FOOL PROOF FORMULA FOR HOW TO DECORATE YOUR COFFEE TABLE

I love styling all corners of the home but a coffee table takes the cake. It’s by far my favorite thing to style, and I’m constantly switching things up to keep things interesting. Despite changing decor pieces often, my coffee table decor formula remains constant. Keep reading so you can try it out in your home too!

Alright, your agonizing wait is over… The perfect formula for decorating a chic coffee table = layered coffee table books + decorative tray + nice candle + decorative objects + (optional) flowers.

(1) Decorative coffee table books. Books are a must in my opinion. I hoard them all over my house on practically every surface. They look great, personalize a space, and can be educational if you ever get around to opening them up 😉 My table currently consists of the Tom Ford coffee table book, Porsche written by Anders Ditlev Clausager (found at Goodwill), The Book of the Golden Retriever written by Anna Katherine Nicholas (also found at Goodwill), and Matty Matheson: A Cookbook. If you’re interested, I dedicated an entire blog post about whether or not the Tom Ford coffee table book is worth the money. Check it out!

(2) Decorative tray. I have trays ALL over my house (my coffee table, my bedside table, even behind my toilet). They took great and are a great organization and/or storage tool. If you’re looking for a clever way to hide your tv remotes, you could swap out the tray for a decorative box such as this marble vanity box from West Elm, this Studio McGee ivory and wood decorative box from Target, or this gorgeous textured cement box from CB2. I found my lucite tray at Homegoods, so I don’t have a link for it, but I did do an entire blog post about the best decorative trays if you’re looking for more inspiration.

(3) Boujee candle. I should probably shut up about Diptyque candles already, but I’m not going to. Yes, they’re stupid expensive but have the magical ability to elevate your space and make it look more luxurious. If you’ve been wanting to try out the brand, the Diptyque travel size set is currently on sale as part of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale (public access begins July 28th). They rarely go on sale, so it’s a good time to buy! If you don’t want to sell your left kidney to pay for Diptyque, Homegoods and Target always have great affordable candle options as well.

(4) Decorative objects. Now that you have your base, it’s time to decorate! Nothing is ever complete without frivolous decor items that just sit there looking pretty. I have a handmade abstract painted bowl (bought from a local artist at a coffee shop in Indy) filled with matchboxes that my grandparents collected over the years during their travels. Okay, maybe these aren’t so frivolous. These items hold a lot of sentimental value to me, which is always something you should keep in mind when decorating your home. Customize your home with old family heirlooms, don’t just raid Homegoods and buy everything in sight. Obviously I don’t have links to these items, but Crate&Barrel has a similar abstract black serving bowl, and Etsy has some cool decorative matchboxes. CB2 also as the CUTEST glass cloche with matches that would look great perched on your coffee table. I don’t have a link for the black trinket jar, but Etsy has the coolest alternative I could find: a black and white resin trinket jar.

(5) Flowers! Who doesn’t love to have fresh flowers? These are super optional as it can get quite expensive to buy flowers every week. I am partial to cream roses (from Trader Joe’s, of course), light pink or white peonies, or ranunculus. When I am not blessed with fresh flowers, I typically have three staggered candlesticks or my white ceramic footed bowl resting on my Tom Ford book. It honestly changes weekly though!

If you’re curious where I bought my glass coffee table from, I’ve linked it here. If you’re on the fence about a glass table, read my post about furniture exclusively for Type A people.

Alright, that’s all from me, folks. I hope you enjoyed! Follow my formula for the perfectly styled coffee table, and let me know what you think.