How May I Serve You?

Good serving pieces do double duty at parties: they work to keep you organized as you pass appetizers or set up a buffet spread and they can look stylish, too. Here are some great pieces that can act as serving trays at your next gathering. (By the way, now is a really good time to stock up on entertaining stuff---all the retailers are having competitive sales and clearances. You don't have to pay full price!)

These two trays/platters can be found at Ballard Designs. The first is a fun take on a French bistro and the second photo shows some fun-colored platters that would definitely add a little something to your table:


The three examples of serving trays below can be found at West Elm and several of them are on sale right now! The top photo shows a selection of woven trays, the middle photo shows a selection of wooden trays, and the bottom photo shows a selection of trays with metallic accents:



The following serving trays came from CB2, Crate and Barrel's fabulous company with reasonable price points and great pieces for entertaining. The top example are marble boards that would be great for serving cheese off of. The next two trays are lacquered and come in fun colors, and the bottom tray is a clear lucite tray that would give a modern edge to your party. All of them are priced right and would even make fun hostess gifts!