Many people are stumped when trying to decorate their coffee table.
There are no "set in stone" rules to go by, but here are some decorating tips and tricks to give your coffee table a designer look.
Decor Not Necessary
Having an empty coffee table is popular in minimalist homes since the purpose of a coffee table is to have a place to put items down temporarily, such as a drink or a book.
Putting nothing on your coffee table is definitely an option, however most people prefer to decorate their coffee tables with items that show off their personality, hobbies, travels, heritage, and style.
No accessories on a coffee table is especially popular in homes with small children who might damage precious decorative items or accidentally use the item to hurt themselves. No accessories is also popular in homes with larger dogs with wagging tails that knock items off a coffee table.
Start with a Focal Point
When starting to decorate your coffee table, start by selecting the focal point decorative item.
Your coffee table decor might consist of only that one item if the item is super amazing and covers approximately 1/3 of the total surface area or more of your coffee table (such as a large sculptural piece of driftwood).
Your coffee table focal point item is typically the biggest and/or tallest item on your coffee table.
The focal point item is also typically unique and/or colorful, such as a vintage or antique item, something collected from travels, or potted plant or vase of fresh flowers.
Tall, Medium, Short
If you want to put additional items on your coffee table, use items of varying heights.
Use a decorative item that is tall, something that is medium height, and something that is short.
You can use a vase with fresh flowers as tall object, however make sure your tall object is not too wide or tall as to block the view of people sitting around the table.
A decorative figurine or box would be a good medium sized object, which should be approximately half the height of the tall item, however don't be too exact. A decorative box is especially appreciated if it holds function items, such as drink coasters or the TV remote controller.
A stack of decorate hard back books would be a nice short object, which should be about half the height of the medium item, but once again, don't be too exact.
Arrange your tall, medium, and short items with the medium item on one end, so your items look random instead of increasing or decreasing in height.
You can use as few or as many decorative items on your coffee table as you like to create the perfect aesthetic for your room.
Objects Commonly Found on Coffee Tables:
Stacks of Books
Stacks of hardback books look nice on a coffee table. Avoid decorating with paper back books that look cheap. You can also use books to elevate other accessories. If you have a particularly beautiful book, you can even leave the book open to a certain page of interest. Thicker books, but not dictionary thick, tend to be preferred to books as thin as a magazine. Books that are appropriate for your room tend to be preferred - cook books are best served in a kitchen and kids books are best in their playroom or bedroom.
Decorative Tray
A decorative tray can hold smaller items without them getting lost. It is also helpful when decorating an upholstered ottoman because an ottoman is often too soft to keep decorative items upright.
Plant or Fresh Flowers
A small plant or a small bouquet of flowers is a great addition to a coffee table. You could even go with a low maintenance cactus or bowl of moss. Living items make a room feel less sterile and more homey.
Decorative Box
A decorative box is not only pretty, you can hide the TV remote, drink coasters, car keys, dog leash, spare change, and/or reading glasses inside.
Beautiful Bowl
Your bowl can be empty or you can fill it with small decorative items, such as polished rocks. Hand carved rustic bowls are especially popular.
Magnifying Glass
Most people do not use magnifying glasses anymore, however they are popular decorative accessories, especially if they are vintage or antique.
Gorgeous Chess Set
Many people play chess and appreciate a beautiful chess set. Avoid decorating with a chess set with plastic pieces and a paper board. Instead select a unique chess set that complements your room style made of a more durable and desirable material, such as stone, wood, or metal.
Candles
You can decorate with taper candles, votive candles, a pretty jar candle, pillar candles, a lantern, a hurricane candle holder, or any other type of candles, whether they are just for decoration or you choose to burn them.
Seasonal Items
Many people like to decorate year round for as many holidays as possible, so adding a few seasonal items to your coffee table decor is a great idea. If you prefer to only decorate for the major holidays, you can keep a decorative item on your coffee table throughout the year but replace it with a seasonal item when that season arises.
Decorative Game
Small games that a guest can fidget with while sitting near your coffee table is a fun decorative addition. You might add a metallic Rubik's cube #ad, beautiful deck of cards #ad, or a brain teaser puzzle #ad.
Fabric
Similar to a table runner on a dining table, you can also add a table runner to your coffee table. Not only will the fabric add a softness and color to your room, but it might also reduce echos and dampen some of the noise.
Conversation Starter
A unique item that is a conversation starter is great for a coffee table. Perhaps it is a figurine from your travels, pottery you made yourself, or an unusual antique find.
Objects Commonly Found on Lower Coffee Tables Shelves:
Stacks of magazines
If stacking magazines under your coffee table, make sure they are stacked neatly and look organized.
Baskets
Baskets under a coffee table can hold all sorts of items, such as toys, pillows, and a blanket.
Larger Decorative Boxes
Similar to baskets, decorative boxes are a great place to hide away functional items that are not very attractive.
Books
Hardback books look great on top and underneath coffee tables.
Floor Cushions
Sometimes rooms do not have enough seats for everyone to sit, so you can add floor cushions under your coffee table for children to have a seat on the floor.
Items to Avoid Putting on a Coffee Table:
Many Small Decorative Knick-knacks
Having a lot of smaller items can make a coffee table look messy and be very difficult to keep dusted regularly. If you wish to display smaller items, make sure to group them together so they visually feel like one item instead of many items. You can group small items by putting them together on a tray or inside a small display box.
Too Many Items
Your coffee table should not be completely covered with decor. Leave some room for temporary items to be placed there, such as a book or beverage.
Items The Same Color as Your Coffee Table
Your coffee table decor should not blend into your coffee table. If your coffee table is a certain color wood, then do not decorate it with a decorative box that is the same color of wood. If you really want to use that box on that coffee table, consider putting the box on a stack of colorful books so it does not disappear.
Basic Generic Stuff That Everyone Has
Your coffee table should not be basic and boring with generic stuff that is overly mass produced. Instead, find decorative items for your coffee table at unique places, such as estate sales, antique stores, outside (rocks, sea glass, geodes, pine cones, driftwood, antlers, starfish), boutique artisan stores, or you can even make your own one-of-a-kind decor. A popular way of customizing basic decor is to spray paint it a metallic color or a unique color that is a part of the color scheme of your room.
Designer Tips for Coffee Table Styling:
Repeat Colors
Use your coffee table decor as an opportunity to build on the color scheme of your room and make it feel intentionally decorated by repeating the colors found in the rest of the room.
View From Many Angles
When decorating your coffee table, make sure to see how the decorative elements look from standing in different places and sitting in all of the different seats in your room to ensure that the coffee table looks its best.
Quality Over Quantity
Decorating with fewer high quality items is typically preferred to decorating with a larger quantity of lesser quality items. Save your money to buy one unique quality decor piece instead of quickly picking up a few random inexpensive items that you find appealing and trendy at your local big box store.
A Convenient Place for Necessities
Look around your room and notice the items that tend to be dropped on a random surface creating clutter. Those items need a home. This might include car keys, a wallet, mail, dog toys, random tools, a TV remote control, drinking glass coasters, and whatever items tend to accumulate on horizontal surfaces. Plan on providing plenty of convenient storage for those items so they don't end up where you don't want them, making your home look messy.
Add Texture
If your coffee table is rustic and rough, then add a few items that are soft and sleek to contrast with the rough texture and make it more interesting. If your coffee table is sleek, then add a few rough items for contrast.
Mix Up the Shapes
If you are using one large item on your coffee table, then it is best to use the same shape as your coffee table (round tray on a round table and square tray on a square table). However, if you are using several smaller items on your coffee table, then consider varying the shapes of those items on your table. If your coffee table is rectangular, consider adding a few round items to mix up the shapes. If your table is round, consider using a few square items for contrast. Uniquely shaped items of an organic nature are especially appreciated.
Reflective Items
Consider using reflective items that will bounce around the light in the room, however be careful of reflections that are not very pleasing, such as an ugly ceiling fan. Also be aware of how light enters your room during certain times of day and be careful that the light does not reflect into your guests' eyes.
Unusual Decor
Decorating your coffee table with unique and unusual items is typically very appreciated by your guests and makes your home memorable. If you see something at a store or on your travels and find it attractive but don't know what it is until you research it, then don't hesitate to put it on your coffee table, even if its original purpose was not decorative.
Visual Weight
Be aware of the visual weight of the items on your coffee table so that your decor feels well balanced. Visual weight is not the actual weight of an item, but how heavy the item appears. The exact same item in a light color has less visual weight than the item in a dark color. A clear vase will has less visual weight than a green vase, so a large clear vase might have a similar visual weight to a small green vase.
Be Original
Spend a few minutes searching for images of coffee table decor and notice what exact products seem to be repeated on many of the coffee tables, then avoid those exact products (particular coffee table books that are younger than 20 years old and you have no intention of reading, trending products with a designer label, products that did not exist 10 years ago). Your home should be a reflection of you and your style, not a duplicate of stuff everyone has already seen and will likely soon be out of style. You should set the trend, not follow it.
