Kitchen Island Tray Decor (a Cozy Winter Theme)
Welcome friends! I’m so happy you stopped by today! If you’re looking for winter or holiday decorating inspiration, we have a treat for you. Today, I’ve joined a group of talented bloggers for a Winter Wonderland on a Tray Tour hosted by Katherine of Katherine’s Corner. On this tour, 24 bloggers are sharing their winter tray decorating ideas! For my contribution, I’m sharing my kitchen island tray decor with a cozy winter theme!
*For your convenience, please note that this post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking my links below, I will receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you).
Winter Tray Decorating Ideas:
Before we begin, I want to welcome those of you who are arriving from Bubbling with Elegance and Grace! I’m sure you were inspired by their cute and colorful tray!
When you’re finished here, please be sure to visit the links at the end of this post to see all the beautiful Winter Wonderland tray ideas! Maybe we’ll inspire you to decorate a tray in your home!
When I began thinking of decorating ideas for this tour, I planned to just share the tray on my kitchen island…
Well, you know how one thing leads to another… So today, I’ll start with the decorative tray on my island. Then, I’ll show you another tray in my kitchen with a coordinating winter theme!
Kitchen Island Tray Decor:
For me, Christmas decorating is a process…and a process I really enjoy. Since we spend most of our time in the kitchen, it’s always a great place to start!
With our island right in the center of it all, we have a built in focal point to decorate. It’s the perfect spot to display seasonal decor and to create a festive kitchen island centerpiece on a round tray. (Here are a bunch more ways to decorate with round trays!)
On this cloudy day, the soft glow of the candle and twinkling Christmas tree lights warmed up the room. By the way, the birch candle you see is actually battery operated. I’ve been using battery operated candles more and more lately and especially in my holiday vignettes. For extra sparkle, I might even add some fairy lights at some point.
birch candle / similar birch candle
Although I usually add more color when decorating, I decided to style my round wooden tray with whites and neutral colors. For this cozy winter wonderland theme, the serene color scheme felt right. Then to liven up my vignette, I added two silver reindeer. I just love how they reflect the flickering candlelight.
When deciding on a base for the tray, I knew I wanted to go with white to represent snow. At first, I thought of using some artificial snow or a fluffy cottony fabric. Though in the end, I just went with a plain white cotton napkin. After all, this tray sits right in the middle of the kitchen island where food could be flying around. If the napkin happens to get dirty, I can simply replace it with another!
similar reindeer / similar white house
It’s always fun to see how it all comes together. Overall, I’m happy with the mixture of the shiny and rustic elements on my island tray.
As you can see in the background, I’ve added some more wood accessories to this year’s Christmas kitchen. By starting with my kitchen island tray decor, I’ve started to slowly come up with more ideas for the rest of the room.
With my white kitchen cabinets, and all the neutral colors on my round tray, I decided I needed a bit more color. So now, I’m turning the tray to face the other direction and I’ll show you what I did on the other side of the room…
From here, you can see I added a colorful coffee station…
Coffee Station and Tiered Tray Decor Ideas:
In this corner, I decided to add a pop of color to stand out against the white subway tile. With a few red ornaments and my favorite Fair Isle mugs, I added just the amount of color while still coordinating this area with my kitchen island tray decor. (If you love the look of Fair Isle patterns for the holiday, here are more Fair Isle decorating ideas!)
When decorating this tiered tray, I repeated many of the same type of accessories from the island tray. Only in this case, I chose items that were smaller in scale…tiny reindeer, smaller trees, a tiny ceramic house.
similar tiered tray / similar reindeer / similar mugs/ similar mugs
With the same style of decorative accessories, I was able to coordinate both of my trays for a cozy winter theme…perfect for Christmas!
For more tray decorating and coffee bar ideas:
- If you’re entertaining or just want to decorate, read – Kitchen Countertop Coffee Station Ideas.
- For a holiday home tour including several trays, read – Cozy Christmas Home Tour.
Shop for trays:
Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed my winter tray ideas!
Once again, thank you to Katherine from Katherine’s Corner for hosting! Also, please visit the rest of the participants on the tray tour from the list below.
Since I’m last on the list, you can start at the beginning of the list below:
Will you be decorating a tray this winter season?
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Such a pretty tray. Love the deer and the white house. It looks very festive on your counter.
Lynne
Shelley,
Love how you styles both of the trays you shared here today!! Very pretty!! Perfect for the upcoming hHoliday and Winter season!! Thanks so much for sharing!!
Hugs,
Deb
I love both your trays Shelley! The little white houses and silver reindeer are definitely speaking to me this season. And your kitchen is gorgeous. Those windows!! 🙂 Always so nice touring with you – you continue to inspire me! Happy Holidays!
Your decorations are lovely!
HI Shelley
Love this kitchen island tray! And the coffee station is so cute!
Looks like a mid-west mood in the background? Are you in the midwest?
laura in Colorado
I love all the deer/reindeer in all the trays! thank you.
Shelley so fun linking up with you today! I love that birch candle sooo pretty!
Hi, Shelley; last but certainly not least! Your trays really come together, complementing each other so perfectly!
Your Christmas kitchen looks lovely Shelley! Your tray is just perfect to take you through Christmas and right on through the winter! Thanks for sharing!
Shelley, your tray is darling. Love the white houses and silver reindeer. Christmas magic has touched your kitchen. The coffee bar is adorable. A pleasure hopping with you.
Oh Shelley, your kitchen looks so pretty! I always admire how uncluttered you keep your kitchen space and I love your coffee station tray blending in perfectly with the star of the show, the round tray on the island! You have selected perfect winter icons for your tray, an evergreen tree, a deer, a warm glowing candle, and a pretty white house, it’s beautiful! I hope you have a very happy holiday season!
Jenna
So fun, Shelley! We don’t have an island but there’s always room for a round try … and you’ve reminded me to get our holiday mugs out on our coffee/cocoa station. Your deer are precious, I love decorating with deer, they remind me of my mom who loved them. And the birch candles. Fun ideas! xo
Shelley, I am so in love with how our tray turned out. I love using reindeer (used in mine too) so I automatically went crazy over yours too. I also want to add that I like how your entire kitchen is looking for this Christmas season. Have a wonderful week.
Beautiful tray, Shelley! You used neutrals so well and I ADORE that birch candle. I too have been using faux pillar candles lately and love them!! Reindeer are a common theme in this tour which is so cool! So fun hopping with you. Happy Christmas!
Your kitchen decor is just perfect, the candle reflected in the metal of the deer is lovely and cozy. Christmas is a happy time and both your trays are giving those vibes. Great hopping with you!
Love getting to see your trays and getting a peak at your decorations….. that wooden snowflake on your stove hood is a treasure. There is something so magical about snowflakes!
Shelley! Your tray is lovely and your kitchen divine! I’ve always loved your kitchen! After seeing all of these cute white houses, I think I may have to buy me a few! Merry Christmas! Toodles, Kathryn
It’s lovely and the tired tray is beautiful too. You have extraordinary taste. Your kitchen is so festive. Thank you for joining in the fun. Pinned! Hugs!!
Your shiny and rustic mixture turned out great! The co-ordinating tiered tray looks wonderful with the pops of red, too. I can’t believe that tray is only $28 at World Market. Those trays get pricey on Amazon. Come share at the #HomeMattersParty every Thursday 9pm EST through Monday!
Shelley, I love all the elements on your tray – they definitely create a sweet winter scene. The contrast of the White House and trees with the little green tree and silver reindeer creates a warm winter feel. Kitchen islands are great places to add decor for the seasons. Merry Christmas.
Thanks so much Carol! I tried to keep it neutral for the island to blend in with everyday. Thanks for stopping by and I wish you a very Merry Christmas!
Trays are so much fun to decorate. What a great idea for a blogger tour! Both of your trays came out great and are oozing coziness! I love the coffee bar vignette.
Thanks Amy, and what a nice thing to say! Yes, it was a fun tour. Enjoy your week!