Mix it Up! How to Curate an Eclectic Ottoman Tray Display

Ottoman trays are having a major moment right now as versatile living room accessories that blend style and function. Beyond their decorative appeal, what to put on an ottoman tray is virtually endless--from serving appetizers during your next dinner party to corralling the ever-elusive TV remote. If you want to create a visually striking ottoman tray display that reflects your personal tastes, keep reading for plenty of eclectic styling ideas.

Choose Your Base: Selecting an Ottoman Tray

Before you can start loading up your ottoman tray, you first need to select the base. Ottoman trays come in a range of shapes, sizes, colors and materials to complement any existing decor. Consider rounded, rectangular or square trays based on the silhouette you prefer. Aim for a tray about two-thirds the length and one-half the width of your ottoman's top surface to maintain stability. For standard square ottomans around 15 to 20 inches wide, a tray measuring approximately 15 x 20 x 2 inches offers ample surface area without overhang.

Match Your Tray to Your Style

If your living room leans modern, acrylic and lucite trays offer that sleek transparent look to show off colorful contents while blending seamlessly into the surrounding environment. For bohemian inspired spaces, woven abaca or seagrass trays complement fabrics like macrame and add natural texture. Choose engraved silver or etched glass trays for traditional decor and reclaimed wood crates for Craftsman style homes. Don't be afraid to introduce an unexpected material like stone, marble or concrete to make a statement.

Seeking Stability and Portability

Rubber stoppers or felt pads on the bottom of your ottoman tray prevent slipping and protect underlying surfaces from scratches. Built-in handles offer easy portability for serving guests or seasonal storage. Before styling your tray, ensure it lies flat without rocking for optimal stability.

Layer in Height and Texture

Now comes the fun part--dreaming up eclectic items to artfully arrange across your tray. Since ottoman surfaces sit lower than coffee tables, you can build up more height without blocking sightlines. Stack vintage books from tallest to shortest, angle your favorite ceramic planters or place woven basketry filled with blankets and pillows. Contrast sleek metallic boxes with nubby wool throws or ragged edged macrame next to smooth glassware. Unexpected combinations make standard items shine.

Play with Organic Shapes

Natural materials like rattan, seagrass, driftwood and stone lend organic shapes with texture galore. Cluster pieces together based on silhouette--pair rounded edge bowls with sinuous candle holders and freeform etched vases for example. Let shapes guide your styling instincts.

Play with Shape and Size

Varied objects dispersed artfully across your tray create visual interest through their differences. Angle a large piece diagonally across the corner, allowing the smaller items to almost orbit around it. Tower a stack of colorful coffee table books under a sprawling pothos plant. Capture negative space between pieces to prevent clutter.

Unexpected Scale Surprises

Subtle surprises in scale also help highlight tray contents. Tuck a miniscule object beside an oversized one to exaggerate proportions. Place groupings of diminutive pieces together, separated by some breathing room. Scale contrasts show off forms in a new light.

Strike a Color Balance

Determine one or two dominant hues for your ottoman tray display based on aesthetic preference or existing room colors. Accent with smaller pops of contrasting or complementary shades. For example, style a green tray with jade and emerald glassware, bringing in vivid yellows and teals for pops of contrast. Refer to basic color theory guidance.

Limit the Palette

Restrict your palette to two or three hues for a cohesive sensibility. Too many competing colors visually overwhelm. If you want to incorporate a wider spectrum, unify through common textures or shapes instead.

Function Meets Style

One of the best aspects of ottoman trays? Their ability to fuse fashion and function into one furnishings feat. Rather than solely focusing on visual appeal, ensure your tray offers functional solutions for everyday living as well.

Entertaining Essentials

When hosting happy hour or hor d'oeuvres with friends, fill your tray with barware, serveware and tasty bites to pass around the living room with ease. Cocktail napkins, drink stirrers and lemon wedges keep the party going in stylish fashion.

Everyday Storage

Between remote controls, charging cords, notebooks and reading glasses, ottoman trays help constrain everyday clutter with their corralling superpowers. Dedicate part of your tray to collecting remotes, devices, office supplies and other frequent-use items. This prevents constantly rummaging under couch cushions searching for lost possessions.

Crafting Headquarters

For hobbyists and crafters, ottoman trays provide the perfect perch for assembling projects or housing art supplies. Keep all your notions, tools, ribbons and materials nearby without taking over the entire living room. Who knew chaotic creativity could look so neatly curated?

Accessorize with Greens and Soft Goods

Nothing warms up a space faster than welcoming nature indoors. Potted plants, dried botanicals and fresh flowers infuse life into even the drabbest decor schemes. When curating botanical accents for your ottoman tray, lean into hardy varieties that tolerate low light levels like succulents, orchids and air plants.

Textural interest also abounds with pillows, blankets and throws incorporated artfully into the mix. Drape a chunky cream knit throw over the edges of stacked vintage suitcases before topping with reading pillows. Allow tassel trim to fall softly beside a grouping of terrariums. Mix patterns and pile heights.

Living Sculpture

For the ultimate styling extravagance, opt for a living art installation. Place a mammoth monstera leaf across the entire tray, allowing its natural fenestrations to showcase objects underneath like a botanical shadowbox. The visual impact mingles whimsical lushness with everyday essentials.

Personalize with Cherished Items

Infuse personality into your ottoman display by highlighting sentimental pieces with meaningful ties to people, places or passions in your life. Showcase snow globes and souvenirs from trips abroad or stacks of memoirs scribbled while backpacking through Europe. Prop handmade ceramics acquired at local art fairs next to a cluster of succulents thriving under your green thumb care.

Make Your Mark

Mark favorite sections in dog-eared novels or compile mementos from concerts and festivals across faded ticket stubs, guitar picks and snapshots. Ottoman trays reveal intimate reflections of adventures shaping you.

Pulling It All Together: Style Principles for Arranging Your Tray

While personal preference fuels most styling decisions, effective curation relies on some fundamental techniques for pulling varied objects into a unified tray tableau. Follow these guiding principles for foolproof ottoman tray arrangement:

Group Similar Objects

Cluster items with related attributes in designated areas across your tray surface. Place all glassware together, position sculptural objects near one another and consolidate metallic accents along one side. Repeat colors, shapes, materials or motifs throughout groupings.

Allow for Negative Space

Prevent visual clutter by incorporating ample negative space around and between object groupings. Let textures, colors and forms contrast against bare tray backgrounds to keep compositions clean and purposeful.

Play With Symmetry

For a soothing sense of visual order, disperse items symmetrically across right and left sides of your tray. Aim for balanced weight throughout without strict mirror imaging.

Or, Break Symmetry

Conversely, dramatically angling key pieces across corners or stacking various elements asymmetrically livens up the look with playful dynamism. Slightly skewed appeals to those craving edgy elan.

Mind the Proportions

Consider scale relationships between neighboring objects, allowing smaller accents to orbit around anchor pieces for pleasing hierarchies. Keep proportions in check so items don't disappear beneath oversized counterparts or awkwardly tower above.

Finishing Touches

With your artfully curated ottoman tray styled to perfection, add some finishing embellishments to amplify its decorative impact.

Light It Up

Nothing sets a mood faster than ambient lighting. Position assorted candle holders and glass lanterns across your tray, mixing sculptural pillars, geometric and organic silhouettes. LED string lights also lend a festive glow when woven throughout botanicals and draped across blankets.

Set the Scene with Scent

Engage the sense of smell by tucking ceramic diffusers and room mists amongst tray objects to envelope guests in targeted aromas. Select soothing scents like lavender and eucalyptus or enervizing citrus medleys.

Add foam or felt tray inserts to defend underlying ottomans or tables from scratches, stains and heat damage from unexpected spills. Waterproof liners also simplify cleanup after appetizer-filled happy hours.

Whenever you need an infusion of visual intrigue or solve spatial storage conundrums, ottoman trays overflow with potential. Follow this eclectic styling guide to concoct custom vignettes reflecting your unique design perspective. Then kick back and enjoy the view!