Hamsa Whitewash Long Tray – 30x20.5x2.5 cm

A shallow mango wood tray with a whitewashed finish, 30 cm long and just over 20 cm wide, roughly the footprint of an A4 sheet of paper. At its centre, a Hamsa hand is carved into the surface, the pale wash settling into the relief so the symbol reads quietly against the grain rather than shouting for attention.

Form and what it holds

• The low 2.5 cm lip keeps objects gathered without obscuring them, keys, a candle, a few stones, a watch.
• The whitewash is chalky and matte, so the wood's natural grain ghosts through underneath, giving each tray its own quiet pattern.
• At 474 g, it has enough weight to sit without shifting, but lifts easily with one hand.
• The open form means nothing is hidden, whatever you place here becomes part of the arrangement.
• The carved Hamsa sits flush with the base, so it doesn't interrupt the tray's function but remains visible beneath whatever rests there.

Mango wood and whitewash

Mango wood is a dense, close-grained hardwood, often sourced from orchard trees that have passed their fruiting years, a practical second life for timber that would otherwise go to waste. The whitewash finish is applied over the raw wood, allowing the grain to show through as a faint shadow beneath the pale surface. It gives the tray a Mediterranean or Scandinavian quality: simple, light, and slightly chalky to the touch.

The carving is machine-routed, with the whitewash pooling in the recessed lines to define the Hamsa's outline. The base is bare wood.

The Hamsa

The Hamsa is one of the oldest protective symbols in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern world, appearing across Jewish, Islamic, and North African traditions for centuries before any single faith claimed it. Its name comes from the Arabic for 'five', referring to the five fingers of the open hand. In Jewish tradition it is sometimes called the Hand of Miriam; in Islamic tradition, the Hand of Fatima. Across all these lineages, the open hand has been associated with warding off harm and with blessing, a symbol that has travelled widely precisely because it belongs to no single culture exclusively. Here it functions as a decorative motif with genuine cultural depth, not a religious object.

Living with it

The tray works on a hallway console as a key-and-coin drop, on a bedside table to hold a few small objects, or on a coffee table as a centrepiece for candles and stones. The whitewash finish is porous, so keep it away from damp surfaces and wipe it with a dry cloth rather than a wet one. It is not suitable as a coaster or for holding wet items directly. Dust settles visibly on the pale surface, so a light wipe every few days keeps it looking clean.

Size and details

30 cm long, 20.5 cm wide, 2.5 cm deep, close to A4 in footprint. Weight: 474 g. Made from mango wood with a whitewash finish, origin India. The base is unfinished wood.

A considered gift

It suits anyone who likes to keep a surface intentional, a thoughtful housewarming gift, or something for a person who collects small meaningful objects and wants a quiet place to rest them.

Common questions

Can I use it in a bathroom?
The whitewash finish is porous and mango wood is not sealed for moisture. It is better suited to dry surfaces, a bedroom, hallway, or living room, than a bathroom or kitchen.

Is the base felt-lined or bare wood?
The base is bare wood, so it is worth placing a cloth or mat beneath it on polished or lacquered surfaces to avoid marking them.