Get your micro-styling fix here : Trays
Restyling. But make it micro...
I love a re-styling project, really I do. Nothing makes me happier than dragging furniture around or restocking and stacking the pantry. But I often aim too big and get frustrated when I can’t complete the task. A major pantry restyle, for example, is not a morning’s work. You do not want to find yourself in that situation where half the contents of the kitchen are on the kitchen table and suddenly it is time to do the school run and then cook supper. Big projects need time blocking out and a proper preparation.
A micro styling project on the other hand, is a totally different game. It is more about creativity than organisation, a chance to mix things up for a change in season or mood.
Let me explain. Take your coffee table or ottoman. In winter, for example, when you go out less and need more comfort and more joy, the coffee table might demand a beautiful box of chocolates, a fabric covered tissue box, or some mood lifting incense.
At this time of year, I want to feel inspired and connected to nature so I bring in a vase of spring greenery - Solomon’s Seal is my current fave, a notebook or two (I always feel more creative in spring), ceramic candle holders (I found a beautiful one at an antiques centre last month), and new books.
Trays are the perfect vehicle for playing around with and containing these seasonal objects - both practical and beautiful. You can arrange a tray in less than ten minutes - a few little tweaks that have a big impact. Styling a tray is not rocket science. But it is always nice to have a mixture of heights and shapes, not too much and not too little, a mixture of colours and textiles - but ones that sit happily together. I always like something real too - whether that is fruit, flowers or treasure that I put in my pocket on a walk outside.
Trays that I love include anything lacquered - Addison Ross is great for these - they also make really large ones, perfect for ottomans. Toleware trays - painted metal - are also incredibly chic - Sarak K does some beautiful ones -see pics below. A wicker ripple tray - try Edit 58 is another versatile option.
Trays are also the perfect place for those random sculptural objects that you find in junk shops and antique fairs - we have a painted Indian elephant money box and a brass pear for example - things that I definitely did not need but that can always be homed on a tray.
Other tray-scaping opportunities
The bedside table - a favourite of mine - especially when it comes to getting a guest room ready. Try a carafe and matching glass set, lavender spray, an excellent stack of books, a crystal and a bud vase.
Hobside - If you’ve got space, a tray is an excellent solution for carralling all the essential (and ideally beautiful) cooking stuff together - the jar of wooden spoons, the salt and pepper mills, the good olive oil.
The mini bar - I love a tray bar - it is less ostentatious than a bar trolley yet looks chic set out with a few vintage glasses, an ice bucket (lusting after Matilda Goad’s new pear one), and perhaps the ingredients for a Negroni or whatever your tipple of choice is this season.
Breakfast in bed set-up - A cup of tea in bed is a marvellous thing but a cup of tea on a tray with a round of toast, a newspaper and a vase of flowers is extra and a simple way to bring joy to your morning (or to bring joy to a lucky guest).
