5 ways to style your coffee table for maximum impact
5 WAYS TO STYLE YOUR COFFEE TABLE FOR MAXIMUM IMPACT
A coffee table is often a central point of a living room. Chances are, it’s surrounded by sofas and seating and is used for everything from eating to stacking books on.
It can be much more than simply a practical addition to your living room, however. Styling it to match the season, for example, can refresh the whole room quickly and easily. Or, you can use it to display choice pieces of art, use it for additional lighting or a place to store your favourite books and treasures.
Here are 5 ways we recommend styling your coffee table to get the most out of your furniture choices.
It may seem weird that our first tip is to dial back the coffee table styling, but bear with us and we’ll explain why.Living spaces have to be functional as well as beautiful. No matter how much you would love to create a static work of art with your décor, the reality is you live in the space too.
By keeping your coffee table clean and clear of too much styling, you have a useful space to utilise throughout the day. And, depending on your coffee table of choice, displaying the space in and of itself can lift your living room in an entirely different way to crowding it with fresh flowers or magazines.
Alternatively, if the rest of the room is busy with pattern, colour and texture, keeping the coffee table bare and clear makes it pop and adds a pleasing contrast. It works the other way too – if you have a generally minimalist vibe, then styling your coffee table with ornaments and keepsakes is a great way to make it stand out and add a splash of personality to the room.
The beauty of this idea is that your coffee table can still function as a footstool, supper table or somewhere to stash your paperwork. In between uses, the tray sits on top with the styling of your choice.
It’s easy to move on and off the table, it’s practical and it can be as maximalist or minimalist as you like. You can change it up as often as you like, and move the focus point from the centre to the sides. This is a particularly useful idea if you like to refresh your room regularly.
Regardless of your colour or texture choices in your living room, you can still change how it looks and feels by experimenting with scale.
For example, if you ensure that any ornamentation on the coffee table is less than a third of the table’s height, the proportions of the room will immediately just ‘work’. Or, if you’re happy with the focus all going on the table, make it the centrepiece by treating it like an art installation – something that stands out on every level.
Accent colours can make a real style statement for your living room, particularly if you have a modernist or minimalist design and colour palette.
For example, black finishes can work brilliantly with a neutral background. The black trim anchors the whole colour scheme together and can be displayed in the coffee table choice itself.
Always take into account shapes and textures when selecting an accent colour. Allow it to reflect your personal taste and give a dynamic or relaxed vibe to your room, depending on your preferences.
You’re not restricted to what you place on top of your coffee table for a stylish finish. By selecting a footstool to match your sofa, for example, and using that as the coffee table focus, you can change the whole look of a room.
This also allows you to experiment with fabric and colour, as well as with shape and form. A beautifully upholstered footstool with an unusual or intricate texture can result in a centrepiece for your living room that demands attention.
Always go with what you and your family genuinely love. Don’t be distracted by style magazines or changing trends if you’re more into classical designs and comfortable sofas. At the same time, don’t worry about trying something different.
The great thing about coffee table styling is that it can really change the look and feel of the whole living room easily and relatively inexpensively. You can change up the magazines, books, keepsakes or objets d’art as often – or as little – as you like.
Aim for a relaxed but functional end result, as you’re always going to want to actually use the coffee table as well as admire it!
We’ve been in the sofa game for over 50 years. It’s safe to say we know a thing or two about making your life easier and more comfortable.
We want you to love the look and feel of your new zofa from the moment you set eyes on it (and sit on it of course). We’ll happily send you a box of fabric samples and who knows, we might throw a little something extra in with it too.
