Coffee tables are the centerpieces of living rooms. They tie the aesthetics of a room together and are an essential part of your home – both from a practical and visual perspective. While they often become magnets for clutter, with a bit of style ingenuity you can bring your living room to life.
There is a bit of science of planning involved here, but overall, it is easy to style your favorite coffee table to suit the look and feel of the room. Style yours like a design professional by following these five simple tips below:
1. Design For Balance
Balance is one of the most essential elements in life and design. Maintaining balance is more about equalizing perspective and space and using your design area to the best of your ability.
Nothing looks worse than a cluttered coffee table, with knick-knacks, books, remotes, and keys all haphazardly strewn all over. Too many small items can overload a coffee table faster than you think. Contrastingly, only displaying large items doesn’t work either – they overpower the space and look cumbersome.
Achieve and maintain balance by varying the scale of the objects and grouping similar pieces.
2. Seasonal Changes
As one of the most crucial focal points in your living room, your coffee table is one of the most effective places to make seasonal swap-outs. Apartment furniture often needs to be smaller or double as storage and coffee tables can be the perfect mix of these two.
Nothing says spring or summer more than fresh flowers or a carefully placed seashell for beach vibes next to the storage for the remotes.
When it comes to fall and winter, opt for warmer-toned pieces, and fully lean into the dried arrangements, pumpkins, and spiced candles aesthetic.
3. Size Matters
When choosing the perfect coffee table for your living room, remember that the ideal distance from the edge of your sofa to the edge of your table is fixed at around eighteen inches. Most people make the mistake of leaving too much room – or not enough.
The height of your table is crucial for its overall effectiveness within the space. The top of the table should be one or two inches lower than the seats of your sofa. Consult a table-size guide if you’re unsure where yours stands.
4. Multilevel Styling
If all your décor items are at the same level, they will look cluttered and lose their individuality. Create a more eye-catching aesthetic by varying the height and scale of your pieces.
Use taller objects like vases and plants to give the illusion of better-used space. For those who love minimalism, it’s fine to keep things simple with just a small plant and a few books at the same height.
5. Material Choice
The material you choose for your coffee table will dictate how it would be best styled. Keeping things organic with wood and stone is best paired with greenery, metal tables look fabulous when paired with metallic objects, and so on.
Vintage tables are best topped with minimalist accessories like trays and low bowls or platters.
Styling your coffee table need not fill you with anxious feelings or dread. Learn to have fun doing it and it will instantly stop feeling like a chore.
