New Products and Designs: Placemats, Coasters and Glass Platters

I'm really pleased to say that we now have some very lovely placemats to add to the Alabasta range of home accessories, this time in conjunction with Avenida Home. Avenida Home is a new home accessories company set up by Isabel Saiz who is also the UK sales and marketing agent for Åry Trays, but this is her separate venture. It's been worth the wait because they truly are deluxe and the perfect product to show off all the intricate patterns that make up my designs. They are 4.8mm thick and made from eucalyptus wood with a laminated heat resistant melamine surface and a black velour backing. They have been handcrafted in Britain which shows there is still some manufacturing in existence here after all.

The mats are available to buy individually online in various sizes from Avenida Home where you can see the entire range that Isabel has developed. They range in price from £5 for a 10cm square coaster, £12 for A4 size mats and £18 for a larger 38.2 x 29.2cm table mat. Glass platters are £32. They will be launched properly at Tent London in September, and they will also form part of an exhibition at Contemporary Applied Arts this September (more about this nearer the time).

FILIGREE COLLECTION: Love Birds

First I'd like to introduce a brand new design called Love Birds which shows a pair of intricately patterned exotic birds with flamboyant tails and beady eyes. The birds are a combination of black and indigo blue and on a cream background. There are two mat sizes as well as a pair of 10cm square coasters, each with one of the birds on. Because this sits well with the Alabasta Blue Fish tray designs we have decided to put both Fish and Bird collections under the umbrella name of 'Filigree'. The Love Birds mats and coasters can now also be bought in store from Liberty in London. The Blue Fish mat is having a slight redesign so I'll show this when it's done...

Love Birds 38.2 x 29.2cm large tablemat

DAMASK
There is also a new design in the mats only called Damask, which complements the style of the other collections but is more tonal and larger scale in design. This comes as a square 24cm mat and 10cm coaster in three modern colourways - red/coral, bright green/aqua and a fashionable iris blue mauve:

Damask 24cm square mat and 10cm coasters

FOLK STRIPE
There are also mats in the multicoloured Folk Stripe pattern and the stripes are straight on these as opposed to curved on the current range of trays. Two sizes are available, 29.2 x 21.6cm with an ivory background and larger 38.2 x 29.2cm tablemat with coloured background, plus a 10cm square coaster:

Folk Stripe mats

GLASS PLATTERS AND WORKTOP SAVERS
Last but not least are toughened glass platters designed for protecting worktops, using as chopping boards and generally making your dinner table look special. These are heat resistant to 180℃ so can take hot pans. The pattern is fired onto the underside of the glass in a process similar to enamelling so they are really resilient and the colours look very rich. There is a smooth glossy 30cm round Folk Stripe platter:

30cm Folk Stripe Glass Platter

...and finally a colourful large rectangular worktop saver with a slight ridged texture on the surface:

40x30cm Folk Stripe worktop saver

To summarise, these brand new tabletop accessories are currently available to order online at Avenida Home only at the moment and delivery will be within 4 weeks, or you can find the Love Birds mats in store at Liberty. I will list any new stockists as soon as I know where they are selling. 

Alabasta trays are available from the stockists on the sidebar to the right of this page. 

All photos copyright Asta Barrington.

Alabasta trays now available in Korea

If you happen to be in South Korea there's a really good interiors shop called Nordic Design in Seoul that have just started stocking the Alabasta birch wood trays as well as the rest of the collection of Åry Trays. Even if you're not, it's worth a look at their website just to drool over the broad selection of Scandi design including the clean lines of Hay's furniture and the perfect proportions of Gubi and Secto Design's lighting.

Nordic Design, Korea

27x20cm Alabasta Blue Fish tray

Ideal Home magazine, June 2012

More press! Stylist Sally Cullen has used the Alabasta Folk Stripe 38cm trays as part of a mood board for a very bold kitchen interior in this month's Ideal Home magazine. These ones come from online home accessories shop Berry Red, who stock the Folk Stripe trays made by Åry Trays in the 38cm, 49cm and the 11cm mini tray sizes.

Ideal Home magazine, June 2012

Ideal Home magazine, June 2012

Alabasta Folk Stripe trays made by Åry Trays. Photo: Asta Barrington

The Independent: The 50 Best Homewares

Imagine my surprise and delight on Saturday while idly leafing through the Independent newspaper and spotting my name and an Alabasta tray within an item about the '50 Best Homewares', edited by Kate Watson Smyth. All the items in the article can be bought online and Alabasta trays are this time being promoted by Coastal Home. It's a seaside inspired collection of coastal home interiors, home accessories and outdoor furniture and sells the Blue Fish trays in three sizes as well as the 11cm mini tray coasters.

Independent on Saturday Radar magazine, 5th May 2012

27 x 20cm Blue Fish Alabasta tray. Photo: Asta Barrington

Vogue Living Australia magazine, January/February 2012

It's taken a while but we have finally managed to get hold of a copy of the Australian edition of Vogue Living's first issue of the year. It's really exciting to see the highly influential interiors magazine featuring an image of the red Folk Stripe Alabasta tray twice, once again including the contents page:

Vogue Living Australia, January/February 2012

The trays made by Åry Trays can be bought online from the stockists on the right side bar, many of which will send abroad. The Blue Fish collection is already available Down Under from Ella Eco, an Australian webshop that specialises in well made artisanal home accessories sourced from all over the world.

101 Woonideeën magazine, March 2012

More international press has this time come from the Netherlands. 101 Woonideeën ('101 Living Ideas') is a colourful interiors magazine featuring youthful modern interiors and creative DIY projects. The March issue news page features the birch wood Alabasta trays with an image of the 38cm red Folk Stripe tray between two of the 11cm Folk Stripe coasters:

101 Woonideeën magazine March 2012

The article translates as:

"It's always spring…

Wow, these are really nice products to put your home made lemonade or other delicious things onto. These coasters really make you happy! The coasters are made of birch wood like all other products from Åry Trays in Sweden (arytrays.com).
Folk Stripes tray 38cm from € 32.00.
Folk Stripes coasters from € 24.00 (4 pcs)
For info send an e-mail to info@arytrays.com"

Thanks, 101 Woonideeën magazine!

Elle Decoration Norway magazine, March/April 2012

The latest piece of international press coverage for the Alabasta range for Åry Trays comes from the Norwegian edition of Elle Decoration magazine. The white version of the 38cm Folk Stripe tray is featured alongside products from Scandinavian companies such as Ferm Living and Verner Panton. They demonstrate the new trend for geometric patterned/shaped home wares in lighter brighter colours and I particularly like the coherence of the products on this page. Seen from a distance or in print the tray looks quite pastel but in reality the colours are actually quite strong and vivid.

Elle Decoration Norway, March/April 2012

The caption reads: 

"Shopping: We are going towards brighter days - celebrate with a combination of delicate pastels and a stronger graphical expression. Find your favourite and enjoy the Spring sun's warming rays!" 

Mange takk, Elle Deco Norge!

For some of the retail stockists see the sidebar on the right or for wholesale enquiries contact Isabel Saiz, exclusive UK agent for Åry Trays.