How to style a decorative tray. It’s easy, right? Well, not always.

I love a decorative tray. Combining colours, textures, and beautiful objects, they’re the perfect way to add a stylish touch to any home. However, that’s not to say getting them right is easy! In this blog post I’m going to share my tips on how to style a decorative tray so that you can make sure your accent tray perfectly complements your space.

But first, here’s a little background on me: I’ve been slowing decorating my home for over three years now. However, it’s only in the last few months that it’s started to come together.

It was such a huge renovation project that there were lots of ‘big’ things to do in the beginning, and so that’s meant it’s taken ages to get to the nice part – the soft furnishings, choosing wall art, and pulling together all my home accessories. I love this part!

I’d never lived anywhere but rentals before I moved into this flat, so I’d never really paid that much attention to how anything looked before. However, ever since I bought a place and discovered how many interiors bloggers there are on Instagram I’ve developed a borderline obsession on styling my home.

That’s why I wanted to share my thoughts on how you can style one of the cornerstones of a cosy, relaxed home: the decorative tray. To me they equal Sunday afternoons on the couch, curled up with a good book, and a cup of tea on the side. How about you?

My tips on how to style a decorative tray

Choose the right tray

The first decision you have to make is what kind of tray you want and what colour, shape or texture it’s going to be.

Round or rectangular? Plain or patterned? Neutral or a colour that will contract with the rest of the space?

There are so many beautiful trays out there so this can be tricky, but the best advice I have is this: think about your overall aesthetic. Do you like minimalism or patterns? Do you prefer natural materials or a glint of metal?

For me personally, I love incorporating natural materials in my home. That’s why I love the black concrete tray I have in my upstairs living room. I’m also a fan of rattan for adding texture into a space. I already have a rattan bench so why not a rattan tray too?

So the first takeaway is this: if you’re talking about how to style a decorative tray you need to get the basics right first. And that means picking the right tray.

Decorative trays that I love:

• Cooee rectangular tray
• Etsy round concrete tray
• H&M rattan tray
• La Redoute metallic tray
• Zara marble tray

Define the space

Next you have to think about where your tray is going to live in your home.

If it’s in your spare bedroom or guest bedroom you may want to include a couple of cosy books your guests could enjoy when they stay. A fresh-smelling home spray may also help them feel at home.

Alternatively, you might want to include a decorative tray in the kitchen where you could include your favourite mug and a jar with your go-to brand of coffee, and even some fresh flowers.

What works in one space won’t work in another – it needs to make sense.

One other thing to consider when you’re thinking about the space is thinking about whether you’re happy for your tray to be totally decorative, or whether you’d prefer it to be functional too?

Layout is important

Creating a great layout for your decorative tray is a bit of trial and error.

Unfortunately, you can’t just dump a bunch of objects on a tray and just hope that they’ll all work together, because it’s pretty likely that they won’t.

My advice is to take a good look on Instagram under the #decorativetray hashtag and get a sense of what you like… and don’t like.

Perhaps you want something quite simple and minimal with only
one or two objects. Maybe you already have an aesthetic in your space – such as clean lines – and you want that to be continued in your decorative tray.

Play about with angles and objects to see what works best. Sometimes I think something has found its home… until I move it somewhere else!

Think about colour and texture

Textures can be lots of different things when you’re thinking about your accent tray. It could be fresh white flowers in a vase that add a lightness to your space.

It could be the artfully arrange throw underneath the decorative tray on your bed. It could be a glazed ceramic object whose shine contrast with the matte texture of the tray.

Don’t be afraid to be playful and have fun with it – it doesn’t all need to match exactly. It can be a mix of textures.

Items to include on a decorative tray

A coffee table book

Stacking a coffee table book or two on a decorative tray is the perfect way to add interest to your space. My only advice is to be authentic to you.

You can’t just pick a book because it looks nice – as much as I see all these beautiful design books on Instagram that I always want to buy! Make sure it’s something you’re into, whether that’s fashion, travel, typography, photography, you name it.

Another thing to be aware of is that books are a great way creating differing heights for the rest of your objects on your decorative tray.

A candle

Think about the mood you’re trying to create with your decorative tray.

For me it’s about being cosy and relaxed at home, and nothing says that more than a pillar candle. I picked these up in the home section of my local supermarket – I like two together as I like the aesthetic of the two differing heights. I’m also a fan of a candle in a jar, like the below!

A vase with a faux stem

A vase is a great addition to a decorative tray and you can vary the size and shape of it to create interest.

I love the dried billy buttons in this vase (that’s really what they’re called) and the height they create, but at the same time I also like the small eucalyptus stem.

The vase is actually a jar that I got on second hand on Facebook Marketplace finds. Keiller’s marmalade is pretty famous in the city of Dundee in Scotland, where I live, and so it seemed like a nice nod to that. I bought the artificial stem from Layered Lounge as I’m sick of buying plants and having them die on me!

This seemed to make more economic sense as it won’t need replaced – it’s also something you move around to different spots in your home.

Other dried flowers or stems you could use:

• Lavender
• Star flowers
• Wheat
• Small pampas grass

A decorative object

A decorative tray is the perfect place for home accessories and trinkets – which I affectionately term the ‘pointless object’.

My decorative object is actually a salt and pepper set from H&M, so it actually has a function, as well as looking pretty. I love glazed ceramic pieces and if I ever make any money from blogging I would love to splash out on one of those Quail ceramics vases shaped like animals – do you know the ones I mean?

When I spotted these on H&M I knew they would be a great alternative and they were a bargain at £9.99. Unfortunately I think they’ve sold out now by you can still get a rabbit set which I think are just as cute – and they’re perfect for spring.

A reed diffuser or home spray

Again, If you’re thinking about how to style a decorative tray, you need to keep one question in mind. The question is this: what mood are you trying to create with your tray?

Soothing scents are the perfect way to relax, unwind and recharge and so it makes sense to have them within easy reach on your decorative try. They also look beautiful.

My home spray is from The White Company and it was a gift I received for Christmas last year. I love the clean, simple design and it smells amazing too – all cosy and wintery!

Those are my tips on how to style a decorative tray in your home. What items would you include on a decorative tray?