How to Style a coffee table

Elevate the coffee table

Coffee table styling is the finishing touch of a living room. Often the last piece of furniture to be bought – after seating and storage – coffee tables are often, even unintentionally, the focal point of a living room.

As the centerpiece of your living room, your coffee table decor is an opportunity to express your personality and style. The items you display function like the accessories you pair with an outfit—they communicate who you are and what you love. Whether you're a minimalist or maximalist, there's a coffee table styling method to suit your interior design aesthetic and make your coffee table look cute. 

Practically anything can work as coffee table decor. We recommend incorporating some of your favorite treasures, whether that's your seashell collection or the book you're reading. Fruit (real or fake), design books, and even your candles can look interesting when you display them thoughtfully.

A coffee table isn't just for looks, though. It also has to be functional. You need to be able to sit a cup of coffee or glass of wine down somewhere on the surface, so it shouldn't be cluttered. Stylish coasters and trays can help protect the surface and provide organization. Decorative boxes are great for hiding remote controls and electronics chargers; a large bowl can artfully display dog or cat toys. Your coffee table may also need to accommodate your entire work ecosystem if you work from home often. In that case, you could consider one with built in storage.

The shape of your coffee table helps determine how you style it. For a round coffee table, keep it simple. Use a contrasting square tray to keep things organized. Or showcase a favorite houseplant in a pretty planter and keep the rest of the surface blank. Square coffee tables give you a little more room to play. Divide the tabletop into quadrants and display something different in each square. 

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