Noodle boards can be a decorative and handy accessory to a kitchen. It can provide additional counter space, it can protect your stovetop, and it can be used as a tray and moved around as needed. Mainly it can offer a clean appearance to your kitchen.
Raised noodle boards are used to bridge the space on stovetops with uneven surfaces. Electric and Gas stovetops with grates or burners do not allow a tray to sit on top cleanly, so they have sides that raise the tray surface above those burners. They can have handholds underneath to allow for easy pick-up and to carry.
Tray noodle boards are better for glass top stovetops. With a flat bottom, they decrease the gap between the stovetop and the tray. Protective feet also provide safe contact with the surface.
(I have not built one of these yet, but I am sure I will sometime soon. If you would like one, let me know. Maybe yours will be pictured here.)