Few trends are quite as accessible as tray-caping, so it's no surprise that we've seen it everywhere, from small curated apartments to the most impressive celebrity homes. The latter is the case of Will Smith, who demonstrates his take on the trend via a circular black tray filled with candles, glass vases, and a plant. However, while his chosen objects tap into trayscaping traditions, the placement is much less conventional.
Trayscaping, simply the art of styling a tray with decorative (and personal) objects, is most commonly seen atop coffee tables, side tables, and consoles – typically in living rooms, entryways, or even home offices. In Smith's case, however, he has used this decorative technique in the most practical space of all: the kitchen island.
Trayscaping is often seen as an extension of the equally popular 'tablesaping' design trend – so with this in mind, the kitchen may not seem like a totally surprising place to experiment with the look. However, as mentioned, the island is a place for food preparation and consumption, so it can be a hard area to decorate. This is where we can learn from Smith's decorating technique.
Trayscaping is a way to anchor all of your home accessories together in an organized (yet beautifully stylish) way – making it the unexpected yet pefect solution for a (sometimes) chaotic island. Like all of us, Smith wants his island to be both aesthetic and personal as well as functional, and trayscaping offers a way to keep these decorative pieces together without making his island feel annoyingly busy or cluttered.
The actor's addition of glass vases, and of course, the statement indoor plant, is a trayscaping must, according to design expert and stylist Felicity Burton. British retailer John Lewis recently saw a 52% rise in trays (in comparison to the same time last year), suggesting the trend is showing no signs of slowing down. But who is surprised with Will Smith emerging as an (unintentional) supporter?
'Grabbing a statement tray and gathering some of your most cherished possessions is a simple way to bring a fresh new look to your coffee table, footstool [or more recently, a kitchen island],' she says.
We can tap into the trayscaping trend with some of our favorite options, handpicked below. We promise they'll impress on every island (and beyond).
So, how should we look to style our tray? The best part of the trend is that there are no strict rules, so we should use it as an opportunity to get personal and showcase our most unique antiques, candles, and accessories. However, there are some tricks to make our tray look as aesthetic as possible.
'A few simple 'rules' to follow when styling your tray: stick to odd numbers with your treasures, three always looks better than two, and mix up the heights for added visual appeal. Try tall candles, stacked books, and trinket dishes,' Burton says. As mentioned, though, it's almost impossible to go wrong, so happy styling.
