How to Style a Coffee Table
The tables I love—and the stuff that makes them sing
I like to think I’ve perfected the art of designing a well-thought-out coffee table moment. Finding the table itself is usually the hard part. But once you land on something that’s just right (big enough to hold drinks, snacks, games and all the odds and ends discussed below) you get to the fun part: accessorizing.
Here, I’ve rounded up a few options for a great coffee table set-up. I’ve selected a few coffee tables I love, plus the stuff that makes them sing—namely, boxes and ceramic baskets (to hold your ear pods, remotes, and stray hair-ties), books (duh), coasters, and candles.
I personally like at least three book stacks (each containing between one and three books) and I place the other smalls on top. But a vanity tray is another great option for displaying the small stuff, so everything isn’t just scattered over your tabletop and feels much more considered.
To start, kick your feet up (if your coffee table is big enough for that, which it should be) and get inspired by a few great tabletops.
the Madrid home of Carolina Herrera Báez
via Dwell
via François Halard
via Architectural Digest
A coffee table that can be used indoors, or out.
A rare David Hockney book that’s a work of art on its own.
A ceramic platter that could hold fruit or whatever else you have laying around.
Some spectacular coasters.
A very chic take on a stash box.
A vintage Milo Baughman coffee table that is subtly sexy in the best way.
The prettiest platter I ever did see.
A wood coffee table is begging for bright art books. I love this Keith Haring Retrospective and this vintage Stuart Davis book.
Vintage hotel ashtrays are an ideal resting place for stray hair ties and ear pods.
Would you believe me if I told you this was a candle?
Luxe white marble meets shiny silver chrome.
This vase is a sexy way to display your grocery store flowers.
This petrified wood platter manages to look startlingly similar to marble, playing off the veins in the table.
Aromatic rocks are the new designer candle. This one comes with a ceramic tray.
It’s no great secret that I adore a fun box and the coffee table is the ideal spot for them. You could go mid-range (like this pyramid marble number) or high (like this, which is simply fabulous and handmade by Colombian artisans).
If you crave neutrals, you can’t go wrong with this simple but very elegant table, which would be at home in an open-air loft or a restored historic home.
More neutrals, in the form of stunning marble coasters.
I love playing with shapes, and these curved lava trays would be so fun atop a round table like this one.
I have a vintage ceramic basket similar to this one on my coffee table. It’s a great spot for remotes or (ugh) gaming devices.
Keep things neutral with your books by sticking to this AD classic—or go wild with this Hockney book.
Recommended reading/listening:
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And I’ll leave you with this….