I've been learning how to style a bathroom vanity tray for a few years now...but it wasn't always like that.
For years, my bathroom counter was just a plain white counter. Sometime's I would get fancy and put fresh flowers, but most often it was a place to store my contact solution and maybe a candle if I was feeling fancy that week. It never felt like anything special.
One day I was thrifting and found a beautiful ceramic tray that matched my bathroom decor perfectly. I thought it would be a cute way to corral a few of my more beautiful items and add a bit more style to my bathroom. I set it up with a Solette body butter and some of my cosmetic products and I started to notice that every time I went into the bathroom, looking at this little tray made me smile.
It may sound silly, but I do believe that adding small touches of whimsy and charm to your home can elevate your daily life. Can a bathroom vanity tray fix all your problems? Unfortunately, no. But it can add a layer of happiness that might make you stop for just a second and smile.
Where to Start: The Tray
This is the part people get backwards. They buy the pretty bottles first and then go hunting for something to put them on. Pick the tray (or dish, or board — it doesn't have to be marketed as a "vanity tray" at all) based on what your bathroom already wants to be.
I tend to switch my tray up often so I have collected a variety of them. From glass, ceramic, floral printed, to gold metal. You really can't go wrong here, just pick what you like.
The rule of odd numbers (and when to break it)
The easiest thing to understand when figuring out how to style a bathroom vanity tray, is how many items should you pull together? Stylists talk about grouping in odds — three items, five items — because it reads as more natural than pairs. I've found that 3 or 5 works perfectly, it just depends on the size of your tray and the size of your items.
My tray usually holds:
- One hand cream or body butter (something in active rotation, not a display piece)
- A small vessel — a tiny dish or cup — for hair ties, rings, whatever leaves my hands
- One textural object that isn't functional at all. A dried flower arrangement, a shell, a little brass dish that came from somewhere I don't remember
That third item is the one people skip, and it's the one that makes the tray feel styled instead of just organized.
Height and texture do the work
If everything on your tray is the same height, it reads as clutter no matter how nice each object is. I try to have one tall thing (a candle, a vase, a taller bottle), one low thing (a shallow dish), and one thing that breaks the shape entirely (a hair clip is my current fave).
Texture matters just as much. Combine different textures of glass, ceramic, matte, fabric, etc.
Let it change with the season
I don't treat my tray as a finished thing. In the summer, there's usually something bright with a pop of color from my skincare routine. In winter, I like to stay more neutral and bring in soft tones of whites and creams.
This is the part that took me longest to learn about my own home in general, not just the bathroom: nothing has to be permanent to be intentional. A tray you re-style four times a year is still a tray you thought about, not one you're constantly starting over on.
It's a five-second habit, not a project
The whole point of this is that it's low effort to maintain once it's set up. I'm not rearranging my tray every morning. I glance at it, maybe swap the hand cream when it runs low, and that's it. The effort was front-loaded once, and now it just quietly does its job — making the fifteen seconds I spend at that counter each morning feel like they belong to me instead of just being something to get through.
If your bathroom counter has become a landing pad for whatever you set down last, I'd start smaller than you think. One tray. Three things on it. See how it feels before you build it out any further. And now you know how to style a bathroom vanity tray!
The most important thing is that you have fun with it. Don't overthink it!
If you're still a bit lost, I would suggest a simple tray in either white or glass asm the base. Adding your current favorite Solette body butter, and finding 2 other elements that match the color palette of the Solette body butter labels. Pull colors from our packaging to create a cohesive look and I promise you, it will make your morning or nighttime ritual that much more enjoyable.
SOLETTE is a brand obsessed with aesthetics so we've already done a lot of the work for you with our products and their packaging. We like to think our products add a little beauty to everyday life and we hope you feel the same way.
You may be intereseted in this article we just wrote about wether or not expensive body care prdoucts are worth it. Take a look and read it for yourself!
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