The Best Ways To Style Your Living Room Coffee Table
I am coming to the end of decorating my condo, which is both exciting and a little bittersweet—as a designer who loves to shop, the decorating process is always so much fun. As the process comes to an end, the overall style of the space becomes much more evident. At that point, it becomes less about the larger pieces and more about the smaller details—where to add a decorative item, what exactly to place there, and how to create those finishing touches that make a home feel complete.
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The living room coffee table is one of those spots where most people feel like they need a little extra razzle dazzle—and honestly, I agree. A well-decorated coffee table can make a huge difference in how finished and elevated a space feels.
So, I decided to put together a list of some of my favourite coffee table decor ideas.
The Best Living Room Coffee Table Decor Ideas
1. Sentimental Items
When it comes to decor, I always prefer the items someone chooses to decorate with to be sentimental. Meaning—they actually have meaning, purpose, or a story behind them.
So, if you don’t already have pieces passed down from family, I would genuinely recommend spending a day at your grandma’s house and looking through her knick-knacks to see what you can find. You may come across some really obscure and interesting items that would look amazing on your coffee table. Not only can they start conversations, but they can also remind you of loved ones and add a layer of personality to your home.
2. Bookstands with a Special Book
Now, we all know a very common way to style a coffee table is with a pile of coffee table books, which is fine—but if I’m being honest, it’s a little predictable. Sometimes it can also start to look cluttered.
Personally, I think when it comes to books, less is more. Instead of stacking several books, I would consider finding one special book—or at least one that really adds to the decor—and displaying it on a cool bookstand. It feels a little edgier and more contemporary, while still giving that styled, curated look.
3. Obscure Objects
The coffee table is the perfect place for smaller objects that still make an impact, like sculptures or unusual decorative pieces.
I personally love browsing around at 1stDibs looking at all the strange and decorative objects there, constantly thinking they would make perfect coffee table pieces. Interesting objects create conversation, make a statement, and tell a story. So, I would encourage you to shop around and see if anything catches your eye.
4. Items From Travel
If you know me, you know I love to travel. Naturally, along my journey of travelling to 36 countries, I’ve picked up little trinkets that have made their way into my home as decorative pieces.
This is one of my favourite ways to decorate a surface because every item reminds me of where I got it. It adds layers of personality into a space and brings together such interesting pieces—pieces that otherwise probably never would have ended up together.
5. Fresh Flowers
I love decorating with fresh flowers. There’s something feminine, intentional, and simply beautiful about them.
Personally, I love tulips, but honestly, any flowers work. Now, it’s worth noting that you may not always be fancy enough to keep fresh flowers on the table at all times, so faux flowers can work too. However, if you can—even just for a special occasion—I’d definitely recommend fresh flowers because they make such an impact on a surface.
6. Decorative Boxes
I love decorating with decorative boxes because they actually serve a purpose—a meaningful one.
They’re the perfect place to hide things like your phone, wallet, remotes, or random little items that tend to end up on your coffee table. Let’s face it: the surfaces in your home are not always going to look perfectly curated. So sometimes you need to work with your habits and ask yourself: what naturally ends up on my coffee table, and how can I keep it looking maintained?
7. Candles
I love a good fancy candle, and luckily, candles double as great decor.
I encourage you to find a scent you genuinely love and add it to your tabletop styling. Candles help create a layered look and become part of the overall collage of items that make up your coffee table.
8. Plants
I love decorating with plants—more specifically, smaller succulents.
There’s something super sweet, earthy, and calming about decorating with greenery, and as a bonus, succulents are usually pretty easy to take care of. It may be worth heading to your local nursery and picking up a few beautiful plants to dress up your living room coffee table.
9. Decorative Bowls
Another way I love to style a tabletop is quite minimally, which usually means simply placing one really beautiful bowl in the centre.
This approach works especially well for minimalist interiors or for people who don’t want a lot of clutter on their surfaces. One designer tip: make sure the bowl is properly scaled. You don’t want it too large or too small. Generally, you want the piece to take up about a quarter of the surface area in most cases.
10. Mix It Up with Groupings
You may read this entire post and realize there are a few different ideas you want to incorporate onto your coffee table—and that is perfectly okay.
In fact, layering multiple decorative items together often creates the most interesting and curated look. Mixing objects that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing creates depth and personality, and ultimately makes your space feel more lived-in and intentional.
Have Fun with Your Living Room Coffee Table
Coffee tables are naturally a place where things tend to gather, which means there’s actually a really fun and intentional way you can decorate the tabletop.
As a designer, I always encourage people to decorate with unique and interesting items—pieces that feel personal and a little unexpected. When styled thoughtfully, a coffee table can almost become an art piece in itself, telling the story of who you are and what speaks to you.
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