12 Unique Ways To Repurpose Tiered Trays For Extra Storage And Organization

Tiered trays can be a wonderful addition to your home when entertaining guests. Made out of everything from vintage dishware to seasonal pottery designs, their multiple levels always look stunning presenting baked goods and food. But you may not know how handy these fun trays can be when it comes to other kinds of storage and organization. Next time you think about tucking your favorite tiered tray away when not in use, you may want to leave it out permanently. These trays can be useful for all sorts of storage and organizing needs, including holding accessories, organizing your at-home coffee bar, or creating a stylish vertical succulent garden.

These uses work perfect with vintage or new trays. You could even use one of the DIY trays you've created out of old dishes or Dollar Tree products on a budget. Some of these ideas work better with deeper trays that have sides, while others take advantage of flatter tray surfaces. Found in both two and three levels, these trays can provide a lot of vertical storage in tight spaces. Check out how to use them in any room of your home.

Use a pretty tiered tray as part of your holiday décor to organize small decorative items that might get lost in the melee. Candles, knick-knacks, tiny signs, and ornaments can all easily make their own assemblage of décor to fill a two or three tiered stand, creating a perfect container for placing on a console table or dining table. These trays also make a great place to hold small polaroid photographs and mementos of holidays past. Keep one out in your home all year long and just trade out the decorations for each passing season or event.

Enlist a fun tiered tray, like this cool one made of old vintage coffee tins, to store items on your coffee bar or coffee station. They are perfect for holding stirrers, shakers, and coasters within easy reach of the machine. Or use one to keep K-cups, creamers, and tea bags at the ready. This can help keep your coffee area looking seamless and uncluttered, taking advantage of vertical space in what can easily become a messy area because of the daily use.

Store and display your accessories out in the open on a tiered tray, which will allow you to fully enjoy your collection. Use the various levels to hold larger and smaller items like rings, bracelets, and watches, making them a perfect jewelry organizer for your space. These trays look gorgeous on a dresser or vanity table and can help you make your jewelry and accessories part of your décor. Use them in combination with hooks and other pretty small dishes for a functional and beautiful alternative to traditional jewelry boxes.

Tiered trays are a very savvy way to organize items on your bathroom vanity to help control clutter. Use one for storing bathroom items like soaps and cotton swabs, or add one to organize your toiletries, makeup, perfumes, skincare bottles, or nail polishes. They fit into tight spots like vanity corners and shelves. Many easily rotate as well, making it easy to access what you need. You can also decorate a two tiered stand in the bathroom with vases, candles, plants, and other accents that add both beauty and a fresh scent.

Organize elements like twine, ribbon, tags, tape dispensers, and other supplies on a tiered tray to create a gift wrapping station that allows you to keep everything sorted and within easy reach. A tray with an easy-to-carry handle on top even allows you to move it around your home to use it wherever you need it. Use small containers to add storage for scissors, utility knives, and other often-lost wrapping supplies.

Create a fun vertical spice rack on a tiered tray by organizing your spices around the perimeter of the tray. This takes up less space than many alternative spice cabinets or racks, since you can easily stick the unit in a corner and still see all sides of the tray as you turn it. If the tiered tray has a handle, you can also tote the spices to other areas of the kitchen as needed while you work. Combine a pretty tray with some glass bottles or vials for an elegant kitchen aesthetic.

Because they allow you to keep a large amount of things on a surface without taking up a lot of space, these trays are an amazing way to store art or office supplies on a desk. Use it to store markers, scissors, and crayons or desk essentials like pens, paper clips, sticky notes, and a stapler. It also makes a great addition to a temporary homework station that can be moved wherever you need it.

Create a multi-tiered vertical succulent garden by using a recessed tray to organize succulents for a fun garden piece or layered planter. It also makes a beautiful outdoor centerpiece for a table. If you plant directly in the tray, ensure you add drainage holes. Alternatively, if you don't want to plant directly in the tray, just use an assortment of small terracotta or galvanized metal planters to house the plants. Add some other accents like stones and decorative objects to create a fun tiered fairy garden for your porch or outdoor area.

Add a tiered tray as a stunning centerpiece for your table any time of year. Fill it with small knick-knacks, vases of flowers, plants, and other accents to provide texture and interest. Not only does the piece add height to the center of your table, but it's a great way to have a multi-element centerpiece that can be easily moved off the table in one swoop when needed. Fill it with items that match your décor or entertaining theme. You could even include helpful items as well, like a salt and pepper shaker, stack of napkins, and extra silverware.

These multifunctional trays may be the perfect solution to ingenious hostess and housewarming gifts to give many small things at once. Find a pretty vintage or stylish new tray and fill it with kitchen essentials like jellies, cookies, spices, decorative items, and more, then wrap it in clear plastic. The tray will add height and interest to the gift. Not only will the recipient enjoy the contents, but they too can use the tray as a storage tool and organizer long after everything else in the bundle has been used. 

Stay organized on your kitchen counters with an elevated tray. Use their many layers to store items like towels, measuring cups and spoons, straws, toothpicks, and other small items you find yourself needing to reach for. You can also keep other things in the trays that tend to get lost in larger drawers like garbage bag ties, markers, and chip clips to be able to find them easily without having to rummage. Tuck it into a corner of your countertop to keep it always within reach.

A tiered tray can help keep your entryway or foyer more organized and efficient. Use one as a place to stash keys, pet leashes, sunglasses, and other small items to keep from losing them. A tray can also help control clutter and make things easy to grab as your head out the door. With many design options, you can easily find a tray that meets your desired entryway aesthetic and is functional.