OUR RULES FOR DECORATING A COFFEE TABLE

There are so many areas in a home to design. From your dining room to your office, the list goes on and on. One of our favorite areas to work on is the coffee table. This is one space that can easily be overlooked. However, this is one area that can make the biggest impact. Think about it this way —  it’s literally the center of your living space. You sit around this table during every occasion — movie nights, lazy Sundays, and every time in between. It’s a space that allows you to showcase your personal style and creativity.

We love creating multiple areas on the coffee table. Rather than throwing something in the middle and calling it a day, we like to spread out the visual landscape. For starters, you have to work with what you’ve got. How big is your coffee table? We have a round marble table — which means we don’t have a ton of space. We decided to create two visual spaces. We do this by stacking pieces — specifically books. Searching for coffee table books is one of our favorite things to do. Not only do we look at book stores, but we also search the aisles of HomeGoods, Target and even the thrift store.

The books we currently have on our coffee table are from HomeGoods and Target. We like to choose books we actually plan on reading. What’s the point of spending money on a book just for show? We usually gravitate towards fashion and home design books. Once you know the number of spaces you plan on creating, it’s time to start stacking. Since the books we have are pretty thick, we only went two books high. But depending on the thickness you use, the number of books might change.

Once we found the books we wanted to use, we chose the layout. For our table, we went with different directions for each stack. We don’t like when things match perfectly. Placing the books both vertically and horizontally helps create contrast and dimension. Once the books are in place, the decor pieces come next. As we said, we don’t like when things match perfectly. We like to mix and match. Your coffee table is an opportunity to showcase your personality. We found the three brass candle holders at a thrift store. Remember the rule of threes? Well here is a perfect example. On the other stack, we added a vase filled with greenery. We are huge fans of adding tons of greenery to your home. It not only adds life to your space but also another material. We also added a decorative container and our favorite wick trimmer.

Now that we’ve broken down how we designed our coffee table, it’s time to list out the essential rules we go by.

• Create multiple visual spaces using stacked books
• Add a tray or bowl if you have enough space
• Use decorative objects that reflect your personality
• Add greenery

Coffee Table Books We Like

Trays + Bowls We Like

Decorative Objects We Like

If you have a bigger coffee table, you can get really creative. We can’t wait until we have enough space to have a HUGE rectangular table that’s super low to the ground. You can create so much visual landscape with multiple stacks and decor pieces. But no matter what size table you have, these rules still apply. It’s all about deciding on the number of visual spaces you want to create. From there, mix and match your materials. Add greenery, different metals, and a variety of decor pieces that express your personality. Decorating your coffee table is one of the best places to start working on that expression. Until next time…