New year and a new 38cm Love Birds tray

Happy New Year! I hope 2013 is a healthy and prosperous year for all. I personally started it unhealthily with a stomach bug so it can only improve as far as I'm concerned. One way to start off the January detox albeit a bit premature..

Once again Åry Trays are coming over to the UK to show at the Home trade show this month, and they will be exhibiting their entire collection of birch wood trays including the Alabasta Love Birds, Folk Stripe, Folk Stripe Woven and Blue Fish collections. To complement the existing Love Birds trays we have one brand new 38cm Love Bird tray launching at the show. On this one the male bird is poking his head cheekily onto the tray and beadily eyeing up the lady bird who appears to be rather enjoying the attention:

38cm Alabasta Love Birds tray

It's now on the Åry Trays website ready to order so if you are a retailer you can order from there or see them in real life at Home, the London home wares and interior accessories trade show at Earls Court from 13th - 15th January. A week later they will be at Maison et Objet in Paris (Hall 6 stand Q26) then Ambiente in Frankfurt, also trade only. Busy times!

Seasons Greetings..

..and a happy and healthy 2013. Thanks for stopping by - please visit again in the new year and be the first to see how the Alabasta brand is developing.

Alabasta Black Flower tray in Metro newspaper

The monochromatic Black Flower pattern was one of the first Alabasta designs to be put into production by Åry Trays and it is still available in limited quantities as trays from two online boutiques: Design My World and MyDeco.com. It's a black linear design inspired by the orderly structure of pompom dahlias and there's no denying there is a retro feel to it. What isn't obvious from the following photos is a very pale grey mesh-like pattern on the ivory background which adds an extra element to the pattern, a bit like a watermark. It is available in two sizes - the 27x20cm small rectangular as shown in yesterday's Metro newspaper and the 38cm round version, though only while stocks last.

click the image for a more legible view

Alabasta Black Flower 27x20cm tray

Alabasta Black Flower 38cm tray

Design My World 
MyDeco.com

Out of season photography

Interiors magazines work months in advance so despite the fact we haven't even got to Christmas yet my mind has been temporarily concentrating on Easter 2013. I've just spent much of the weekend photographing the Alabasta trays and placemats for potential press coverage and was amazed to find some fragrant out of season narcissi at the flower stall in town to use. I also cunningly tracked down hot cross buns and some chicken eggs in subtle variations of pale blue, though my M&S Halloween chocolate eggs with the foil-turned-inside-out-for-Easter didn't look great so we had to eat them. Shame.

Here are a few of the shots:

Love Birds 27x20cm tray and tablemat

Love Birds 43x33cm tray

Love Birds 49cm tray

If you're a journalist and would like to use these images or any of the numerous others (including simpler cut outs) for any editorials feel free to contact Isabel Saiz at Avenida Isabel.

New Alabasta Love Birds and Folk Stripe Woven trays are now in stock at Hus and Hem

The brand new Alabasta Love Birds and Folk Stripe Woven trays are now finally available to buy online and in store from Hus and Hem, the Scandinavian home shop in Ledbury. They are stocking both collections in all the different sizes - 49cm round, 43x33cm and 27x20cm rectangular as well as the best selling original Folk Stripe round ones. Owner Louise Little told me yesterday that they couldn't choose between them so they bought them all! It's a very welcoming shop full of interesting gifts and home products - when I went I loved the Danish dipped candles in a whole spectrum of colours (but then I am partial to a bit of colour).

Here are the round Folk Stripe trays in situ at Hus and Hem in the summer:

Hus and Hem in Ledbury

Folk Stripe Woven trays

Love Birds trays

All the trays can be found here.

Alabasta designs for Avenida Home at Tent London 2012

The official launch of the Avenida range of tabletop accessories has happened in the last few days at Tent London and it seems to have gone very well. Tent is part of London Design Festival, an exciting city-wide series of Design events and launches and it takes place in the Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane in London's East End. Last year my Alabasta trays were there as part of the Åry Trays stand (see this post) and this year their UK agent Isabel Saiz was there launching her own collection of mats, coasters and glass platters with her new separate venture Avenida Home. I was there on the first day and there was a very good response so I will be posting any developments from the show as soon I hear about it.

Here a few quick shots of the stand - lots of eye catching colours and patterns set off against a dark and moody background:

Isabel Saiz (on the left) on her way to chat to some friendly Dutch journalists on the first morning

The Alabasta and Michael Angove corner at the Avenida Home stand at Tent London

Avenida Home's Alabasta presentation at Tent 2012

All the Avenida products are available to buy online from Avenida Home.

Alabasta Blue Fish tray in Woman and Home magazine, August 2012

Press often escapes me and here is one that nearly got away - the Alabasta Blue Fish 43x33cm tray is tucked into a coastal themed interiors shopping page in last month's Woman and Home magazine. This time it's being promoted by Coastal Home who also got another of my trays in the press - see this previous post. They've got the Blue Fish trays in three sizes as well as the 11cm mini tray coaster in stock.

click the image for a more legible view

Alabasta Blue Fish trays

Thanks, Woman and Home magazine and Coastal Home!