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How to Decorate with Round Trays (Simple Tips and Photos)

As the seasons change, it’s always fun to freshen up your home decor.  In my home, I find it helpful to begin with a few small vignettes using decorative trays.  Lately, I’ve been especially loving the look of round trays.  So today, I’m sharing ideas to decorate with round trays…with plenty of examples to inspire you!  

*For your convenience, please note that this post may contain affiliate links.  If you make a purchase after clicking my links below, I will receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

Simple Ways to Decorate with Round Trays:

Serving trays aren’t just useful to carry drinks or appetizers but they make a great base for decorating!  While most of these tips will work for round or rectangle trays, today we’ll focus on round trays.  Here are some ways to use them…

Decorate Round Trays with Seasonal Items:

Gather some fresh flowers and seasonal items to create a simple vignette on your tray.  This is one of my favorite ways to add spring to my home…

spring flowers on round wood tray - how to decorate a round tray

In my opinion, flowers look great on a wood tray because the colors really stand out against the neutral background.  You can display a wood tray on the middle of your kitchen island or even use one as a centerpiece.  Either the way, the tray makes a great focal point.

Vary the Heights of Your Items on the Tray:

Just like with any vignette, your decorative display will be more interesting with height variation.  For example, simply elevating some pine cones in the cloche made a great focal point when styling this winter tray vignette…

Round wooden tray decorated in kitchen

To coordinate with the metal features on the tray, I displayed a candle in a metal candle holder.  When decorating, it’s a good idea to repeat similar elements for a cohesive look.

Use Similar Colors When You Decorate with Round Trays:

Obviously, it’s pleasing to the eye when your tray items are coordinated.  When I decorated my Valentine vignette, I mainly used pinks and purples.  This look would work for spring tray styling as well.

round wood tray with flowers

In this vignette, I also added a silver bowl for a bit of sparkle.  I love the way colors from the napkins reflect in the bowl.

Decorate Your Outdoor Areas with Round Trays:

Make your outdoor spaces feel just as welcoming as your indoor spaces.  If you have an outdoor table or coffee table, decorate it like you would inside.  Just remember to bring in anything that could get damaged if it rains.  When I decorated my table to transition from summer to fall, I kept the round tray simple with some hydrangeas from the garden a couple accessories.

round wood tray with flowers - example on how to decorate a round tray

When decorating an outdoor space, you don’t need to bring out a ton of accessories.

Keep it Simple:

And yes, here is that round wooden tray again when I decorated for early fall.  With different accessories, it’s super easy to change the look of a classic wooden tray. 

round wood tray with apples and hydrangeas

Once again, I used my basic formula of seasonal items, coordinating colors and varying heights.  If you visit that blog post, you’ll see that I carried those green and blue colors throughout my home that fall.

For more fall tray decorating ideas, read – Fall Tray Ideas with Leaves (Inspired by Vermont).

Coordinate Your Tray with Existing Home Decor:

Speaking of blue, I always like to add a touch in different areas in my home.  You’ll see more in my decorating with blue and white blog post which happens to include this round glass tray…

bar glasses with blue and white accessories on round glass tray

Yes, I actually have more round trays besides the rustic wood and metal one!  Since I normally keep this glass tray on the kitchen counter (below my wine glass cabinet), I use it to corral my lead crystal…and a few decorative items of course.  

Decorate a Round Tray for Entertaining:

Serve your guests in style by adding some pretty accessories to your round tray.  Some decorative napkins and a lemon or two brings your simple summer beverages to a new level.

Round seagrass serving tray of iced tea by the pool

When you bring out the smore’s in the summer or hot chocolate in the winter, fill a pretty round tray with all the fixings!  I’ve used my galvanized round tray so many times over the years.  

round galvanized steel tray with red mugs and marshmallows

similar galvanized traysimilar mugssimilar mugs

Great Places to Display Round Tray Vignettes:

  • Kitchen counter or island
  • Table centerpiece
  • Foyer table
  • Coffee table

Shopping Ideas – Round Trays:

Another great way to decorate with round trays is to fill one with white candles.  Isn’t this a cute look?  Shop the items here.

Round metal tray with white candlesPottery Barn round tray with candles

 

And since I know you’re wondering where I bought my round wooden tray, I bought it from World Market but it has recently been discontinued.  If you like mine, take a look at this tray!  Not only is it similar to mine but it’s a couple inches larger.

If you want one slightly smaller (16 inches including the handles), this tray is very pretty!

And here are a few more tray shopping finds:

Hopefully, you’ve found all these tray decorating ideas helpful!

Here are even more ways to use round trays in your home:

  • Kitchen – Organize spices or oils together on one tray.
  • Bedroom – Display perfume bottles or use your tray as a catch-all for coins or jewelry.
  • Entryway – Make a drop zone for keys or mail on an entryway tray.

Do you decorate with round trays in your home?

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14 Comments

  1. I love decorating with trays, and I have a collection of them that I change seasonally. Your round trays look attractive with the vignettes you’ve assembled. Pinned.

  2. Shelley, I’m a fan of using trays too. I mostly use oval or square, but you’ve inspired me to pull out a round tray and add a St. Patrick’s vignette.
    Happy March!

    1. I have a few of those as well… Have fun creating your St. Patrick’s Day vignette! Enjoy your week!

  3. Those trays are all so pretty. I’ve been wanting to decorate a tray, but I’m not very good at it! I will check out the links to the trays you shared. I’ll be featuring this tomorrow at the TFT party. Thanks for sharing with us!

    1. Thanks Pam! Definitely give it a try! Trays can be a great way to create a small vignette. Thanks so much for the feature!

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