How to Decorate a Coffee Table Stylishly

Decorating a room stylishly shouldn’t stop at choosing a nice interior design theme. Nor should it just be because you have a natural stone floor finish, hung beautiful artwork, applied stucco on a focal wall, installed signature pendant lights, and added tribal accent chairs to enhance the expensive sofa set.
Interior styling goes beyond that.

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It includes decorating certain furniture: coffee tables, bookcases, display stands, mantelpieces, etc, with decorative stuff like tiny jade carvings, memorabilia, chess boards, framed family photos, miniatures, giant seashells, driftwood, and other knick-knack collections that result in the entire room screaming STYLE.

Of them all, one piece of furniture that deserves thoughtful styling is the coffee table, aka the centre table.

Decorating the Coffee Table


Decorating a coffee table to give it a wow factor isn’t hard. But it takes thoughtful planning, especially if you are home proud and love to show off your art of interior styling.

For starters, centre tables should make great focal points in living rooms. 

Additionally:
  • They must serve much more than what their name implies.
  • They should contain items that evoke admirable conversations.
  • Every item of the ensemble should look good, both individually and collectively.
  • The arrangement must include verticals and horizontals.
  • The total items placed on its surface must add up to odd numbers (best practice).
  • A mix of natural elements with man-made forms is a good one.

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Examples of what you can place on your coffee table are:
  1. Flower vase with fresh (or faux) flowers.
  2. Driftwood.
  3. Handmade art or carvings.
  4. Family keepsakes.
  5. Scented candles.
  6. Tabletop water features.
  7. Plant terrariums.
  8. Set of exquisite boxes (beaded, painted, leathered, upholstered, etc).
  9. Decorative trays with shells, beads, pebbles, coloured stones, etc.
  10. Mini chess, backgammon, and mancala game boards.
  11. A tray or basket filled with their own decorations, to break up the table surface.
  12. An eye-catching sculpture (adds height and drama to the table’s surface).
  13. Metal figurines.
  14. Decorative hourglass.
  15. A pretty fish bowl with three exotic fishes.
  16. Tabletop decorative globe.
  17. Stylish vintage-inspired table clocks.
  18. Bowl of assorted candies.
  19. Aromatherapy burners.
  20. Tabletop lighting feature.
  21. A low stack of books (five max).
And more. From the sleek and cute to the classic, minimalist, and ethnic, coffee table decorations are meant to add aesthetics to your living room and bring a satisfactory smile to your face.


How to Arrange the Decor Collection


How you display your collection is not really an art in itself. Usually, the eye shows what looks right(ish) or what doesn’t look so good.

The important thing is to pay attention to:
  • Scale
  • Size
  • Form (shape)
  • Colors
Ensure that whatever the combination of elements and features are, they must be a mix of vertical and horizontal pieces. The mix gives results of a more balanced look that’s better on the eye, and more pleasing to the senses.

Finally, you don’t have to dig deep into your pocket to decorate your coffee table like a professional home-stylist. So, give your centre table some extra flair. Decorate it creatively!

Nothing looks more unpleasant than a ‘naked’ coffee table.


Coffee Table Styling Ideas (Video)





See also:

How to Style Your Dull, Plain Sofa
Klismos Chairs - Ancient Greek Chair Designs
How to Decorate Your Home with Accent Chairs


Tips:

  • If you look around the house, you WILL find décor items you can use.

  • Switch decorations around from time to time for a fresh look.