Today, using decorative serving trays is not only to transport items, but they’re a great way to display and corral your home decor. They’re easy to style and, best of all, mobile.
There is more to looking for a tray than just adding an item to your cart. Whether serving your family or entertaining guests, you want to ensure you choose a tray that meets your needs. With the many types of trays available today, it is common to feel a little overwhelmed.
The good news is it is possible to find a tray that works for you. Use the following guide tips to choose the best serving tray.
1. How Do You Intend To Use Your Tray?
The first step that all home décor experts suggest is to set a theme. Determine how you’ll use it. Will you use your tray to transport something from room to room, like coffee or food? It would be best to have a serving tray with easy-to-grab handles and a flat surface large enough to hold your cups and dinnerware. Trays for the kitchen should be food-safe and easy to clean, typically ceramic or acrylic.
2. Are You Looking For A Certain Material?
Make sure you are choosing a material that works for you.
Ceramic
Ceramics works well in a kitchen or guest bathroom because it is hard to break on tile or hardwood floors and is easy to clean. Decorative ceramic trays often come glazed and painted with ornate designs that can uplift the style and coordinate with a room’s color palette.
Marble
There are natural marble and artificial marble. The natural marble tray is elegant and beautiful. Still, the price is relatively high, and due to the natural lines and pores to make the stains and oil deeper, it takes work to clean. The density of artificial marble trays is high, and oil stains are not easy to infiltrate, making cleaning easy.
Glass
Mirrored or glass trays are unsuitable for use in a frequently used bathroom due to the fragility of the material and being prone to catching fingerprints. They are more appropriate for a guest bathroom or other seldom-used spaces. A mirrored tray looks impressive in a mirrored bar in a den or entertainment area, where the reflective surfaces amplify the reach.
Metal
Metallic trays are suitable for any room in the house due to their durability. They must be cleaned and polished frequently to remove dust and smudges and retain their shine.
Choose flat, minimal styles for a modern home and ornate trays with scrollwork or filigree for rooms with a traditional or transitional aesthetic.
Classically designed rooms with dark colors and heavy furnishings can support trays that are more dramatic, like an oversized brass tray, which would overpower a smaller room with a more delicate motíf.
Wood
Decorative trays made from wood or woven from natural fibers blend perfectly with modern country or Scandinavian-style homes as they complement the clean lines of these styles. These trays also coordinate well with bohemian homes to enhance the wild, eclectic charm of the furniture and textiles in rooms styled in this fashion.
Plastic
A popular choice for more budget-conscious buyers, but if you’re considering this material, be mindful that flat objects can easily slip off a smooth plastic surface. There are some non-slip varieties you can choose from, or alternatively, you can buy a surface mat to lay over the top.
3. What Shape and Style Are You Looking for?
What is the style in the space overall? Your style of the tray will ultimately come down to your preference.
The trays are not always oval or rectangular in shape. These days, exotic designs can be of any shape. Add an abstract shape to your item list and give your decor a new twist. The varieties of geometric shapes and pop colors will be ideal for modern homes. Once you have decided to go with a modern decor plan, you will discover excellent themes on your mind. You can change a neutral place into a supreme section that will attract the attention of your guests.
Do you prefer a minimalist or maximalist look? A modern home concentrates on minimalist and/or maximalist designer items for decoration. The reason is pretty simple. A thematic setup will tell you what to do. A minimalist tone goes well with the neutral wall color. Heavier and voluptuous decorative items will not be compatible with the chosen theme. In this aspect, a Decorative Marble Tray set will work well. Make sure that your choices are balanced and compatible with each other. Adding unnecessary items may ruin your desire to prepare a minimalist theme. Keep it simple and sober.
If you have chosen to go maximalist, make sure you have ample space to keep your beautiful trays and other items. Do not congest your living room with excessive decorative items. Buy maximalist ornamental items according to the tray size and make them worthy. For instance, if you are planning a bonsai decoration, go for a neutral-colored galvanized or Decorative Marble Tray. If you want to add floral plants to a glass vase, go for shiny metallic vases. Wooden trays are good to go with almost every theme you have chosen.
4. How to choose Size and Color for Your Tray
Your best bet is to stick with a solid color scheme like gold, black, white, brown, clear, or cream. This makes it easy to decorate the tray in various ways for every season.
Rule of thumb – the length of the tray should measure approximately 1/2 the width of the table… what? If your table measures 40″ wide, a good size tray to use is 20″.
5. Do You Need Any Extra Features?
When exploring the different types of trays, you want to consider the extra features that may be included in your tray.
Everyone’s preferences are different. After screening the above steps, I bet you already have the suitable trays in your mind.
