tray
Carefully decorate your wood serving tray with crackers, cheese, meats, nuts, and fruits. As each bite is taken, more and more of the carefully carved wood cut map will be revealed, leaving your guests oohing and ah-ing at the end of the snacking. That’ll have them asking, “why the Gulf of Mexico map”? and you’ll tell them all about your favorite spot. It makes for a beautiful reveal of your prized possession before you restock for your hungry guests!
3. Serve Food Off Your Wood Tray at Dinner Parties
Use these sentimental and stunning wood serving trays as a centerpiece at your next dinner party. There are many key elements to having a successful dinner party, but an often forgotten element is remembering to have beautiful dishes for serving food. The decorative wood cut map tray is sure to be a staple conversation piece and keep the chatter flowing all night long.
Do Wood Trays Make Good Gifts?
One amazing use for a wood serving tray is that they make a perfect and meaningful gift for almost anyone in your life! Whether it’s a tray commemorating your favorite trip to Lake Tahoe or a Hawaiian Islands map tray featuring their wedding destination for your newly married friends, a wood tray will warm the heart of any loved person in your life.
Nothing is more thoughtful than a hand-crafted tray! And did you know for a 5th wedding anniversary, the gift is meant to be made of wood? These wood cut map trays make a perfect and thoughtful present for your honey! Celebrate any anniversary with this thoughtful gift.
5 People Who Will Enjoy a Wood Tray Gift:
- Mother
- Grandparents
- Newlyweds
- In-laws
- Best friends
Wood trays have more uses than you first thought, don’t they? Gone are the days of the forgotten serving tray in the corner or collecting dust on top of the fridge. You’ll find that a wood tray displaying a beautiful wood cut map has endless uses around your home or as a gift for every occasion.