ADVERTISEMENT
Your browser is not supported. We do our best to optimize our websites to the most current web browsers. Please try another browser.
Skip to main content

How to Style a Coffee Table

Crate & Barrel Willy White Concrete Pedestal Coffee Table designed by by Leanne Ford in a bright modern living room with a brown sectional couch, white rug, white oak floors, white walls, batten ceilings, and a black cane chair
Crate & Barrel

Yes, we absolutely accept that a coffee table has a serious, functional role to play in the living room — a solid, reliable surface for said coffee. But a beautifully styled coffee table has the power to stop us mid-scroll and think, “How do people do that? Can I be people?”

ADVERTISEMENT

The fashion coffee table books are just-so, the objects du art ideal and the flowers seasonal and sensational. It’s not magic or money (mostly) or a major in interior design — there’s an equation to styling a coffee table, and you can solve it. So, let’s pull back the curtain, sharpen our pencils and take notes on how to style one like a pro.

Restoration Hardware Reclaimed Oak Parsons Coffee Table sits in a bright modern living room with a huge white sectional couch and a wooden credenza for a Home Network post on how to style a coffee table
Restoration Hardware

1. What’s Your Deal

First, evaluate who the space is actually for and how the coffee table will be used. If it’s in the family room, it will have a different set of set-up criteria than one in a home office.

If kids are in the mix, heads up: They will break things and weighty tomes can break tiny toes. So don’t put out anything too precious or hefty. In an exclusively adult area, put out books and unique pieces that reflect your personal interests and personality.

Be conscious that, first and foremost, a coffee table needs to serve its purpose — hold cups, plates and sometimes feet — so hold back on filling up every inch. And definitely have coasters on hand because drink rings aren’t part of this design plan!

Parsons Reclaimed Oak Coffee Table, Restoration Hardware, $4,395.

2. Three’s Company

When styling any surface — be it a coffee table, bookshelf or even a floor — get familiar with the rule of three. This is the interior design trick of only using three objects in a grouping. Now, this works for three different items — say a vase, a book and a bowl — but also groups of items within those items. Huh?

Right, OK, so three flower stems in the vase, three books in the stack, or three precious stones into the bowl. You can branch out and have more of anything, of course, but try limiting each group of objects to an odd number and see the visual harmony that creates.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related: 20 Tips for Arranging Furniture in Your Living Room

 

Crate & Barrel Willy White Concrete Pedestal Table by by Leanne Ford sits in a modern living room with a vase, books and candle, sitting on top of a large area rug with a huge white sectional couch and large windows looking out over a mountain view
Crate & Barrel

3. Growth Spurt

When choosing special objects for your display, select pieces that have a variety of heights and widths. Their contrasting sizes work as a visual foil, each one highlighting the other, taking your eye on a journey from the bottom up.

If all your chosen items sit within the same size zone, fear not. Utilize stacks of magazines, art books, or decorative trays to create elevated platforms and raise them up to where they belong.

Willy White Concrete Pedestal Coffee Table by Leanne Ford, Crate & Barrel, $1,599.

4. Textbook Texture

Let’s be honest; working with a limited neutral colour palette is the simplest way to make a table display feel cohesive. Whites, cream, browns, metallics and black are a lot easier to put together than pinks, greens and purples (at first, at least).

But that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun off the hop. Tapping into textures and mixing up materials is where that inner interior-designer comes out to play. An antique bent wood box, a chestnut-and-cream marble bust, or a tall handwoven willow basket are anything but boring.

EQ3 Plank Rectangular Coffee Table in a masculine living room with a cream coloured area rug, a tufted leather couch, two leather ottomans, a large gooseneck floor lamp, large potted plants and huge floor to ceiling windows showing how to section a coffee table in a post of Home Network on styling coffee tables
EQ3

5. Sectioned Off

To give the large, flat surface area of a coffee table some visual separation, divide it up into distinctive sections. This can be done with stacks of books or magazines, shallow baskets or decorative trays. Play around with their placement; use them alone, or as a base for smaller displays (remember the rule of three here too).

Plank Rectangular Coffee Table, EQ3, $1,199.

ADVERTISEMENT

6. Tray Chic

If you were to buy one decorative item to begin your coffee-table-styling journey, it would be an eye-catching tray. A tray placed in the centre of the table provides the perfect physical border for more delicate decorative objects.

Limiting the styling to inside the tray’s edges allows for a quick display change as the season, or mood, changes. Try contrasting shapes, such as a round tray on a rectangular table or a square tray on a round table, and look for unexpected materials.

Square Weave Oak Tray, EQ3, $60.

Related: How to Copy the Tablescape Trend Everyone’s Talking About

Pottery Barn Malibu Rectangular Woven Coffee Table styled with coffee table books, bowls, a piece of coral, large beads, and a potted vine
Pottery Barn

7. Book Ended

Large, beautifully produced coffee table books continue to be a staple of interior styling for good reason — they’re big, they’re bold, and they speak volumes about their owners. Stacked up, they provide a sturdy pedestal for a vase or sculpture; flipped open, they tell a story about the resident’s personal interests and taste.

Books reflect what matters to us, and coffee table books have the ability to shout that out — in the prettiest visual way possible.

Malibu Rectangular Woven Coffee Table, Pottery Barn, $1,799 – $2,067.

8. One Thing Is Not Like the Other

The key to an intriguing coffee table display is to always have one unexpected object that comes with a story. This can be an unusual family heirloom, a souvenir from your honeymoon, or a miniature antique chess set that guests can play. The point of this piece is to get people talking and connecting in your home — the power of intentional interior design is real, people!

Related: How to Mix and Match Different Wood Tones in Your Home

Large Square Upholstered Tufted Linen Ottoman Coffee Table on Amazon with white boxes on its lower wooden shelf and book and piece of coral perched on top
Amazon Canada

9. Not-a-Table Coffee Table

The last tip on how to style a coffee table: You don’t always have to use a “coffee table.” An old steamer trunk, repurposed shipping palettes, or a traditional tufted ottoman all fulfill the coffee-table function brief. Thinking outside the box has always been encouraged when it comes to innovative design.

ADVERTISEMENT

So, go forth, style that table and see what sort of unexpected beauty you can bring into your own living room this year.

Large Square Tufted Linen Ottoman, Amazon, $592.



Latest News

Discover the best Canadian cities for renters seeking value and room to breathe.
February 14, 2025
When thinking about your next winter escape, considered these unexpected sunny destinations.
February 14, 2025
Meet Kristen Coutts, Home Network's newest host and expert in glam without breaking the bank.
February 13, 2025
In honour of Black History Month, we are highlighting seven Black-owned companies that are making an impact in interior design.
February 13, 2025
Homeownership may be hard for young Canadians, but it isn't impossible.
February 13, 2025
Find out what Kortney and Kenny have been up to since we last saw them on-screen.
February 12, 2025
DIY
Want to make your besties feel extra loved this Galentine’s Day? Grab your watercolours and create the cutest DIY card based on this...
February 12, 2025
If you're travelling to Europe in the near future, there are some travel requirement changes you need to know about.
February 12, 2025
Here are 10 tips to style your home like a luxury home stager and level up your space.
February 12, 2025
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
This content is restricted to adults of legal age.
Please enter your birthdate to confirm.
Date of Birth