At Home

Practically Perfect Serving Trays from Iomoi

July 04, 2012 | At Home

Lacquer trays, Iomoi (from $150 each). 925-282-1098

When entertaining, a grouping of decorative trays can draw attention to a selection of appetizers, cocktails, or even favorite household ornaments. “You can have different little stations on each one,” such as chips and salsa, nuts, or olives," says interior designer Laura Day, whose projects include homes in Bridgehampton and Amagansett. “For décor, they organize little vignettes around the room or on one table.”

For creating chic tray clusters, Day adores patterned lacquer trays from Iomoi, known in the Hamptons for its popular hostess gifts. Iomoi owners Irene Chen and Matt Grenby, who summer in Bridgehampton, particularly adore these trays as they offer a bright and playful contrast to the traditional East End white décor. “Lay out a bunch of them on a table in different directions,” advises Day. “I’d stick to the same basic color scheme but different patterns; then put different high candle sticks on one, a stack of glass or stone balls on another, and a stack of books on another, so [the trays] become the frame to your vignette. They add a little bit of an exclamation point.”

—ALLISON POLSTER