Serving Tray from a Dated Table

Everyone has seen these vintage three tiered tables. Your Grandmother had one, Great Aunt maybe. They are dated pieces of furniture that just don’t fit in today’s home. My cousin’s wife, Betsy, had her Grandmother’s three tiered table stored in her attic for years. (I just noticed in the photo that my daughter had doodled in the dust.)

Betsy cherished the family history of this table but not the style. It’s formality just didn’t fit in her home.

At a family baptism she and I brainstormed over what to do with this table. And at our family Christmas party she and I set our plan in motion! We decided that if we removed the legs, it would be a perfect tiered serving tray. We called in her husband, my cousin, for that part and he was able to twist off the legs with some muscle.

Betsy looked through my sample boards and chose the neutral Annie Sloan Old Ochre. We knew this tray would be used throughout the year at different holidays and event and wanted to allow the food on it to stand out rather than the tray itself. I distressed it lightly and finished it with a hand rubbed clear wax.

I staged it for Valentine’s Day, but Betsy will use this throughout the year as a dessert tray or crudité platter. It could hold paper goods and silverware for a party. Or 30 cupcakes! It is so versatile now…and not sitting in her attic.