• 60 designs
  • Checked October 2026

Serving Tray Painting Ideas

Press for three tray designs, each with its colors, where it sits on the tray and the brush or tool.

Serving Tray Painting Ideas

Show all 60
  1. Tea things painted life-size where they would standWhite, blue, tan. A cup seen from above, a saucer ring, a spoon and two cookies. Round brush.
  2. Breakfast-in-bed tray: a daisy at each handle, a note lineWhite, yellow, green. One daisy under each cutout; a ruled line near one wall for a message. Round brush.
  3. Beach from above: sand, a surf line, towels as stripesSand, aqua, white, brights. Water along one long wall; four small striped rectangles on the sand. Sponge.

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All 60 designs

Rim and handles 12

  • Corners capped with painted brass triangles like a trunk Dark green, gold, brown. A gold triangle on each outside corner; two brown rivet dots on each. Stencil.
  • Dash-and-dot border around the foot of the inside walls Any base, black. One dash, one dot, repeated along the join of wall and base. Paint pen.
  • Drips painted spilling over the walls toward the base White, one bright. A color band on the top edge; drips of mixed length down the inside. Round brush.
  • Each wall its own color, crisp joins at the four corners Mustard, teal, rust, cream. One color per wall, inside and out; crisp joins at each corner. Tape.
  • Gold line on top of all four walls, the rest one color Any color, gold. Walls and base one color; a gold line along the top of all four walls. Liner brush.
  • Handle cutouts outlined in gold Any base, gold. A fine gold line follows the edge of each cutout, inside and out. Liner brush.
  • Handles banded like wrapped cord in two colors Navy, cream. Narrow slanted bands around each handle, as if bound with cord. Liner brush.
  • Pale inlay line a finger in from the edge of the base Dark stain color, cream. One ruled line all the way around the base, corners squared. Tape.
  • Rim in one bright color, the base left as bare wood Any bright. All four walls inside and out; the flat base is masked and stays wood. Tape.
  • Row of painted beads along the top edge of the walls Any base, red, white. Small circles in two colors alternate around the whole top edge. Dotting tool.
  • Ticking stripes on the outside of the walls only Cream, navy. Narrow upright stripes around the outside; inside walls and base plain. Liner brush.
  • Uneven dip of color creeping from the walls onto the base White, teal. Teal on the walls runs a wavering finger-width onto the base all around. Round brush.

One picture across the base 12

  • Banana leaf filling the base, its midrib handle to handle Two greens, yellow-green. The midrib runs the long way; side veins slant to the walls. Flat brush.
  • Beach from above: sand, a surf line, towels as stripes Sand, aqua, white, brights. Water along one long wall; four small striped rectangles on the sand. Sponge.
  • Bed from above: two pillows by one handle, a quilt over the rest White, blue, red, yellow. Pillows at one end; quilt squares in three colors down to the other handle. Flat brush.
  • Blueprint of your own home: white wall lines on blue Blue, white. White wall lines, door swings and room names on a blue base. Paint pen.
  • Box of chocolates: rows of round and square shapes in paper cups Browns, cream, gold. Three rows of five on the base; a frilled cup line around each; one wrapped in gold. Round brush.
  • Garden plan from above: beds, paths and a round pond Greens, tan, blue. Rectangles of planting split by paths; the pond sits in the middle. Flat brush.
  • River running the long way, in under one handle and out under the other Greens, blue, tan. A blue river bends twice across the base; tan paths and green fields either side. Round brush.
  • Seed tray: a grid of soil squares, a two-leaf sprout in each Brown, dark brown, green. Four rows of six squares divided by dark lines; one sprout per square. Flat brush.
  • Staff running handle to handle with a tune of your own Cream, black. Five ruled lines the long way; a clef at the left end; your notes on top. Paint pen.
  • Swimming pool from above, the walls as its tiled edge Aqua, white, navy. Lane lines along the base; small square tiles painted on the walls. Tape.
  • Tea things painted life-size where they would stand White, blue, tan. A cup seen from above, a saucer ring, a spoon and two cookies. Round brush.
  • Train yard from above: three tracks merging toward a handle Gray, brown, green. Rails and ties the long way; the tracks join near one cutout. Liner brush.

Checks, stripes and tiles 12

  • Awning stripes running from handle to handle White, green. Equal wide stripes the long way, carried up the inside of both end walls. Tape.
  • Chevrons pointing in from both handles, meeting as diamonds mid-base Cream, rust. V stripes open toward each handle; the middle pair closes into diamonds. Tape.
  • Fish-scale tiles stepping from pale at one handle to deep Three blues, white. Rows of half circles; each third of the base a deeper blue. Stencil.
  • Hexagon floor tiles with a few picked out in color White, gray, yellow. Small hexagons over the base; seven yellow ones form a flower. Stencil.
  • Painted tile grid with gray grout, a motif on each tile White, gray, blue. Three rows of five tiles; a leaf, star or wave in turn on each. Stencil.
  • Pinstripes across the base with one wide stripe off-center Cream, navy, mustard. Fine navy lines a finger apart; one mustard band a third of the way in. Tape.
  • Playable checkers board, eight squares by eight Cream, dark red. A square board centered on the base; plain borders toward the handles. Tape.
  • Stripes that climb the walls and cross the top edge White, coral. Stripes cross the base the short way and continue up and over both long walls. Tape.
  • Tall diamonds whose points touch both long walls Cream, teal, gold. Tall diamonds in two colors; a gold dot where four points meet. Tape.
  • Three-color plaid with lines parallel to the walls Forest green, navy, yellow. Wide bands both ways, a fine yellow line through each. Tape.
  • Two-tone brickwork with cream mortar lines Brick red, darker red, cream. Cream lines between; every row shifted half a brick. Tape.
  • Woven look: pairs of bands crossing, a shadow at each underpass Tan, brown, cream. Bands run both ways across the base and end at the walls. Flat brush.

A child's tray: handprints and names in finger paint 12

  • A hand in each opposite corner, a finger road between them Two colors, gray. A wiggly finger-drawn line joins the two prints across the base. Handprint.
  • A handprint beside each handle, as if holding the tray Two colors. One hand pressed flat at each end, fingers pointing to the middle. Handprint.
  • Finger-drawn waves in three blues with a thumbprint boat Three blues, red, white. Wavy lines the long way; one red thumbprint with a white sail. Fingers.
  • Finger-swirled color over the base, a name scratched through Two brights. Paint swirled wet with the fingers; the name drawn in it with a cotton swab. Fingers.
  • Fingerprint dots along the top edge, colors in turn Four colors. One print every finger-width around the top of all four walls. Fingers.
  • Four fingers dragged the length of the tray, color by color Five colors. Each pass leaves four stripes; passes sit side by side from wall to wall. Fingers.
  • Knuckle-print pebbles in a path around the base Grays, tan. Prints from a bent knuckle, laid as a border a hand in from the walls. Fingers.
  • Name built from fingertip dots, one color to a letter White, six colors. Dots a finger apart form each capital; a dotted underline below. Fingers.
  • Name in finger-painted capitals, fingerprints on the walls White, three brights. Letters a hand tall across the base; one print a finger apart on the walls. Fingers.
  • Place setting drawn with one finger: plate, fork, spoon White, blue. A big ring in the middle; a fork to its left and a spoon to its right. Fingers.
  • Thumbprint stepping stones from one handle to the other Grays, green. A curving path of single prints the long way; green finger dabs as grass. Thumb.
  • Two palm prints overlapped so a third color appears Yellow, blue. A yellow print and a blue one crossed in the middle, green where they meet. Handprint.

Seasonal trays 12

  • Birthday tray: one large gold numeral over scattered dots White, brights, gold. Dots and dashes all over; one large gold numeral in the middle. Stencil.
  • Breakfast-in-bed tray: a daisy at each handle, a note line White, yellow, green. One daisy under each cutout; a ruled line near one wall for a message. Round brush.
  • Cocoa tray with a ring marking the spot for each mug Brown, cream, white. Four cream rings on brown; white marshmallow dabs between them. Stencil.
  • December tray: snow dots thick near the handles Red, white. Red base and walls; white dots crowd both ends and leave the middle clear. Cotton swab.
  • Egg-sorting tray: twelve ovals outlined on zigzag bands Pastel yellow, lilac, white. Zigzag bands across the base; two rows of six oval outlines. Paint pen.
  • February tray: small hearts in slanted rows, a pink rim White, red, pink. Hearts a thumb wide in offset rows over the base; pink walls. Stencil.
  • Harvest tray: a pumpkin in each corner, vines up the walls Cream, orange, green. Four pumpkins face the middle; curling vines on the inside walls. Round brush.
  • Lemonade tray: rings for the jug and glasses on stripes Yellow, white. Stripes the short way; one large ring and four small ones in white. Tape.
  • November tray: a blank banner across the base for names Rust, cream, gold. A cream ribbon shape the long way; small gold leaves at its ends. Flat brush.
  • October tray: a web from one corner, a spider by a handle Black, white, orange. Web spokes fan from one corner; an orange spider by the opposite cutout. Paint pen.
  • Spring tray: a duck and five ducklings swimming handle to handle Pale blue, white, yellow, orange. Birds seen from above in one line; a V of ripples behind each. Round brush.
  • Winter tray: one snowflake with six arms reaching the walls Ice blue, white. The flake is centered; its arms end where the base meets the walls. Liner brush.

How it works

A tray is flat with raised edges, commonly oval or rectangular, sometimes with cutout handles. These 60 designs use the walls, the handles and the base, which is seen from above.

Read the full guide

A base seen from above

Whatever is painted on the base is looked down on, so the pictures are plans: Swimming pool from above, the walls as its tiled edge, or Garden plan from above: beds, paths and a round pond. The walls take the quick jobs, such as Rim in one bright color, the base left as bare wood.

Serving tray painting ideas for a child

Twelve designs need hands and no brush. A handprint beside each handle, as if holding the tray puts a print at each end, and Name built from fingertip dots, one color to a letter spells a name. An adult writes the year on the underside.

Questions and answers

What paint do you use on a serving tray?

We do not test paints, and we make no claim that any paint or sealer is safe under food. Read the label on yours. These designs treat the tray as a carrier for plates, cups and wrapped things.

Which painted tray ideas are simple?

The rim group. Each wall its own color, crisp joins at the four corners is flat coats with tape, and Pale inlay line a finger in from the edge of the base is a single taped line.

Can a tray be painted as a game board?

Yes. Playable checkers board, eight squares by eight is a full board centered on the base, with plain borders toward the handles where captured pieces can sit.

Is there a tray design for a holiday?

Twelve are seasonal: December tray: snow dots thick near the handles, October tray: a web from one corner, a spider by a handle, and Birthday tray: one large gold numeral over scattered dots for any month.

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