Have some blank space in your home you’re trying to fill? There are many ways to get creative this year, and I’m a huge fan of having fun with gallery walls. They’re stylish and make your space feel cohesive and … Continue reading
There are certain staples in home decorating with which you can rarely go wrong. One of those pieces is a tray. In both home staging and decorating, we use decorative trays a lot because they are so versatile (they come in myriad colors, shapes, and sizes), always bring extra style to a space, and are great at keeping smaller decor from looking cluttered.
Trays are most often used on coffee tables (or ottomans) and vanities. In a bathroom, for instance, they are wonderful for keeping perfumes and small toiletries organized in a beautiful way so your bathroom counter or vanity doesn’t get cluttered. The same goes for a living room as they can gather decor, books and magazines so the surface doesn’t look messy. Other places we love to use them are on a bed (especially in home staging), on an ottoman at the end of a bed, or on a bedside table.
Basically, they are the perfect solution if you want to have small items on a surface without a cluttered look. While accomplishing that, they also bring an extra stylish detail in their own right. Whether it’s in a color, metallic, marble or even acrylic, they’re a chic statement that makes whatever surface they are on that much more dynamic.
Here are 10 examples of decorating with trays to inspire you:
A natural wood tray brings some warmth to the marble surface and keeps all the small decorative pieces from looking cluttered.
Source: The Every Girl
A tray by the bed is a luxurious touch that is perfect for a master bedroom or guest suite.
Source: Home Bunch
To keep all of your perfumes and toiletries organized, place them on a lovely tray like this gorgeous marble one.
Source: Style At Home
The darker tray atop the coffee table helps balance out the vibrancy of the sofa and gives the smaller decor purpose.
Source: Erin Gates Design via Decor Pad
A grid layout like this one looks modern and chic, using coffee table books and a tray to balance it out.
Source: AM Dolce Vita
An acrylic tray is perfect if you want visual openness while also keeping your decor organized.
Source: The Glitter Guide
A small, round tray is the perfect size and shape for this end table.
Source: One Kindesign
This gold tray is perfectly chic for a small, charming coffee station.
Source: The Every Girl
If you have a lot of magazines, you can stack them in a coffee table tray for a more streamlined look. Balance them out with a bouquet of flowers.
Source: Mix and Chic
The white tray provides some depth to this dresser, as well as allows extra decor to be displayed without creating the look of a cluttered surface.
Source: Harper’s Bazaar
What’s not to love about decorating with trays?
Warm regards,
Megan
The right cabinets, countertops, and backsplashes can make your kitchen beautiful, but it’s the decor that gives it warmth and character. Since there isn’t typically a lot of wall space in a kitchen, the main decor will be on the counters. This can be a bit tricky since you don’t want a cluttered look. (Especially when you’re staging a home for sale.) But of course, you do want to bring some charm in through accessories!
There are some tried and true kitchen counter decor ideas that always work, regardless of the style of your kitchen. You can take these basic ideas and then make them your own. And, if you’re feeling inspired, you can take it a step further and incorporate some more creative ideas.
The following ten spaces offer some classic examples of kitchen counter decor, as well as some more unique ideas to inspire you.
The cookbook leaned against the wall provides a charming pop of color to the counters.
Source: Good Housekeeping
A clear vase or apothecary jar filled with fruit is a classic way to bring a pop of color to your kitchen counters that is easy and budget-friendly.
Source: The Every Girl
You can also fill apothecary jars with other items like candy (for a more playful vibe), beans or other textured items.
Source: Elle Decor
To clear up some room in your drawers, gather your spoons and large utensils into cute jars. Put them in a tray for an even more organized look.
Source: Martha Stewart
Cutting boards, especially in interesting shapes, will bring some nice texture to your countertops when leaned up against the wall.
Source: My Domaine
A cookbook stand looks adorable when a cookbook is kept open in it. We especially love to use this for home staging.
Source: HGTV
Don’t be afraid to embrace a theme in your kitchen. This country-chic space used vintage elements and florals to add some extra charm.
Source: Country Living
In a coastal kitchen, some palm fronds look gorgeous in a clear vase. It’s simple and elegant.
Source: Queensland Homes
Items you use regularly, like seasonings and oils, can double as chic kitchen counter decor when placed in pretty bottles.
Source: House Beautiful
A bouquet of flowers always brighten up a kitchen.
Source: Home Beautiful
Kitchen counter decor has so many easy, chic options to play with. It’s a great thing to freshen up in a weekend and can easily be done on a shoestring budget.
Warm regards,
Megan
The coffee table is one of the most fun decorating opportunities in a living room. You can do so much to personalize it and bring more character to the space using the right mixture of pieces. These pieces can be a myriad of things, from books and plants to more unique pieces like heirlooms and DIY projects.
This versatility is why styling a coffee table is one of my favorite parts of decorating a living room. There are some common guidelines that help create designer results, but the most important part is the personality you bring to it. It’s a great spot to get creative with. You can try a myriad of ideas and have fun switching things out for the seasons, too.
Here are 10 examples of coffee table styling to inspire you and get the ideas flowing.
A stack of books is a classic way to add charm to a table and give the vignette some height.
Source: Refinery29
Candlesticks are an elegant choice for a coffee table. The varying heights help add some nice visual interest.
Source: Harper’s Bazaar
The gold vase was a great way to add some glamour to this beautiful coffee table.
Source: One Kings Lane
Interesting elements like the antlers, magnifying glass, and filler in the vase provide character and texture.
Source: House Beautiful
The pop of green brings depth to this table in an artistic and modern, yet natural way.
Source: The Everygirl
A tray is a great way to keep a clean, organized look on a coffee table. You can decorate with some smaller pieces without getting a cluttered look.
Source: Style Me Pretty
To make a strong statement, use one large piece like this gorgeous vase.
Source: Pier1
A pop of pink from the book is just enough on this clean, white palette.
Source: Domino
For a larger table, multiple vignettes can help create movement in the decor. Using a square tray and a round tray also gives it more visual interest.
Source: My Domaine
Your coffee table styling can help pull together the entire look of your space with subtle nuances, like this rustic tray and potted plants in this country chic space.
Source: PopSugar
Styling your coffee table is a lot of fun when you let your creativity take the lead.
Warm regards,
Megan
You can never go wrong when decorating with white. White accents bring an easy elegance and chic appeal to wherever they are used, regardless of style. They are the perfect versatile accent.
White accents have an especially powerful impact against darker or bold colors, when contrast is created. They can lighten it up and create a visually eye-catching space. They also bring a touch of elegance to rustic textures, such as wood or stone.
There are so many ways you can take advantage of this simple trick. Here are 10 great examples of spaces that used white accents to create depth and contrast of design.
Crisp white pops against black walls in this chic home office.
White accents create a spa-like appeal in this bathroom and elevate the wood paneling to a more elegant level.
The white sofa allows the other, more colorful accents to thrive without overwhelming the space.
White slipcovers can instantly transform any old, outdated seating into something new and stylish.
Chocolate brown looks clean and sophisticated when paired with white and pink.
The white accessories mixed in with the more colorful books help balance out this bookcase.
If you have any open shelving in your kitchen, white dishes always look best for displaying.
A white faux bamboo chair allows the emerald green desk to pop.
The yellow books and grey accents are given a more sophisticated edge when paired with white.
Nothing creates a hotel suite-inspired bedroom quite like white bedding.
What’s not to love about white accents? When in doubt, spray paint it white.
Warm regards,
Megan
Images { 1 – The Every Girl / 2 – HGTV / 3 – House of Turquoise / 4 – Better Homes & Gardens / 5 – House Beautiful / 6 – Good Housekeeping / 7 – Sarah Richardson Design via Decor Pad / 8 – Better Homes & Gardens / 9 – Homedit / 10 – Pop Sugar }