What Bridie & I Did Last Summer: Introducing Our Portable Paper Trays

A very special Parvum Opus + Bridie Hall LTD collaboration

Prosecco, chocolates & portable paper trays-- the perfect recipe for an afternoon of poetry in the park.

Last spring I had the pleasure of visiting London and spending time with my dear friend, Bridie Hall, fellow artist and co-owner of the beautiful shop, Pentreath & Hall.

On one of our fun days together, we met in her sunny Bloomsbury studio and spent the afternoon drinking tea, talking about a million things, and poring over one book in particular, a large volume dedicated to a Georgian home in Ireland known as Cobbe House. It's home to a true cabinet of curiosities, established during the Enlightenment period and then added to by subsequent generations. The rooms are packed with fascinating collections including minerals, fossils, eggs, animal skeletons, etc., which remain uniquely intact after all these years, and the house is now a museum. Bridie pointed out an image that had caught her eye: it was a page with crystals and other small specimens gathered in small trays handmade all those years ago from playing cards and other period ephemera, with notched corners which were very simply affixed with adhesive labels on the back.

Our trays, photographed with one of the images that inspired them from the wonderful book, The Cobbe Cabinet of Curiosities, An Anglo-Irish Country House Museum, edited by Arthur MacGregor, Yale University Press. Photo by Katy Beveridge

The top drawer in my own little cabinet of curiosities at home, inspired by Cobbe and dedicated to hand-painted wooden egg specimens, along with found feathers & hatched eggshells.

As you might imagine, with two very like-minded creatives, the ideas started to flow. We imagined small beautifully patterned trays in chic geometric shapes, which could be easily assembled with stickers on the go, bringing a bit of charm and a sense of place to a picnic, a train car, the beach, a roller rink, a conference room, a hotel nightstand, a beautifully set table. They'd also be light and small enough to tuck into an envelope with a birthday or holiday card--can you imagine the delight and surprise of receiving a little tray in the mail?? It was important to us that these be very accessible and not precious-- something to toss in a bag and enjoy for a day or two, but still beautiful enough to sit amongst other nice things.

Paper trays amongst beautiful things in Bridie's office. Photo by Katy Beveridge.

Sharing the fun: birthday wishes with an extra surprise enclosed: a little paper tray plus stickers.

A hexagonal paper tray makes a perfect spot for needlepoint threads & other small tools.

A city picnic with the local fauna, courtesy of my son in Chicago!

The seeds for the Portable Paper Trays were planted in London on that sunny day in May, and once back in Detroit, design work began in earnest, and the search began for a partner who could help us make the project a reality. Luckily for us, Detroit is a city of makers, of industry, of art and producers. My intensive search landed us a fabulous team in the city, who guided our project along with a craftsperson's attention to detail. Once Bridie and I finalized our designs over many emails and phone calls -- not without difficulty as we have so many excellent variations in mind! -- we entrusted our project to the masterful team of printers and die cutters in Detroit who produced the trays on our behalf.

Another beautiful view from Bridie's desk in London. Photo by Katy Beveridge.

A portable paper tray serving up charm in spades as a place card holder & candy tray.

It's such a pleasure to introduce these trays to all of you! We've made two different sets, one with Regenfuss Seashell prints from his 1758 book dedicated to shells and crustaceans, and the other with stunning Piranesi Etchings. I can't decide which I like best! The seashells are so beautiful in themselves, and they reminded us of the way the trays were used at Cobbe, displaying collected natural-history treasures. Each seashell tray has a different colored star pattern on the reverse: I designed the pattern after Giotto's ceiling at Scrovegni Chapel in Padua and re-imagined it in four beautiful new colors for this project. We couldn't resist dedicating the second set to Piranesi's architectural etchings, fabulously refined and perennial classics for good reason. The reverse of each Piranesi tray features a different faux stone pattern from both the Bridie Hall LTD & Parvum Opus pattern libraries.

Style & function: paper trays at work holding winnings and treats on game night.

Sewing on a button with style. :)

Little surprises and activities for the kids' table will be extra fun during the holidays this year.

One of the things I like best about the trays is how they seem to magically transform from a piece of cardstock to a concise little object with just a bit of folding and stickers. It has been such fun to collaborate on this project, and after a whole summer of work (and a lot of fun!), Bridie & I are thrilled to finally share them with you. Born of our friendship and shared enthusiasm for making, the trays are completely unique-- playful and stylish at once, which we love. We also love that they're all about shared moments between family, old friends and new friends, about making a faraway place seem a bit more like home. I can't wait to see how you use them-- you know where to find me on Instagram, so please share your portable paper tray adventures & enjoy!