A coffee table is often the centrepiece of the living room around which all the other furniture and appliance are arranged around. We used it to dump our things at the end of the day, double it as a dining table and sometimes use it as a leg rest too.
When we clutter the coffee table, it spoils the look of the entire living room. Here are a few tips to help you arrange and style the coffee table with ease.
- Strike the Balance
A coffee table is a functional piece but at the same time, a presentable one too. Striking a balance between presentation and its functionality is essential. You do not want a coffee table that is not useful but looks good like it’s out of a magazine. At the same, a cluttered coffee table that barely does any justice to its beauty is not something you would want to see every day.
To make the coffee table look inviting and fulfilling its functions, add a mix of decorative items and the arrange the usual things you keep on the coffee table in such a way that they look harmonious. With this arrangement, you can use the coffee table and still have it look pretty and neat.
- Flowers Are Always the Right Choice
Confused about the kind of decoration will look best on your coffee table? Pick flowers. You can never go wrong with a flower arrangement at the centre of the coffee table. It can be a single flower in a simple vase or a group of flowers. This simple arrangement is best for small coffee tables as it will add elegance without taking much space and without robbing the beauty of the coffee table.
- Complementary Decorative Items
You would have spent quite a lot of money on buying a coffee table but in the end, do you want some decorative pieces overpowering it? Therefore, whatever decorative items you are picking out for the coffee table, make sure that it complements the coffee table well instead of taking away its attention.
It is best to go for minimal items that blend in well with the colour and design of the coffee table instead of sticking out. Pick out items that are small and fit in easily with the other things that will usually be kept on the coffee table.
- Try the Shape Symmetry
This is again an age-old technique but works whenever you want to add a little more elegance. If you have a round or an oval coffee table, it is best to pick out the decorative pieces in the same shape. If you have a rectangular coffee table, you can go for similarly shaped items like beautiful wooden or glass chess board with pieces according to the material of the coffee table or cubic design pieces.
- Play with a Mix of High and Low
Again the composition of the items and its shapes come into play. Instead of having items that are flat out small and short, you can try a mix of things some of which are thin and tall like a flower vase and something short and stumpy like a cubic box. This will give an evened out look to the coffee table making it stand out without calling too much attention to decorative pieces.
- Have a Container for Your Essentials
It is normal to find remotes, mobile phones, pen and notepads on the coffee table. However, scattering it around randomly will end up messing with the decoration. Hence, have a nice boxed container or even an open one according to the shape and the material of the coffee table. This will help to give a more organized look of the coffee table without messing with the decorations.
- Don’t Leave Any Shelf Empty
Some coffee tables will have a bottom shelf to keep the books and magazines. Do not leave it out empty just to keep the table clean. Coffee table, as we earlier said, is a functional piece and it looks the best when it seems useful. Hence, keep your stack of magazines and books neatly arranged on the bottom.
Some coffee tables are layered with two or three separate areas. In this case, too, it is essential not to leave any area of the table empty. Try to go for a combination of storage items, small decorative pieces and day-to-day items to give a wholesome look.
- Minimal Is Always Better
Please don’t get too carried away by the idea of decorating your coffee table that you clutter it all around with so many items. Sometimes, the minimalistic design speaks better. If you have kept the entire décor of the room minimal, then it makes sense to keep the designing of the room minimal too.
A simple flower vase or a statement piece that blends in with the room décor can speak volumes about your style sense than having so many decorative items strewn around the coffee table.
- Arranging According to the People in the Home
This might seem a little bit out of the usual suggestions you hear. The idea behind it is that a home should reflect the people who live in it. If you have teenagers living in your home, then a few gadgets or their magazines will give the vibe. If you have children in the house, then a few games or puzzle pieces would add to the entire setting. Try to think of things that would represent the people in the room and this way; you can give a meaning to your decoration and make it as a conversational piece.
- Make It a Part of the Room
Last of all, when you consider styling your coffee table, don’t just concentrate on the coffee table alone. Look around the room and take it in. Place the items that blend in with the rest of the décor in the room, the colour and the shapes. For example, if you have a lot of wooden items in the room, adding a potted plant or a set of flowers will look most natural than a shocking metallic piece.
Study the room, understand the theme you are going for and pick out something that aligns with it.