Quick Coffee Table Styling Tips- 20 Minutes (Or Less)

If you have a coffee table, then this post will help you save time. Learn some quick coffee table styling tips and essentials to have on hand. 

Is anyone really sure why the table that often centers our living room called a “coffee table”? Maybe it harkens back to an era gone by when a formal living room was a place to sip coffee after dinner? Sometimes called a “cocktail table”, but to my knowledge those are generally smaller and taller. Clearly our lifestyles have changed, but a coffee table should still have at least a portion reserved for useable space. A place to actually place your coffee cup, or a glass of wine. I’m joining in with some incredible friends today for our monthly series 20 Minute Decorating, hosted by Lory of Designthusiasm. Be sure to scroll to the bottom for that…

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Quick Coffee Table Styling Tips

• Clear your table and clean it off! My table glass and brass coffee table had some stray candle wax left from the holidays that I scraped off with a box cutter.
• Think of styling your coffee table with a theme. We all have a different approach and there really is no one size fits all or right/wrong way.
• Themes can be grouped via era, color or season. For the purpose of this post I’ve done color grouping and era.

Quick Coffee Table Styling – The Basic Essentials

Trays – 

Trays are perfect for organizing small objects on your coffee table. Not only do they hold groupings well, but they protect the tabletop from damage such as candle wax. Look for trays in stores like HomeGoods when out shopping. I am always on the hunt for a square tray, since this coffee table is square.

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Books – 

Hello…coffee table books are appropriately named! I also collect antique books for their display value and group them on my coffee table often. One of my more popular DIY tutorials will show you how to MAKE NEW BOOKS LOOK OLD too.

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Plants and Floral Arrangements –

Add some life to your coffee table with plants. They can be real or faux, and one of the most budget friendly ways to accomplish this is using garden cuttings. Along with this thought…look for containers for your plants or flowers when out and about. I just found the large green pot at a yard sale ($10) this past weekend. Filled with some clippings from my garden it’s perfect for quick coffee table styling or on the mantel!

Small Decorative Objects –

These are the icing on the cake and I’m going to count candles in this category. Other options could be vintage pieces, sea shells, geodes, items from your travels and anything that speaks to you. Group them in odd numbers like 3 or 5 for a realistic less styled appearance.

Steps For 20 Minute Coffee Table Styling

1. Decide on your theme and gather pertinent objects.
2. Place a tray.
3. Put some “smalls” on the tray, keeping in mind that grouping in odd numbers clearly adds interest.
4. Choose books…again, odd numbers look best. If you plan on reading them, lay them out flat and just one book left open adds some drama! Groups of books make for great plateaus to elevate a single large item as well.
5. Last but not least can be your plant or greenery and voila…you are done. Without a doubt…in 20 minutes or less!

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