How to Style a Coffee Table With Four Simple and Meaningful Elements

I’m going to make this super easy and give you a quick formula for a stylish table all of your friends will envy.

You’ll need four elements of varying height, shape and texture such as:

1)

“Meaningful to you”

Coffee Table Books

2)  Fun Tray

3)  Fresh Flowers/Greens

4)  Sculptural elements, knick-knacks, etc.

I have styled many a coffee table in my day but I’ll be honest all I have on my table right now is a tray and a topiary.

Why?

Funny you should ask.

Remember this guy?

And, yes, he is about to eat a sand-covered crab

Code Name: Pig-Pen, Master of Disaster, Bam-bam

His mission: To have as much fun during waking hours as possible — Good for him. We should all live life like this!!

Result:  Life’s one big partay!

Until something breaks.

Which it does

Often.

So if you’re like me and still have little ones a tray and something unbreakable may be the best style solution for you and your coffee table right now.

But a girl can dream can’t she?

… so here’s my no fail formula for stylin’ and profilin’ your table. I’ll admit I’m jelly of all you gals out there with beautifully styled tables!

Here’s what you’ll need …

#1

Coffee Table Books

I try to use books that have special meaning to me in addition to pretty books that go with my décor. I know we’ve discussed how your home is a reflection of you and your family. Try to be as authentic as you can when you decorate!

I wrote about some of my coffee table faves

here

. I buy books at my local bookstore but if I’m trying to keep costs down or if I’m in a jam I shop at Amazon. Or I scope out my local Barnes and Noble for bargain coffee table books.

Here’s a few I found recently that “speak” to me:

Because I Love Roses

This is where my great-grandparents were born

I am speechless when it comes to Adele’s attitude, beauty and talent

You feel me? Are you pickin’ up what I’m puttin’ down? Don’t just use pretty books include books that are meaningful and fun in the mix.

If you want a real conversation starter how ’bout this one?

Jonathan Adler

People, you can’t make this stuff up …

Moving on. 

Some other pretties:

here

here

Once I have my books I stack them in three’s placing the largest one on the bottom. Some tables are so large that you can have several stacks on top and bottom. 

source

You can coordinate book

colors with your decor or mix them up. Also to save $$ take the covers off some of the hardback books you already own. I’ll bet they can work too!

#2

Trays

Next to my books I typically place a tray. I wrote about a few of my favorite trays 

here

. You can make your tray more personal by having it monogrammed.

source?

Additional tray sources:

iomoi

source here for all sizes!

acrylic tray here

 on the tray I place more books and/or …

#3

Your Favorite

Flowers/Greens/Branches

Real or fresh work best. If that’s not happening I like to have preserved boxwoods or faux flowers that look so real you’d never know. This is a great place to add height to the vignette your putting together — see below.

AND then…

#4

Sculptural elements or knick-knacks

These items can sit on the stack of books or on your tray. If you haven’t added any height to you table scape now is the time. I wrote about these elements

here

.

jonathan adler

Oh my god – I have been looking everywhere for a brass banana.

jonathan adler

high street market

High Street Market

design manifest 

So there you have it. Hope it was helpful;:)

I also hope to see you at the

West Elm

grand opening in KOP on Wednesday night May 15th at 6:30 pm. I wrote about that

here

!