Here’s How To Style… Your Coffee Table

The coffee table. Often considered a functional piece of furniture, it’s where you put your mug down or maybe even your magazine. Indeed, it may sometimes be used as a footstool. Overall, it plays a very practical role.

But, consider this: a coffee table can be so much more than a useful surface. With a little thought and imagination, you can create a tablescape that will anchor the rest of your furniture and create a beautiful focus in your living room.

Read on to discover some simple ideas of how best to create a stylish coffee table.

The Size and Shape of Things to Come

Before you put anything on top of your coffee table, consider first the table in question. Does it suit your room? Is it the right shape and size for the rest of your furniture? There is no point having an absolutely huge table if your sofas and chairs are diminutive in size, as it will look like a meeting room. Similarly, if you have a large corner sofa and generous armchairs, a small and spindly coffee table will be altogether lost.

Furthermore, is the shape of it in keeping with the rest of the room? If you have very angular furniture, a square coffee table might look sharp and stylish alongside it. However, perhaps you want to soften the room slightly and therefore a round table will provide a useful contrast?

What’s Your Style?

Once you have thought about the shape and dimensions of the table, the next thing to consider is the style you wish to reflect. If you are a modernist at heart, then a minimalist table made from metal and glass will be an elegant addition to your contemporary interior. On the other hand, if you favour the cottage look, there can be nothing nicer than a wooden or shabby chic coffee table amongst a classic, country décor.

What Goes on Top

Once you have selected the right coffee table, you then need to create a curated tablescape on top of it. First thing’s first, you don’t want to put too much on it. The table still has a practical function and you will need space to rest a mug, small plate or book.

Often, the best way to ensure that you don’t overdo your coffee table styling is to use a tray to group your decorations together. A simple rattan tray in the middle of the table can be used to great effect in any interior style and this also makes cleaning the table a breeze as the whole lot can be lifted up in one go.

On the tray, place a small selection of beautiful things of your choosing. Try to include some sort of plant or floral arrangement, a scented candle, a small bowl of something sweet to offer guests and a couple of meaningful curios which are in keeping with your style. Just ensure that you play with the heights of the different items – if they are all the same height, it will look as though you are merely collecting random items on a tray. This must look a little like a still life.

If you have a large enough coffee table and want to include more, then this is when a selection of beautiful coffee table books will come into their own. Whether they are about art, photography, gardening or cooking, large books with stunning images look fantastic grouped together on a coffee table. If there is an image within a book that you particularly love, keep it open on that page rather than just showing the cover. In many ways, this is as beautiful as a picture on the wall.

A well-curated coffee table will bring you a great deal of joy as it is truly a snapshot of your interior style. Guests will love to look at the items you have grouped together and you will delight in seeing an otherwise-overlooked surface looking so attractive. On thing in for sure: there will be no more feet up on such a beautiful piece of furniture!