Brian Ng'aru carefully made Tilmann a custom cypress cutlery tray that fit his drawer neatly and brought more order and ease to his daily routine. What's your wish? →
View material & custom-made details
This custom Cypress Cutlery Tray 38.5×48 cm was made by Brian Ng'aru as a fitted wooden drawer insert for organizing cutlery in a specific kitchen drawer. It is a useful example for anyone planning a made-to-measure cutlery tray with exact sizing, practical compartment layout, and a food-safe wood finish.
- Request: The project called for a custom drawer insert sized to fit a drawer base of about 39 × 48.3 cm, with the tray itself made slightly smaller at 38.5 × 48 cm and shaped to accommodate the drawer-front attachment.
- Final result: The finished piece was a cypress wood cutlery tray with a clean, fitted layout and the corrected compartment arrangement, including three equal-sized sections and two longer compartments.
- Design details: Brian used cypress, described as a light brown wood, and finished it with linseed oil for a food-safe surface suitable for everyday kitchen use.
- Process: Public progress updates showed the tray moving through material sourcing, cutting, sanding, joining, touch-ups, and final finishing, with photos and videos shared along the way and a layout correction made before completion.
- Fit and use: The customer later confirmed that the insert fit the drawer perfectly, making this a strong reference for anyone who needs a custom wooden organizer built around precise drawer dimensions rather than a standard off-the-shelf tray.
Every unique piece tells a story. What’s yours?
This design was custom-made exclusively for Tilmann. Let it inspire you: customize this design to fit your vision or start with a completely new idea. You chat directly with our artisans, and we handle the secure process.
A request by Tilmann from Hamburg , Germany
Production of a drawer insert according to the sketch. The base area of the drawer is 390 x 483 mm. The base area of the insert is sketched by me with 385 x 480. The milling on the sides is necessary to accommodate the attachment of the drawer front – see pictures attached.
The Journey of Creating Custom Cypress Cutlery Tray 38.5×48 cm
Negotiation & Planning
Hello Tilmann, I am happy to provide an offer for your idea. Thank you for the detailed sketch. We can make it out of Cyprus wood (which has a light brown color) and finish it with linseed oil (for food safety). I believe I have all the information necessary to start realizing your idea (within your price idea) I'm looking forward to your go ahead to start
Hi Brian, cypress sounds great. Thx a lot for realising this project of mine. If any questions come up just let me know. Have a great day. (Automatische Übersetzung)
I will keep you updated as I go along each stage. Do have a lovely day as well. Let's get started as soon as possible 😊
Crafting Process
How to make a Custom Cypress Cutlery Tray 38.5×48 cm – work in progress
Got the confirmation, tomorrow I will get the material and begin on the tray tomorrow.
Ok great. Thanks a lot and good luck (Automatic translation)
Good evening, I was able to get all the material I need to begin, so tomorrow I'll start with sanding the wood and cutting them to size. I will attach videos and pictures of the process
Ok great. I wish you a good start into the new week (Automatic translation)
Good evening, today I was able to get started on the project, cut down the pieces and tomorrow I will start sanding them down to the right thickness. So far so good, I have attached a couple of pictures and videos
Good evening, that looks very good already. Thank you very much for the updated information! (Automatic translation)
Good evening, today I was able to get started on sanding ( a little more to go) tomorrow I will be cutting the pieces to size and joining them. So far we are on track and moving well. I have attached a couple of pictures and videos of the progress so far.
This looks very good! Thanks for the update (Automatic translation)
Good morning, yesterday I was able to finish up on cutting and joining the pieces. Today I have started working on more sanding and touch ups. The tray should be ready and at our local operator's by Saturday. I have attached a couple of pictures and videos of yesterday's progress. Next update tomorrow will be of the finished product.
Hi Brian, there is the unfortunately a mistake. On the drawing 3 equal sized compartments are shown and only 2 longer compartments. Please check the drawing again with the current state. (Automatic translation)
O yes, thank you for spotting that. There was one piece I needed to add. I have attached pictures and videos of the tray with the added piece.
That does look a lot better. Good work 👍🏽 (Automatic translation)
Good morning, the project is complete. I have attached a couple of pictures and videos. Looking forward to your feedback
This looks great. Thank you very much for implementing my idea. Very very good work I am speechless and impressed. Thank you very much (Automatic translation)
Final Delivery – The Completed Piece in Photos
Customer Photos After Delivery
The Finished Unique Piece – Individually Handmade
Reference: ON007736E-40587
Cost structure of this project
| Price | |
|---|---|
| Cost of material |
21.81
|
| Cost of labour |
34.48
|
| Cost of packaging |
4.31
|
| Local Transport to photoshoot and parcel drop-off |
10.35
|
| Subtotal – payout to artisan |
70.95
|
| Customer acquisition costs (advertising etc.) |
7.09
|
| Handling fee Urban Change Lab |
7.09
|
| Total (excluding shipping & taxes) |
85.13
|
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- Personal: We support you at every step
- Fair: Direct local value creation in Kenya
Note on shipping & taxes
The cost breakdown above shows how the value of this individual project is composed.
Shipping costs and any applicable taxes (e.g. VAT) depend on the delivery country and the specific setup and are therefore not shown as fixed amounts here.
All additional costs are communicated transparently before placing a binding order.
If you have any questions, you will find our contact details further down this page.
