Styling a Tray

I am working on a Chalkboard Project involving a tray and when I went to photograph it, I stumbled into a bit of a block—I had trouble styling it. I looked around for some inspiration images and found two good resources here and here, but I wanted more! So I scoured my collection of decorating magazines and wanted to share the best of what I found, just in case you want to do your own tray styling.

The ingredients are often very simple: vases (made special with pretty arrangements), stacks of books, and a unique object or two. You can keep it simple or layer lots of objects—either way, trays are a great way to create a little spot of design goodness in your home.

Looking for the perfect tray for yourself? Some great resources are West Elm (love the laquer!), Jayson Home & Garden (for a unique or vintage feel), Horne (for something natural), CB2 (if you are looking for a clear alternative), and Pier 1 for something with an imported feel. Happy shopping and styling!

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Julie Murphy via Country Living; photographed by Burcu Avsar
Richard Bories & James Shearron via House Beautiful; photographed by Ngoc Minh Ngo
Colleen Scully via Cottage Style; photographed by Jeff McNamara
Small Room Decorating; photographed by Gridley+Graves 
Allison Johnston via Better Homes & Gardens; photographed by Dana Gallagher
Ken Fulk via House Beautiful; photographed by Frencesco Lagnese
Ken Fulk via House Beautiful; photographed by Frencesco Lagnese
Meg Braff via House Beautiful; photographed by James Merrell
Nicola Wilkes via Ideal Home (UK); photographed by Matt Cant
Sally Denning via Ideal Home (UK); photographed by Simon Whitmore
Sarita Sharma via Ideal Home (UK); photographed by Dominic Blackmore
Home and Garden (Netherlands)
Martyn Lawrence Bullard via House Beautiful; photographed by Tim Street-Porter
Rachel Ashwell via Cottage Style; photographed by Amy Neunsinger and Adam Albright
Rachel Reider Interiors via Houzz
Karen Viscito Interiors via Houzz
Domicile Interior Design via Houzz
Kim Hersov's London Home via Elle Decor; photographed by Simon Upton