HOW TO STYLE YOUR LIVING ROOM SIDE TABLES

Almost every surface in my home has designer books and a candle of some sort, and my living room side tables are no exception. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the perfect formula for decorating the tables in your home = coffee table books + candles + flowers.

Okay, so that’s not all you’ll need to decorate your living room end tables. You will most likely need to invest in some killer lighting fixtures. I scored my brass and gold lamps at Target for $35 each (shade included). I think the design is chic and timeless, and my favorite feature is the USB port in the back (makes charging your devices so easy). Gotta be honest, I had no idea how expensive lighting could be! The cheapest lamp options come in around $20 and a lot of times you have to purchase the shade separately. If you’re in the market, I do think Target has the best affordable options. Larger, higher quality lamps can clock in at hundreds of dollars. I’ve shared this before, but if money were no object, I’d easily splurge on the Kelly Wearstler accent lamps.

If you look closely you can even see that I have my lamp stacked on her Hue coffee table book 😉 Her Hue book is no longer available (unless you scour eBay or Poshmark), but you can find her new book Evocative Style on Amazon. Coffee table books are another essential on your living room side table. They look great, showcase your personality and interests, and obviously you can read them too (you probably won’t if we’re being honest, but it’s fun to pretend). Since my lamps are on the smaller size, I choose to stack them on my decorative books to add scale. Of course, you could always buy a larger lamp, BUT larger lamps usually mean larger price tags which we don’t always want to spend. If you have a smaller lamp and you want to add height or make a statement, try this tactic out! You can also use pretty design magazines as well (hello, Vogue, Vanity Fair, RH catalogues, Architectural Digest).

Next, obviously you’ll want a candle. I love this cloche glass jar candle from Target. It’s the cashmere vanilla scent and it smells heavenly. It’s only $10 which I think is a steal considering the gorgeous reusable packaging. It would be perfect for cotton balls, q-tips, or even little candies once your candle is finished burning. All you have to do is pour boiling water to remove the wax, then clean it out with water and dish soap. Voila, good as new! FYI a glass cloche at Ikea is $5 with no jar or candle, so I think a cloche candle is your best bet.

Last but not least, flowers always make any space prettier. I bought these pink ranunculus at Trader Joe’s. You’ve heard me say it before and I’ll say it again, Trader Joe’s is the best place for affordable flowers. When I’m not blessed to have fresh flowers, I have my trusty marble coaster in its place. It’s pretty and functional. I bought my exact ones at Homegoods, but I linked a very similar set from Amazon.

Here is how I styled my side table flanking the other side of the couch. As you can see, it closely mirrors the other with the stacked books, a lamp, candle, and flowers. My Type-A Brain needs the symmetry and I prefer the way it looks.

I have my trusty Trader Joe’s cream roses, tortoise shell candle (bought at Homegoods but linked similar), RH catalog, and a historical book about Indianapolis I found at Goodwill. There you have it. If you’re not sure how to start styling your living room tables, just follow my easy formula. Flowers + stacked coffee table books + decorative lamp + candle = chef’s kiss. Oh and don’t forget coasters to protect your table. A decorative tray would look great too if you want to switch things up. Read my post all about my favorite decorative trays for more inspiration.

If you’re curious about my actual side tables themselves, I don’t have an exact link since they’re old from Homegoods. Wayfair has a similar live edge natural wood table with black metal legs that’s worth checking out.

Thanks for reading along! Leave your comments and questions below.