Useful Tips for Decorating with a Tiered Tray

How to style a tiered tray is the topic of today's post.

If you've been following me for any length of time, you'll know that I like to use tiered trays to celebrate the changing of the seasons. A lot of you have sent me messages like, "Love this tray... I bought one just like it and it's perfect!" after buying one for yourself. what the heck am I supposed to do with it now ”

So, today I'll share the simple strategy I use almost always for adorning tiered trays. There is no one correct method; these are simply the ones that have helped me the most. If you don't have a tiered tray yet, I'll tell you where to get one and give you some ideas for how to use it for parties.

I've also posted a video of me arranging a tray for presentation purposes, which you can view by clicking HERE.

This is my favorite of several tiered trays that I have in my house. This is the place to get your hands on one if you're looking for one.

Every time I go to style my hair, I make sure the tray is completely empty.

First, find something to use as a starting point:

It's rare that I don't begin with a foundational piece. It could be a sign, a pitcher, some containers, or a substantial plant.

I frequently use the wood pieces I find here to adjust the height of an anchor piece that is not quite right. That way, I can adjust the height of the tray's contents without drawing attention to the tray's raw wood. They're useful for signs, too, because they prevent the bottom of the sign or text from being obscured or trimmed off.

Plants, real or fake, are the second component.

Every time I make a tray, I like to add some greenery to it to make it more interesting. On each level, I typically have it repeating in opposition.

Ikea made this adorable little thing. Most of the miniature plants I use come from places like Ikea, Marshall's, T.J. Maxx, and Hobby Lobby. You can also use real plants, but I'm terrible at keeping plants alive, so I usually just use fake ones.

Third, play with height and stackable objects.

Stackable objects allow me to experiment with different levels of visual interest. I put the cute mugs in here, on opposite sides, and the cupcake stands. You can find similar stands in the Target Dollar Spot fairly regularly; I simply extended the height of mine using scrap wood.

Play with Miniatures in the Fourth Step

For my trays, I'm constantly on the lookout for cute little things. For a few dollars, you can get a set of six of these stackable, miniature terra cotta pots from Hobby Lobby. The five-year-old and I painted them white and gave them a slight distressing. In addition to being a go-to for me, these little white pitchers are a firm favorite.

These tiny watering cans are from Hobby Lobby. I just can't help but laugh at them. Many times I have found my son "watering" my tray plants with them. The Dollar Spot at Target, Michael's, Hobby Lobby, and garden centers... all fantastic places to keep an eye out for cute little trinkets to spice things up in a novel way

The Fifth Step: Put Contrasting Items Together

The repetition of objects on opposite sides and the overall equilibrium of the tray are what I find most aesthetically pleasing about it. Rather than just throwing miscellaneous items on a tray, a more polished look can be achieved by stacking similar items (such as mugs, watering cans, and plants).

Examine the big picture to see if everything is in harmony. Play around with the heights of the various wood pieces, move them around, and make minor adjustments until everything fits together.

Having established that the white tray in question is my favorite, I will now show you how I have styled the tiered serving piece in question for each of the four seasons:

Summer

Fall

Christmas

Spring

Furthermore, I have this lovely wooden serving tray. I've never had any issues with mine, but it has received mixed reviews on this site.

Those watering cans are making another appearance. One of my favorite things to put in those trays is fruit. Food-safe ornaments... yes please

Platters for parties

These tiered trays can be used for both decoration and serving at parties.

Almost every birthday party and baby shower I've ever hosted has featured cupcakes served on these wooden trays.

On the Fourth of July last year, I used this tray to make a mini ice cream bar.

These trays are perfect for elevating your food and serving utensils above the table's surface, saving valuable real estate, and adding a festive touch to your dining experience.

Assembled Trays' Practicality:

This little tray sits next to my coffee pot. It's perfect for storing seasonal items like sugar, marshmallows for hot cocoa, K-cups, straws, etc. which are obligatory in a cup of joe

I have seen similar tiered trays used to store essential oils, paint and art supplies, cosmetics, soap and brushes by the kitchen sink, and other miscellaneous items. There is a plethora of potential uses for these trays that also help you free up valuable counter space.

Various Tray Hints:

Ingredients like sprinkles, chocolate chips, marshmallows, and straws are kept in mason jars and kept on the opposite side of my white tray, which sits on the bar in my kitchen. Basically, everything that's necessary for good health So that our tray can serve both a decorative and practical purpose, I like to use the miniature white pitchers to store items we'll need.

Before making an online purchase, make sure the tray's dimensions are appropriate for its intended use. The tray next to my coffee maker, for instance, is ridiculously diminutive. Not even a coffee mug would fit, but it works great for K cups and essential oils. However, the rustic wood tray I own is enormous. The base was too big to fit on my friend's kitchen island, so she ended up buying it for me. Before buying, give some thought to its intended purpose and the space it will occupy. Despite how obvious it is, I have returned countless items from Amazon because I failed to check the dimensions before buying.

Obtaining a Tiered Tray

The trays I own and some others I found with high ratings online are listed below.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you find these suggestions for using a tiered tray to be useful. Send me pictures of your trays whenever you want! What a pleasure it is to witness your unique flair and imagination.