Create a simple trick-or-treat Halloween Sweets Coffee Table Tray Decor using what you have on hand. All you have to do is add in touches of seasonal decorative elements, a few glass pumpkin candy jars and sweets!
You’ve no doubt seen a lot of tiered tray decor ideas. Even I’ve decorated tiered trays like my Fall Tiered Tray Decor in Farmhouse Sunflowers. But this year I wanted to create something new…and different. So I started with what I already had on hand and built my coffee table tray into a delicious Halloween theme.
The beauty of building tray decor whether it be a tiered tray or a flat coffee table tray is there is really no wrong way to do it. My suggestion if you feel overwhelmed by it all is to start with choosing a theme for your tray. Then build from there.
Supplies Needed
- Coffee table tray (had on-hand; found at Aldi’s in 2025)
- 16″ Ceramic vase in sour cream color (Hearth & Hand with Magnolia)
- Fall foliage stems (Hobby Lobby)
- Glass pumpkin jars with lids (Target Dollar Spot)
- Halloween themed kitchen towels (Home Goods)
- Small pumpkin ramekins (Target Dollar Spot)
- Jack-O-Lantern coffee cup (had on-hand)
- Scalloped white mini cupcake stand (had on-hand from Target Dollar Spot)
- Multi felt pom garland in Halloween colors (had on-hand from Michaels)
- Mini witch hand (had on-hand)
- Lighted ghost (had on-hand)
- Pumpkin shaped candle (Home Goods)
- Small ceramic pumpkins (Target Dollar Spot)
- Fabric fall leaves (had on-hand from Hobby Lobby)
- Halloween candy
Some supplies for this Halloween Sweets Tray may be found in my Amazon Storefront.
My suggestion would be that you shop your home decor first before heading to the stores to buy more decor. That is how you keep your Halloween tray design budget friendly.
Halloween Sweets Tray Styling Tips
Not all Halloween decor has to be spooktacular. A great Halloween tray design comes from creating layers, height, keeping elements similar and sticking to a color theme.
My design incorporates both a Halloween and Autumn look centered around the colors of black, white and orange. I also use both ghost and witch elements because you will see this carried over into my other Halloween decor. It was all inspired by the lighted element that was used in How To Create A Wicked Halloween Vignette post.
This coffee table tray has been seen in a few of my holiday and seasonal posts. I used it for my Simple Fall Tray Decorating Idea with Copper Pumpkins. I love when I am able to shop my own stash and use some element(s) in multiple ways and seasons.
Position Large Items First
In my design, I chose to use a large ceramic vase by Hearth and Hand with Magnolia. The neutral vase color is a perfect contrast to the autumn orange faux foliage. The vase also has a pleated design which adds beautiful texture to this Halloween Sweets Coffee Table Tray Decor Idea.
Also notice I placed the vase slightly off-center from the overall design. I did this to create a more natural arrangement and not a “hard” perfectly centered layout.
Create Height Variations
To create visual interest be sure to add height variations on some elements. When you do this it draws your eyes to each element and keeps the overall look from appearing visually flat.
You can see what I mean in the tray idea below. This was not my final design rather it was for demonstration on creating height variation.
Notice you can’t really see the white pumpkin in the back of the tray. While it does rise above the height of the glass pumpkin jars, it’s also hidden by them.
Autumn Decor Tracker Printable
One of the easiest ways to stay organized once the autumn seasons arrives is with our tracker.
In addition the left side (in the back) of the overall design looks empty. It’s not flowing with the rest of the design.
To remedy that I used a mini cupcake stand to place the pumpkin on with some autumn leaves. Wouldn’t you agree this looks more complete and unified now.
Fill In The Gaps
Use smaller Halloween decor elements, like the mini witch hat, to fill the tray without cluttering it up. I also had the idea to use a mini easel to hold a small Halloween print. This would also help to fill in any gaps.
Filling the gaps applies to the whole overall design. Take for example the large pumpkin candle on the right side. If I didn’t add in the smaller pumpkins it would’ve just made it look like I plopped a candle on the right side with no thought of the overall design.
Check For Design Balance
Notice in the picture above, the one without the Halloween themed garland, the color is off balance. There is a lot of orange color on the right side but very little on the left side. But, by adding in the Halloween themed felt ball garland it lent a nice color balance between the two sides.
There is also color balance in the sweets that I chose for this Halloween Sweets Coffee Table Tray Decor Idea. See more about this below.
Halloween Ideas
Check out even more Halloween ideas for your home decor and planning pages.
Layer Cookies in Pumpkin Jar
Use your pumpkin jar for something other than candy. Why not some Halloween Boo Oreo cookies?!
Then go the extra mile and individually layer each row of cookies around the pumpkin jar. It’s just visually much nicer and cleaner.
In this view you can also see I chose chocolate covered pretzels with orange sprinkles as well as Halloween M&M’s. Again the colors follow my theme.
Add A Seasonal Scented Candle
Always try to add a seasonal scented candle into your tray decor. It doesn’t necessarily have to be in the tray. But having one within or around the grouping just adds a touch of ambiance to the overall look and feel.
Again, I chose colors that fell within my theme which are a mix of both Halloween and Autumn shades of orange. The best part of these pumpkin elements is that I can easily carry them into the fall season as well.
Add Lighted Halloween Elements
Meet Henry. He’s our friendly (ceramic) ghost who joined in on this Halloween Sweets Coffee Table Tray Decor Idea. Harry doesn’t do a whole lot…but he is cute!
What’s Henry’s best feature? He lights up! So in the early evening hours as daylight dwindles I can switch Henry on and he will give a warm, cozy glow to this Halloween tray.
Henry the ghost has been a Halloween staple of mine for more years than I can count. That speaks to why I hold onto classic items so I can shop my stash from year to year.
Were You Inspired To Create a Halloween Sweets Tray?
Mention us @behindthedesigns or tag us using #btdinspired so we can see your creations! You can also leave a comment below!
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xo, Stephanie
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