Teak naturally contains a high level of oily resins, giving it the ability to repel moisture, warping, preserving its looks for years and years. Invest in one of these beauties made with one of nature’s prizes: sustainable teak.

I love the look of teak, and was pleased to discover that there are brands that truly care about the environment. That’s always something in the back of my mind when considering design. In creating the look for my party with a Latin theme, I couldn’t think of a better material to present things on—that truly expresses the feeling of being in a tropical jungle. Notice how great condiments looked when I placed  them on a teak tray? This was just something I picked up at a local discount store.

Here are some other brands to consider for future entertaining.

[1] Oscar de la Renta Kent Collection A truly tasteful and chic teak bowl with carved servers. This would look great in almost any environment. Kent Teak Serving Bowl, 10” diameter. $295. Kent Teak Salad Servers, 14” $165. for the pair. Available online at oscardelarenta.com.

[2] Proteak Cutting Boards This brand is extremely altruist-teak. Proteak brings an environmentally laudable method to harvesting at their sustainable teak plantations. First, they chose land along Mexico’s Pacific coast where they are able to cultivate the trees without the use of irrigation or fertilizer. In addition, they protect over 6,000 acres of virgin tropical forests that sits adjacent to their property.

This cutting board seen in the photo above is beautifully designed, and comes with an bonus insert area containing a small board for moving the chopped goods. Using the end grain of the wood cuts gives you the fantastic patterns throughout. Rectangle End Grain with Hand Grips. 12 x 8 x 2. $36. Check out the huge selection of cutting boards in their repertoire (plus a myriad of decking) online at proteakstore.com.