How to Style a Coffee Table

Today, we’re talking about how to style a coffee table with the fabulous ladies of the Back to Basics Series. I’m really excited for you guys to see what we’re sharing today because these ladies all represent their style so well. Some have small children, some have no children, some have grown children or children that are already out of the house but rest assured they all have active lives.

I’m sharing this because sometimes I get emails from you guys about wanting to decorate your home around your family life and feeling frustrated that you only see “perfectly staged spaces” on social media. I can completely relate. Sometimes, I’ll be looking though my favorite magazines and see a gorgeously styled table or vignette and think to myself, “I love that look but my mischievous pets would knock the branches out of that vase in about 2 minutes!”

We’re here to share simple, every day, basic solutions to common problems with you through this series. So, take the inspiration that works best for you and your family and stay confident in your skills. You can totally do this! Ready? Me too!

We recently changed things up in our living room. It was starting to feel just a little too cluttered so we decided to take out the distraction of the big tv to make sure we had plenty of room to read, relax, enjoy a rowdy game night and cozy up by the fire. You can read all about how we created a library for our living room here.

Anyway, once we made those changes we wanted our coffee table to look nice but we also wanted to be able to move everything off quickly if we decided to use it to play games or put together a puzzle. We also wanted to make sure the coffee table wasn’t so full we didn’t have room to put up our feet with multiple bowls of popcorn.

If you have similar needs at your house, you may want to consider using a large flat basket or tray with handles. This one is made from water hyacinth. It’s both durable and helps to add texture too which is always a good thing.

Since we’re reading all the time we fill one side of the basket with our favorite books. I’m currently working on projects at the horse farm and Bliss Barracks so I’ve been reading my favorite decorating books but you could just as easily fill this space with coffee table books, your favorite novels or even your favorite magazines.

Next, add something that has a bit of height think candlesticks, vases, architectural pieces, a totally awesome vintage find or a family heirloom. I’ve added a moss ball to this vase to help increase the height but could also use feathers, vintage paint brushes, seasonal items like pumpkins, a plant or whatever you like.

Then add something that has a smaller height but an appropriate scale to the mix. This is just a thrifted ironstone picture that we’ve filled with simple eucalyptus but again you could put easily put seasonal flowers in it like mums or goldenrod for fall.

The last thing I add to the coffee table basket is a candle.   I picked up this one from Marshalls for about $8. We usually have candles burning in the house and this one smells really good. As always, never leave a candle unattended or within reach of children or mischievous pets.

The best thing about using something like this on the coffee table is how easily it can be moved!

It’s definitely a no-fuss option if you have an active family, frequently host neighbors or entertain friends a lot.

I know some of you guys have started decorating for Fall already so I thought I would share a simple way you can transition this look from every day to seasonal too. I added a few pumpkins that were the same colors as the vases in lieu of the candle

and added a fall floral pick to the eucalyptus. You can usually find picks like this at most craft supply stores for just a few dollars.

We kept everything else on the coffee table the same so you could see how with just a few changes you can create a seasonal look without having to redecorate everything.

Be sure to check out the fabulous ladies of the Back to Basic series below. They’re all really talented!

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See you guys back here tomorrow. I’ll share easy Fall mantel ideas. Until next time, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Many blessings,

CoCo