Retro trays
A tray on display in the kitchen was an easy way to signal your tastes. Were you into psychedelia, Art Nouveau or Scandinavian modern? These are three very different contemporary trays from the 1960s. Which one do you prefer and which is worth the most?
'Tarragon' tin tray for JRM by Daphne Black c1968
Three classmates from the Central School of Art and Design in London formed JRM Design in 1966. They were Ian Logan, Daphne Black and Howard Curtis.
They initially struggled for success, but scored a hit with metal trays, placemats and storage jars in contemporary, but Art Nouveau-inspired, designs in bright colours. [1]
Logan designed the 'Salome' range of storage tins, table mats and coasters, along with a square tray in the same blue and purple pattern called 'Harriet'.
Black designed the 'Tarragon' range, which included storage jars and trays.
Other designs included 'Love' by Natalie Gibson - a purple tray with a red hearts
Daphne Black left JRM to join Biba, where she eventually became the head buyer.
Black married actor Rodney Bewes, famous for his role as Bob Ferris in 'Whatever happened to the Likely Lads' in 1973.
The 'Tarragon' is the most common of the JRM designs. However, it is quite rare today.
Tray value: £20
Rosewood ply tray by Langva, Denmark
This rosewood tray is typical of Scandinavian design in the 1960s. Danish design in particular was very fashionable.
The tray is made from moulded ply with a rosewood finish. It has an elegant shape.
The design was about understated good taste, rather than fun and fashion.
These trays are highly collectable today and retail for around £300 if in good condition.
Fibre glass tray with stylised floral pattern
This type of design was popular in the second half of the 1960s and into the early 1970s. It chimed in with the all-pervading flower power theme of the late 1960s. The flowers look like they could have been on the Magic Roundabout.
The groovy psychedelic-inspired design makes this tray worth more than most fibre glass trays from the 1960s with conventional patterns.
Value: £20 to £40
By Steven Braggs, February 2021
References
[1] 'Design' by Fiona Macarthy, published in the Observer, 20 March 1968, page 9
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