15 Coffee Table Decor Ideas and Styles

Decorating coffee tables lets you show off your personal style. Start by deciding what kind of feel you’re going for. Gather interesting elements that best reflect the overall mood in the room. Good coffee table styling design is based on ground rules.

The first rule is harmony and balance. The best coffee table decorating ideas start with making sure your decor items are proportionate and thematically relevant.

When decorating coffee tables, bring rhythm to the arrangement when you add items of varying heights. It is even better if your coffee table has levels for you to create several vignettes of books, plants and objects. A single statement vase may be all you need for drama. If not, make it a group of three vases.

Take a page from the minimalist design book and keep your coffee table decor simple. Make the focus a single art piece or a dramatic flower arrangement. The keys to simple design are that the chosen object must be proportional to the space and worth talking about.

Choose unexpected and unique objects that invite conversation. Examples include an open coffee table book featuring a favorite architect, a pottery piece by a local artist, or a favorite sculpture. One of the best conversation starters is bunches of fresh tulips in spring (or other seasonal blooms).

Throw a curveball by adding rounded or curved objects to your coffee table vignette. The soft lines will contrast with rectangles and squares in the room, or echo a rounded coffee table.

Find inspiration in curvy vases and bowls of round ornaments.

If your table is overly large or long, try breaking out your decor vignettes into groups of threes or fours. Design experts advise that odd numbers are pleasing to the eye. When you style your arrangement into thirds, you tap into a universal design concept that’s instantly appealing.

Similarly, groups of four appeal to a desire for balance. To achieve this look on your coffee table, divide a square coffee table shape into quadrants and style each section. View your finished look from several angles and adjust as needed.

Trays are like frames for objects that you place on your table. Use decorative trays to anchor and curate your treasures. Give trays height by placing small books or flat paperweights underneath them.

When decorating coffee tables, it’s easy to avoid a cluttered look by styling just one side of your coffee table. Keeping one side clear accommodates occasional plates of snacks or vases of flowers.

A single bold monstera leaf in a clear glass vase makes an elegant statement on your coffee table. The look is easy to achieve with many different types of plants. You can purchase stems from your local market or harvest them from your own collection, indoors or out. Be sure to make clean, angled cuts on the stems and change the water every few days.

Dainty houseplants like African violets can be lovely, alone or in groups, on a tray set on the coffee table. Indoor plants like succulents and sansevieria (mother-in-law's tongue) add a welcome pop of green, as well.

One budget friendly way to get world class art into your home is with coffee table books. Stack a selection of books featuring your favorite artists or architects. Display large books open to meaningful pages.

Tip: Books can be fragile. Keep food and beverages away from where you display your valuable books.

Probably the best coffee table decorating ideas is to use the table for coffee, or a meal. Your coffee table is set in a space that welcomes conversation, and food makes a wonderful conversation starter. When you entertain, clear the table of its usual contents (a drawer below is handy) and set out trays of appetizers, snacks and fruit. Add plates, napkins and forks. Put out coasters for the beverages.

If you have limited space, it makes sense to get the most value out of every object in your home, and that includes coffee tables. Look for clever coffee table designs that double as storage.

With these kinds of tables, you can store blankets and seasonal items right where you’ll use them.

Your home is a unique expression of your interests and individuality. Style your coffee table with the objects that make you happy, like a camera or collection of paperweights. Shop your house for objects on a theme like a shared color or material.

Work with a variety of objects to contrast textures and shapes. Make eclectic groupings of books and glass, natural elements like orchids, and decorative ceramic urns.

Bring seasonal blooms to your home with centerpieces for your coffee table. You can cut flowers from your garden for an inexpensive and one-of-a-kind arrangement, or shop farmers markets and grocery stores for fresh and dried plant material.

Instead of flowers, consider adding a plant to bring freshness into your space. Look for small potted tropical plants like pothos for your coffee table vignette.

Decorative objects like small statues and ceramic pieces can be centerpieces, too. Look around your home for fun and engaging items. For example, you can arrange art finds and souvenirs from your latest adventure and stack travel books alongside.