Trays make a comeback in decluttering your home
Trays, do you have any? If so, do they ever get used or are they just gathering dust in the back of some cupboard? I say, bring back the trays, as they can be a great accessory in any room in the house.
Here are three key reasons why you should incorporate trays into your home decor:
Decluttering: We’ve all got those surfaces in our homes that are cluttered and messy.
That console in the hall where all sorts gets dumped, your kitchen with all the random tea and coffee paraphernalia, your bedside table or perhaps the bathroom.
Trays can be a great way to get organised and bring order to a space or surface.
Bare surfaces and focal
We all have those little treasures or random ornaments we love, but we’re just not sure where to display them.
points: Do you have a coffee table or side table that is just too bare and boring, that you’re not sure what to do with? Styling a tray on a coffee table can be an easy, yet effective way to create an interesting focal point for some of your beautiful treasures.
Ground your decor: Do you feel like the way you’ve styled your decor on a particular surface is just missing something? Perhaps the items look a bit lost or give the impression of ‘‘floating’’. A tray used to group objects together can create a great grounding effect.
What to display
But, what should you put on your tray? You might have one already hidden away in one of your kitchen cupboards, you could pick one up at a secondhand store, or perhaps you have a large flat basket you don’t quite know what to do with.
If your purpose is to declutter an area, think about what you will be putting on the tray, and if you need anything to hold these items.
For example, in the kitchen you might have tea, coffee, perhaps some utensils, salt and pepper, or herbs?
Use smaller bowls or pretty containers you can display on the tray that can also double as storage for some of the clutter. Some other examples are a funky bowl specifically for the keys in the hallway or a jar for your cotton buds in your bathroom.
Create a focal point on a bare surface. We all have those little treasures or random ornaments we love, but we’re just not sure where to display them. Perhaps it’s even some beautiful shells you’ve pick up on a beach or pine cones from a bush walk.
Look around your house and gather things that are varying heights, shapes and sizes.
How
You want to have varying heights on your tray.
This keeps the display interesting and the eye moving from one object to the next. I usually think of about three or four different heights, depending on the size of the tray.
Start with your tallest item, you might want to use a vase, perhaps a beautifully shaped bottle you’ve saved or some candlestick holders. If it’s a vase or bottle, think about picking some fresh flowers or even grasses from your garden.
Secondly, you might have a small basket or interesting ornament that is shorter than the first object, but not too small. I find baskets, containers or perhaps an interesting tin a good option, as they can double as storage.
If you can’t find the right height combination, use books or other objects for your decor to sit on and create height.
Then you want to think about some smaller objects – they could be treasures you have somewhere that you’d love to display but are not sure where or how. Some beads, candles, shells, or other interesting objects.
Also consider the theory of grouping in threes, to create balance for some of the smaller objects.
Depending on where you are placing your tray, keep in mind what it looks like from all angles. If the tray is on a coffee table, you will view it from all sides.