Trays are easy to find and come in different shapes and sizes. You can do so much with them when it comes to decorating your home. The possibilities are endless. They're great for party decor, tabletop styling, a coffee bar, or just for adding a little extra flair to an entryway table. To get you started on how you can style a tray, here are some tips that will have it looking amazing in no time.

1. Choose A Tray

If you're starting on styling with a decorative tray, some things to keep in mind will help the process along. First off, start by choosing a tray that will fit your needs and style preference. There are so many types of trays that can be used for various purposes. There are round, square, and 1,2, or 3 tiered trays. They come in different finishes like wood, galvanized, rustic, modern, and an array of colors to fit any design theme. Round, square, or oval trays are great for styling on coffee tables or end tables. They don’t take up much room and you’re able to fit taller items on these trays. Tiered trays are many people’s favorite kind to style with, including myself. You’re able to use smaller items to style the tray with and you can add dimension by alternating different sizes and heights of your decor.

2. Choose A Theme/Colors 

The next tip when styling your decorative tray is that your theme or colors don't have to be set in stone. You can start with one thing in mind but then let the pieces guide you when putting the arrangement together. This is a great way to add smaller decor, which will create more dimension. You want to have a good balance of larger items and smaller ones. 

Farmhouse trays: This is a very popular theme right now. They are great for decorating because the colors can tie in so many other elements in your home. They are fun to add greenery too and come in different finishes.

White trays: These are perfect if you need something clean, balanced, and classic. You can add little pops of color or greenery to change things up, or keep it super simple. You can also add other elements like plants or candles to style it your way.

Wood or Galvanized Trays: These are great because you can paint, sand them down, or distress them to fit with your decor style. You can make them rustic or more modern depending on what elements you add, like faux plants or candles.

The great thing about trays is that you can change them depending on the holiday or season. You can keep it simple or go any direction you want with it. For Easter, try using bunnies and chicks as your focal point instead of flowers. Use pumpkins or gourds as your centerpiece in the fall instead of greenery or candles. This way, you can change things up without buying all new decor for each holiday or season.

3.  Choose A Focal Point

I like starting with one item and letting that be the focal point. A focal point is something I want the eyes to be drawn to first. It’s something I like to use and then plan the other decor items around the focal point. Things in the past that I have used for focal points are signs, plants, and candles. Then I add in the other decor pieces around it. A big part of arranging trays in my opinion is placing it, looking at it, and then moving things around as you go. Sometimes, I will move decor around multiple times till I feel like there is a balance. I will use a variety of tall and short pieces and then alternate those across each tier.

4. Adding In Filler

Once you have your focal point and you’ve added in other decor pieces. Next is adding in filler. Filler can be greenery, beads, cotton, or even mini signs. It’s really up to you with what kind of style you’ve created or the theme you’re going with. Some prefer not to get too wild with filler so it doesn’t take away from your focal point. That’s completely your preference. When I go shopping I always keep my eyes open for fun things that will fit on my trays.