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Wooden Valet Trays, Part 1: Horizontal

Neats by tray

By Rain Noe - December 11, 2015

in Organization

Sadly, this here is not a staged photo. I just looked down and this is what my desk actually looks like right now:

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That clutter extends throughout my apartment. I could force myself to exercise some discipline to keep the place tidier, or I could just do the American thing and look for something to buy that will ostensibly solve the problem but which I'll never actually get around to using. Like a valet tray.

Brooklyn-based Kaufmann Mercantile makes these gorgeous $79 numbers out of black walnut:

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Beautiful as they are, one red flag is that the company, which was formed in 2007 and cut their teeth making leather wallets, seem to think they have solved a problem no woodworker has been able to for centuries: Obviating wood movement. "Because these trays are treated with a low-sheen varnish," they write, "…The tray is extremely stable, and will not be susceptible to moisture, humidity, warping or cracking." All wood is susceptible to moisture, humidity, warping or cracking, no matter how it's sealed. (Interested readers can bone up on that here.)

Also from Brooklyn is MAY Furniture's handsome Riviera Tray, which we're guessing was made on a 10-inch table saw with a box-joint jig.

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While there's neatly-placed loose change featured in one of those shots, I'm pretty sure I'd wind up accidentally getting coins jammed in the slots.

Oklahoma-based Two Guys Bow Ties have given their trays some visual pop by laminating in some strips of alternating-color hardwoods:

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At press time there were no prices listed on TGBT's website.

Another company going with laminated strips, albeit in visually-busier fashion, is Maxx & Unicorn. This company also hails from Brooklyn—wait a second, what the hell's going on here? Does Brooklyn have the market locked down on wooden valet trays? What is it about riding the J-train that makes you good at carving flat organizational objects? Well anyways, their stuff is damned purty, and ranges from $58 to $95 bucks:

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For those seeking a degree of customization, Detroit-based designer Joe Vitale is selling these simple laser-engraved pieces that you can have the message of your choice emblazoned on. And they're made from walnut-veneered and maple-veneered plywood, so these pieces are truly not susceptible to movement.

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The ones in this entry are some of the nicer valet trays I've seen. Up next, we'll show you some decidedly…weirder ones that have been popping up.

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Brian Hackett

8 years ago

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I'm irritated by the presentation of the ones that allow for a phone to be propped up on the with a clock-face showing. I like the idea of it; using new tech to pretend to be an outdated item, like a mantel clock. I don't like how I'm expected to, what, diasble my screen shut-off and let my phone battery drain all day? If they would add a charging dock, then you've got me.

Mike Cheung, I love your piece. The way the unnaturally straight lines that you've worked into the piece clash with the natural edge just looks... right!

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Mike Cheung

8 years ago

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Here's one I made for my dad a few years ago. It's Walnut, and I cut the pockets with a rounded router bit using a laser cut MDF template double-sided taped to the top.

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Juan Cano

8 years ago

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Ha, love how your wood pen holder is empty and your pens are all over the place; same here. If I had one of these, as pretty as they look, it would just be full or random stuff.

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