My Favorite Suggestions for Adorning Your Coffee Table

In this article, I'll be discussing the various ways in which you can decorate your coffee table.

Pretty things for the coffee table always catch my eye. Looking at the two coffee tables in our living room, I realized there are five staples in my coffee table decor, and I'm going to share them all with you today. (this post may contain affiliate links; for more information, please visit my disclosure policy here.)

First, you can decorate your coffee table with large coffee table trays.

A sizable tray is a staple on my coffee tables. Always I like that everything has its place and can be easily removed with the lift of a tray if you want to use your coffee table for something else, like playing a game or setting out a buffet. To spice things up, use trays to add a different material or color.

I bought a new coffee table for the living room. With my husband's penchant for propping his feet up on the coffee table (for which we keep a special "foot pillow" on hand), I opted for a large 28-inch square wood tray. ):

Pillowcases with white tassels on the corners, textured gray ones, and antelope ones, a fake fiddle leaf fig tree, a rug, two floor poufs, a coffee table made of acrylic (or something similar), a box with black and white stripes, a pair of brass cranes, and some white coral are all from the same supplier.

Finding a large, square tray with handles that I liked was a major challenge, but I finally did so on Etsy. Although the store where I purchased mine is no longer in business, you can find a tray very similar to the one I have at [this Etsy shop]. There's a rainbow of hues to choose from, and you can get them in either a velvet matte or glossy luster finish. I know that a tray this size won't come cheap, but I plan to use mine for YEARS. I really like how I can easily alter the look of the tray by painting it instead of buying a whole new one if I decide to switch up my color scheme in the future.

Light woven trays are my go-to for adding color and texture to the ottoman/coffee table in our living room. The best one I've seen is "this large woven rattan tray," which is just the right size and costs a steal for a tray of its magnitude.

Additional Materials: a White Vase, Fake Eucalyptus, and a Gold Wishbone

Keep your coffee table from getting scratched by adding felt pads to the bottom of woven trays. Here are some additional top picks for coffee table trays that work wonderfully (Scroll down to shop):

Plan B: Flora and other Mother Nature-provided Accessories

Naturally, one of my favorite ways to spruce up my coffee table is with flowers or other natural elements, which I use throughout my home because they bring it to life in a way that artificial objects cannot. When our yard is full of blooming flowers in the summer, I like to display small bouquets of them on the coffee table:

Putting your flowers in a conversation piece like this brass swan planter (similar planters can be found 'here' and 'here') is a great way to give them more character and life.

Flowers can be clipped from a yard, but if you don't have any, a $5 bunch of tulips from the supermarket will do the trick, or you can simply put some plants in a vase. We had the best luck with this snake plant, which used to live on our coffee table in the living room.

Another way I've found to incorporate elements of the natural world into our living room is with a dried star anise pod, which sits atop a pile of books at the far end of our coffee table.

In addition, pretending to be someone or something else is not something to be embarrassed about. I just got the prettiest little arrangement ever, made up of two of these white hydrangeas and this faux peony bundle in raspberry.

Learn more about the most realistic-looking synthetic blooms here.

Since I had to relocate my snake plant to another floor, I have been keeping three of these artificial eucalyptus branches (available here) in a white vase on our living room ottoman.

A bowl of pinecones, feathers, or seaside finds like driftwood, shells, and coral are just a few examples of other natural elements that can be used to bring a room to life. The best part about using elements from nature is that there are endless sources right outside your door.

3. Coffee-Table Books as an Idea

The books on my coffee table are one of my favorite things to look at. They're great for building depth, and it's always nice to have some engaging coffee table books around for your loved ones and visitors to peruse. As you might expect from someone as passionate about design as me, most of mine focus on aesthetic considerations. Other good options include books about the place you call home, your preferred travel destination, or a hobby you enjoy.

Also, I'm planning to print out some of my favorite photos from my computer and phone and put them in one of those adorable digital photo books to display on my coffee table in the near future. And if you want to spice up your coffee table with some color or pattern, all you need is a scrap of your favorite fabric:

Discover the steps necessary to sew your own book covers out of fabric right here!

And if you're a fellow design enthusiast looking for some new coffee table books, I highly recommend the following (Scroll & Click/Tap to Shop):

Concept No. 4: Novelty Bookends

I never have a stack of coffee table books without one or two bookends on top. These can be anything from a decorative magnifying glass like one of these or a small piece of coral like this one to a large gold wishbone (similar one available 'here') that I used on my fabric-covered book up top.

In addition to flowers, many people like to wear garlands made of wood beads or necklaces made of sea glass beads, like these:

It's a fun way to make your coffee table unique and reflect your personality. Other creative bookends to consider (Scroll down to view, then click or tap to purchase):

Decorational Containers, Plan No. 5

In terms of storage, nothing beats decorative boxes. There is a wide variety of attractive choices, and they serve the practical purpose of concealing items that would otherwise make a mess of your table. While I'm lounging on the sectional with my laptop, I keep my extra TV remotes, lighting remote, and photo flash drives in "this black and white pinstripe box" on the coffee table.

And there are coasters stored in the smaller marble box on our coffee table:

Here are some additional gorgeous coffee table ornamental boxes (Scroll & Click/Tap to Shop):

Now that the fundamentals are covered, you can have some fun and personalize your space with a few unique touches. For me, it's usually some sort of brass animal, like this pair of brass cranes (#obsessed):

However, it could be something associated with your favorite pastime or something that simply has historical or personal significance for you. After assembly, your coffee table will be the focal point of the room.

The TV stand, the satin bronze chandelier, the rattan chair, the textured gray pillow cover, the antelope pillow cover, the faux fiddle leaf fig tree, the rug, the floor poufs, and the acrylic coffee table are all from the same or similar sources.

It's great to have you here today; I appreciate it very much! Get my essential tips on decorating your living room if you want to makeover not just the furniture but the space itself.

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