Unlocking the Secret Behind This Timeless Home Essential
August 14, 2024
Source: Reddit
Do you recall the time when arriving back home was accompanied by the act of pouring out the contents of your pockets onto a clean tray by the front door? Maybe it was in your father’s or your grandfather’s – a simple saucer in which coins would drop, keys would rattle, and the burdens of the day would be literally handed off. These valet trays were not just a simple stand for keys, wallet and other items in many households of the 50s, 60s, and 70s, they were a rather symbolic indicator of the order and the schedules of the life in those times.
Picture this: it is the early seventies, you have come back from a rather tiring day. The sound of the front door closing is reassuring; it is the end of the noise of the world outside. When you come through the door of your house and into the comfort of your home, the first place you go to is the little table by the door. Laid down on the table next to a brass lamp whose light is as yellow as butter is the valet tray. Your father’s car keys, a silver money clip and a wallet, which has come through many journeys, are waiting for another day to begin. The tray, the simple and the elegant is a witness of the ordinary, of the home, of a piece of life that, while unnoticed, was essential to the routine of a family.
The valet tray is an object which can be traced back to the beginning of the twentieth century and has been derived from the more complicated structure of the gentleman’s valet – a entirely designed piece of furniture in which men used to keep their accessories and their clothes for the following day. While formats of the day continued to be less rigid and people didn’t need as much furniture, the valet tray proved to be more useful. It was a small, portable catch-all, which could be placed in the entrance hall, next to the bed or in the dressing room. Valet tray became popular in every home and especially in the middle of the twentieth century as a sign of the culture that existed in the society at that time that advocated for order and tidiness.
During the era when men wore many pieces of accessories like cufflinks, tie clips, money clips and loose change the valet tray was used to store them all. It was an important aspect of a man’s schedule, enabling him get ready for the day and ensure that all his belongings were in order and easily accessible.
The use of the valet tray was also seen in the middle of the 1900s and this was also in harmony with other societal changes. In the aftermath of the Second World War and the subsequent rise of the American middle class, with men and women both going back to work and families moving out to the suburbs, the valet tray represented a kind of efficiency and organization. This was typical for the period of time: discipline, order, and the aspect of appearance were crucial.
Over the years, the valet tray changed, as it was modified to fit the requirements of the people in that certain period. For instance, the valet tray came into the common use in the 1980s, after which it was no longer limited to men only. With women joining the workforce, this meant that it was a useful area where all members of the family could place their basics such as keys, wallets, watches and other small accessories and jewels. The fact that the valet tray remains to this day in the homes of people attests to the fact that the design is still useful and relevant.
Valet trays have however come back into fashion in the present society. Even though people’s lives are busier and more virtual than those of their parents and grandparents, the habit of tidying and putting keys, wallet, and phone into a valet tray at the end of the day is still enjoyable. It’s a token – a way of introducing some of the old into the new fast-paced lives that we lead today.
In one way or another, the valet tray is not just an organizer; it is a relic, an echo of the past when life was presumably more organized and less hectic. Whether you have a traditional wooden tray that has been in the family for years, or a contemporary model, the valet tray is a symbol of tidiness, schedules, and the coziness of the house.
Therefore, the next time you drop your keys into a valet tray, consider this: it’s not such a bad life. It’s not just a case to hold your stuff—it is a case that carries a bit of history, a bit of the past that carries with it a certain order that, even in the present, makes people feel less anxious.