If there’s one thing we love to style, it’s a coffee table. Much like bookshelves, coffee table styling presents an opportunity to add both personality and functionality to your favorite room in the house.
With that said, coffee table styling isn’t always easy, especially when you’re trying to find an aesthetically-pleasing home for three-plus TV remotes, or styling around a toddler. Balancing storage, decorative items, and creature comforts on a relatively small surface is a bit of an art form.
So, we tapped Havenly designer Toussaint Derby for all of her coffee table styling secrets, from color palette to seasonal decor. Keep scrolling for her pro design tips:
1. Coffee Table Styling: Create Groups
Rather than letting items accumulate on your coffee table at random, create groupings for a touch of organization. For example, a vase and fresh blooms constitutes one grouping, while a book stack with a candle on top is another. Just be way of adding too much decor — you want it to look curated and functional, rather than a catch-all for clutter.
2. Coffee Table Styling: Play With Height
Like a fireplace mantel or TV stand, always play with height when styling your coffee table. Adding fresh blooms, dried florals, or sculptural branches in a pretty vase is an easy way to go vertical, especially in a TV-free space where the view isn’t a concern. Otherwise, oversized bowls, candle sticks, and stacked books will suffice. You can even bring in nesting tables instead of one flat surface for added visual interest!
3. Coffee Table Styling: Get Textural
Don’t stick to one distinct material when styling your coffee table — layered textures will keep your display visually interesting. For example, style wooden beads inside a brass bowl, or a woven tray next to a stack of clean, neutral books. Organic elements work particularly well together — picture a wood bowl paired with soft greenery and a mirrored candle for contrast. Glass, lucite, metal, wicker, wood, linen, and marble are all fair game!
4. Coffee Table Styling: Opposites Attract
Styling books and a square tray on top of a standard rectangular coffee table can quickly fall flat. Add dimension and visual interest by peppering in contrasting shapes with your decor. For example, layer angular books on top of a soft, sculptural coffee table. Or, decorate a square table with an oval tray and a few round candles. Balancing different shapes, even in a small way, can make a room that much more interesting.
5. Coffee Table Styling: Stick to a Color Scheme
Make your coffee table display feel intentional and curated by sticking to a tight color scheme. Bring in a candle or tapers that match your throw pillows, add a vase that complements your whole home palette, and stick to a distinct theme with your coffee table books. Be mindful when selecting metal finishes, too — mixing matte, satin, antique, and polished metals can feel disjointed (especially on such a small surface).
6. Coffee Table Styling: Add a Pop of Color
On the opposite end of the spectrum, adding an accent color or unexpected pop can make your table display stand out. If your home already boasts a more vibrant, maximalist palette, lean into the look with bright florals, colorful coffee table books, and a funky vase or two.
7. Coffee Table Styling: Be Realistic
This one is for all the parents out there: be realistic when styling your coffee table. This low surface is easily accessible to cats, dogs, toddlers, and kids of all ages, so it’s important to consider safety, longevity, and functionality. If you have little ones with curious hands, wagging dog tails, or table-surfing cats, opt for faux potted plants, plastic vases, woven trays, and LED candles instead.
8. Coffee Table Styling: Prioritize Function
We love a beautifully-styled coffee table, but remember: don’t go overboard with the decorative knick-knacks. If you can barely find a spare square inch to rest your wine glass, it’s time to pare back and prioritize function. Catch-all trays and boxes serve as a practical home for remotes, coasters, matches, snacks, and the like without sacrificing style.
9. Coffee Table Styling: Consider Seasonality
Like throw pillows, coffee table decor can easily shift with the seasons for a summery, cozy, or festive touch. Swap fresh blooms for dried florals come fall, and retire your pumpkin spice candle for a crisp evergreen scent when the temperatures drop. Let your coffee table display evolve with your locale and mood.
10. Coffee Table Styling: Take a Bookshelf Approach
If you have a layered coffee table with two to three separate surfaces, style it like you would a bookcase or floating shelves. Alternate colors, heights, and shapes on opposing sides to create contrast and balance. Most importantly, keep the look simple and curated — clutter can easily accumulate on a stacked coffee table!
11. Coffee Table Styling: Bring In Vintage
Whether it’s a thrift store find, an old glass ashtray or a hand-me-down decanter, vintage adds so much charm and individuality to a coffee table. Always prioritize these one-of-a-kind items when styling surfaces in your home, coffee tables included. Pro tip: Style it with something new and modern for a little contrast.
12. Coffee Table Styling: Mix Materials
To create a coffee table display that’s dynamic and visually interesting, don’t forget to play with different materials. In the above photo, the warm wood coffee table is styled with a marble bowl, ceramic vase, and stacked books — three separate materials that feel unique, yet complementary to each other.
13. Coffee Table Styling: Turn The Page
Stacking coffee table books is an obvious go-to when styling a coffee table. But if you want to switch it up and showcase a particularly inspiring image or excerpt from your favorite tome, style a book open on the table. This is particularly helpful when styling a round coffee table — it takes up double the space and simplifies the look.
Looking for a way to overcome your unique home dilemmas? Work one-on-one with our expert interior designers — get started today with our style quiz.