I’m sharing all of my favorite coffee table decor ideas & tips in today’s post!
I’m a sucker for stylish coffee table decor. But it’s got to be functional too! Today I’m breaking down coffee table styling to five simple coffee table ideas. By using these five ideas, you’ll transform your tired looking coffee table in no time! 🙌🏻 (post includes affiliate links; full disclosure statement available {here})
Idea #1: Large Coffee Table Trays
I always use a large tray on my coffee tables. Always. I love that they keep everything neatly corralled and if you want to clear off your coffee table to use it for playing a game or setting out a spread of food, you can take everything off with the simple lift of a tray. Trays are also a great way to add some contrasting texture or color to keep things interesting.
For our family room coffee table, I went with a large 28″ square wood tray that takes up a large chunk of the coffee table but still leaves room for my husband to throw up his feet (we keep a designated “foot pillow” around for him to do that with – lol!):
Sources: Acrylic coffee table (similar) | 28″ square tray (similar) | Black and white striped box | Brass cranes | White coral (similar) | Gray geometric rug | Floor poufs | Faux fiddle leaf fig tree | Woven plant basket
I had the hardest time finding a large handled square tray that I liked but ended up finding the perfect one on Etsy. The shop I bought mine from no longer exists but you can find an almost identical tray in multiple sizes at {this Etsy shop}. They offer them in a wide variety of colors in a velvet matte or gloss luster finish.
On our living room ottoman/coffee table, I mostly use light woven trays to add some brightness and texture. My favorite is this large woven whitewash tray that’s about 22″ x 17″:
Other sources: White vase | Faux eucalyptus | Gold wishbone
My exact tray is no longer available, but you can find a similar one {here} in multiple sizes. FYI, be sure to add felt pads to the bottom of woven trays to make sure they don’t scratch your coffee table!
These are a few other favorite coffee table trays that would also work beautifully (Scroll & Click/Tap to Shop):
Idea #2: Flowers & Natural Elements
I use flowers and natural elements throughout my home because they add life in a way nothing else can! So it’s no surprise that one of my favorite coffee table decor ideas. During the summer when we have a ton of flowers blooming in our yard, I keep small fresh flower bouquets on our coffee table:
You can add even more life and personality by placing your flowers in a unique planter. I’m pretty obsessed with this pretty brass swan planter:
You can find similar planters {here} and {here}.
If you don’t have flowers to clip from your yard, grab a $5 bundle of tulips at the grocery store or for even less maintenance, add a plant. This snake plant that used to be on our living room coffee table is seriously unkillable:
Don’t want to use fresh flowers or plants? There’s no shame in going faux! As an example, I mixed {this faux peony bundle} in raspberry with two of {these white hydrangeas} make the prettiest little arrangement:
Another example with more variety is this mix of {these pink mauve silk roses}, {these blush peach dahlias}, {this silk cabbage rose in mauve pink}, dusty pink mums, hydrangeas, and seeded eucalyptus:
Check out my post on the best artificial flowers to see more of my favorites.
There’s a variety of natural elements that you can use to add life to your coffee table too! You may have noticed that I have {this dried star anise pod} on the stack of books on the end of our coffee table in one of the photos above. There are also a ton of natural elements outside your door that you can find and use for free! A few ideas include a bowl of pinecones, feathers, or elements from the sea such as driftwood, shells, or coral.
Idea #3: Coffee Table Books
Books are another of my favorite coffee table decor ideas. They’re perfect for adding a layered look plus it’s nice to have some interesting coffee table books for your family and guests to look at.
Being the design lover that I am, most of mine (big surprise) are centered on design. These are a few that have great content inside and look pretty outside (Scroll & Click/Tap to Shop):
Books about the area you live in, your favorite state or country to vacation in, or a favorite hobby are other great choices. Also consider getting a bunch of your photos off of your phone and computer and into one of {these cute digital photo books}. That’s future coffee table goals for me!
You could also use this as an opportunity to add color and pattern to your space by wrapping a book in a remnant of a favorite fabric:
Check out my post on fabric book covers for the simple step by step of creating them.
Idea #4: Book Toppers
Along with some stacked coffee table books, I always add a book topper or two. These can be just about anything from the large gold wishbone I used on my fabric covered book above (you can find a similar one {here}) to decorative magnifying glasses,
a small piece of coral like {this one}),
{this wood bead garland with tassels},
or a sea glass bead necklaces like {these}:
You could also go for a simple, organic look with {this pair of wood links} as a book topper:
Idea #5: Decorative Boxes
Decorative boxes are the best! There are so many beautiful options and they’re great for stashing things that you don’t want cluttering up your table. {This large black and white pinstripe box} on our family room coffee table holds extra TV remotes, our lighting remote, and my photo flash drives I need every now and then while laptopping on the sectional:
And the smaller marble box on our living room ottoman tray holds a set of coasters:
You can find a variety of other beautiful decorative boxes that would work well on a coffee table {here}.
Add a Little Quirk
Now that you’ve gotten your coffee table essentials in place, it’s time to have some fun and add a few quirky things you love! For me, it’s often brass animals (#obsessed) like this pair of brass cranes (similar ones available {here}):
For you, it might be something related to your favorite hobby or a piece that simply has some history and special meaning. Put it all together and you’ll have a coffee table that’s the star of your space!
Room Sources: TV console (similar) | Chandelier (satin bronze) | Rattan chair | Lee Industries sectional | White tasseled corner pillow cover (similar) | Antelope pillow cover | Matted art with brass frames
Thanks so much for stopping by today! If you’d like to makeover other parts of your living room too, check out my must-have tips on decorating your living room or my post with nine family room ideas.
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