Sumner Design Studio

I know, I’m sorry about the title, I couldn’t help myself.  I never seem to use trays myself, but I actually have quite a few of them at home.  And I actually might need a couple of these:

Faux crocodile AND nailheads – two great tastes that go great together.  These are from Z Galerie, AKA purveyors of all things faux croc.  And of course our friends at Jayson Home & Garden have too many cool options to post.  Here are a few (and I swear I’m not on their payroll, though I wouldn’t say no if they asked…):

It’s a serving tray AND a nautical curiosity – how can you go wrong with that?  I also love this little envelope tray:

It’s too small for serving, but would look great on an entry console as a place to toss your keys.  Here’s one more, from West Elm.  It looks like it’s left over from their holiday catalog, but I’d use it all year round:

It’s simple but chic, which I think is what West Elm does really well.

So I’ve shared my prediliction for furniture with animal feet, but what about lamps shaped like animals?  Cheesy, for the most part.  But I’ve had this gigantic horse floor lamp stuck in my head for the longest time:

I know, it’s a bit much.  And coming in at over $6,000, it’s definitely not a run-out-and-buy item.   Plus, who really has room for a life-size horse in their living room?

I did see this lamp used beautifully at Dining by Design in San Francisco a couple of years ago.  Dining by Design is a big fundraiser sponsored by Elle Decor, and they host it in a bunch of cities throughout the US.  Different designers do table settings, then people pay to come to a big fancy dinner.  I’ve never attended, but I have toured the San Francisco tables the past few years.  Check this table out:

This was by far my favorite table.  My apologies to the designer, I don’t remember who did it, but it was fantastic.  It had a surreal, Mad Hatter’s tea party vibe to it.  Wouldn’t you love to be the one who got to sit in this chair at dinner?