11 Coffee Table Décor Ideas for Your Living Room
When it comes to designing a living room, we tend to spend most of our time picking out the perfect sofa, lighting, cushions, and throws. But we should really pay attention to the humble coffee table since it’s this feature we use most often. I’ve made a list of 11 coffee table décor ideas to help you level up your living room while keeping things tidy, classy, and unique to you.
Choosing the right coffee table for your space
Before we dive into my ideas for coffee table decoration, it’s important to remember that the coffee table itself is key to establishing the look and feel of your living room. Even the best décor choices in the world won’t save a table which simply doesn’t suit your space.
Standalone coffee tables
The most classic type of coffee table is, of course, the standalone table. Naturally, however, there are just about as many variations on the standard table as there are stars in the sky! For example, you’ve got:
- Vintage second-hand tables of extravagant carved wood
- Mid-century minimalist tables combining metal and woodwork
- Sturdy timeless coffee tables of a simple wood design without any detailing
- Light, metal-frame coffee tables with either metal or glass surfaces
- Marble-topped coffee tables and tables with slate or natural stone surfaces
- The list goes on!
The most important thing to consider when choosing a standalone coffee table is how the material, size and shape will best complement your home and especially your living room flooring. You’ll want to take some measurements and have an ideal size in mind before you start hunting for the perfect table.
If your style is more traditional, then a wooden coffee table is probably the way to go, whereas if you prefer a contemporary, industrial or minimalist look, metal and glass might suit you better.
Nesting coffee tables
The next most popular type of coffee table is undoubtedly nesting coffee tables. A nest of coffee tables replicates the same shape and design over 2-3 tables of increasingly smaller sizes, so that they can fit—or ‘nest’—neatly together when not in use.
Nesting coffee tables are really handy for homes with limited space, as well as for larger open living rooms where your guests might struggle to reach a single standalone table.
Glass-top coffee tables
Glass-top coffee tables are also pretty popular, owing to the elevated sense of flow they introduce to a room—thanks to their transparent surface, the coffee table no longer becomes quite as obvious or ‘blocky’ to the passing eye.
Coffee tables with shelves
Coffee tables with shelves and/or drawers are also available for those homes that desperately need all the extra storage space they can get. Suppose you’re a book lover or regular reader of magazines and newspapers, for instance. In that case, a shelf below the table’s surface is perfect for storing your daily reading material close at hand.
Circular coffee tables
Lastly, it’s worth mentioning that coffee tables don’t all come rectangular. There is a blossoming market out there full of circular coffee tables, square tables, and coffee tables of abstract and flowing design.
Whilst rectangular coffee tables suit most spaces, squares can better suit L-shaped sofas, whilst circles create a centrifugal point in your interior design—a bit like the centre of a whirlpool—drawing the eye from the outside, in.
Coffee table décor ideas: knowing what items to use
Now for the bit you came here for: 11 coffee table décor ideas to get your creative mind whirring!
1) Vases and flowers
An absolute classic, flowers and vases provide coffee tables with an infinity of design possibilities. From dried flowers to fresh, you can change up the colour, height, and even the fragrance of your coffee table décor by the week, month, or season. Vases also come in lots of different shapes, sizes and colours, which allows you to really explore your own personal taste—you can be bold with a big, broad bunch, or go gentler with a single tall stalk.
2) Houseplants
Houseplants have been eternally en vogue these last couple of decades: they help to add some serious natural colour and freshness to our indoor spaces. When decorating your living room table, of course, it’s important to opt for a smaller houseplant like a bonsai tree or succulent, which won’t take up too much room.
3) ‘Coffee table’ books
Big hardback editions of art, photography, and lifestyle books weren’t designed to be hidden away on a shelf! They were intended to sit out for all to see, on a coffee table where the casual reader could reach them easily for a flick-through on a lazy Sunday morning. Just be sure not to overcrowd your coffee table with books. Try selecting just two or three at a time, and stacking them in a diamond or star pattern to create a colourful, contained aesthetic.
4) Subtle storage boxes and trays
My best tip for coffee table decoration is to include a tray or small box. Both can be used to keep your less eye-catching everyday essentials close to hand, without them being the centre of attention. I’m talking TV remotes, gaming controllers and headsets, pencils for your crosswords and the like. By placing a good-looking box or tray on your coffee table, these unsightly items suddenly merge into the background.
5) Candles and candleholders
Another classic coffee table décor idea is to include a candle or two. Candles are practical, for light on a cosy winter night, as well as aesthetically charming. Scented candles add your favourite fragrance to the room, too. Just be sure to keep the open flame of a candle away from other objects—especially dried flowers!
6) Sentimental trinkets
Here’s where you can get really creative with your coffee table décor. Consider adding a few super personal, sentimental trinkets to the mix—either stood on their own, or grouped on your coffee table tray. These are the things you’ve found on your travels, or little gifts you and your partner or kids have made for each other—the things which say who you are like nothing else can.
7) Ornamental items and other art
Don’t be afraid to try out other items which are purely for decoration. Whilst a good coffee table design should also be practical, it’s perfectly acceptable to pop a favourite ornament or piece of art on the table and see how it looks!
Design considerations when decorating your coffee table
Now that you’ve had a think about what type of coffee table you want to decorate, and what items you’ll use to decorate it, let’s finish with a quick note on some of the key considerations you can make to help your coffee table décor ideas really sing.
8) Keep your coffee table clutter-free
Less is more, as the old saying goes. Whilst I’ve listed quite a few different décor items above, I wouldn’t recommend trying to squeeze all of them onto the one table. Instead, try choosing just a few of your favourite elements to work with, relying on that all-important storage box or tray to tie the loose bits together tidily.
9) Create a sense of space and height
Coffee tables are, by design, quite short, squat things, but your décor doesn’t have to be! Play around with space by introducing objects of varying sizes. For example, candleholders, vases and flowers, and stacks of books can be used together to give your coffee table a sense of added breadth and height.
10) The ‘Rule of Three’
For some reason, our brains really like odd numbers. The sense of ‘asymmetry’ which is created by decorating a table with three things instead of two or four, for example, is really pleasing to the eye. You don’t have to be a scientist to understand this ‘Rule of Three’, either—just try it for yourself at home. I’d highly recommend choosing three or even five types of items to decorate your coffee table with.
11) Leave a little room for coffee
Last but not least is my favourite piece of coffee table décor advice: leave a little room for coffee. It’s super easy to forget when you’re decorating a coffee table that it’s designed to hold cups of coffee and tea! When styling your table, try grouping your décor together off centre, leaving one end of the table free for those everyday uses (including just putting your feet up!)
Conclusion: A final word on ideas for coffee table décor
Styling a coffee table shouldn’t be a chore. It should be a reflection of who you and your family are, with plenty of room for those daily essentials like the TV remote and your favourite go-to book. Be creative, have fun, and don’t be afraid to try out something new. Using the 11 ideas above for coffee table decorations, I’m confident you’ll create a look to die for!
