How to Style a Square or Rectangular Coffee Table
09/22 How To

How to Style a Square or Rectangular Coffee Table

A go-to coffee table recipe

A well-styled coffee table can pull a room together like nothing else… 

but it can be hard to know where to start. Not only are there countless ways to style a coffee table, but there are so many different sizes and shapes of coffee tables, each permitting a different magic balance. 

When it comes to styling a square or rectangular coffee table, it’s all about starting with the basics.  

Here are our favorite tips for styling a square or rectangular coffee table:  

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No. 1: Set the foundation  

Creating a base to build off is important when designing anything, but especially when styling a coffee table. One of the easiest ways to start is with a tray. Not only do trays bring the perfect focal point or base, but they are great for corralling everything that ends up there, whether that’s a candle and coasters or a stray remote.  

From The Sunset House

Grounding & dimensional styling trays

A base perfect for corralling everyday objects.
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Rounded Rattan Tray
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Cordova Tray
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Carved Paulownia & Leather Tray
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Leather Crafted Tray
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Genuine Leather Tray
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Seagrass Catch-All Basket
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Woven Seagrass Table Tray
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Natural Grass Woven Tray
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Paper Mache Round Tray
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Paulownia Wood Tray
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Vintage Wooden Oval Tray

No. 2: Add books 

Next, you want to build off the look with more sustains all pieces.  

Coffee table books have more purposes than we can count. They are beautiful, they are conversation starters, and they may even encourage you to slow down and flip through some inspirational pages. We love stacking books to create a bit of height or a landing place for other decorative items. 

From our Rye New York Project

Our favorite coffee-table books

Add personality and sophistication to your coffee table.
Shop our favorite coffee table books
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Houses: Atelier AM
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Architectural Digest at 100
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Down To Earth
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Georgia O'Keeffe: Watercolors
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Cy Twombly: Making Past Present
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Monet: Paintings at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
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Pacific Natural
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Great Escapes Europe
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Sailing the Seas
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Great Escapes Italy
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Restoration House
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Surf Shacks Vol. 2
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From The Land

No. 3: Add in levels  

Whether your coffee table is big or small, it’s always a good idea to have some varying levels to bring interest. Playing with height doesn’t have to mean tall breakable vases or florals you can’t see the TV over. In some cases, we use a few stacked boxes for form and functionality. Bonus: boxes make for great storage to store those random things that always seem to end up here.   

From our AZ Homestead Project

Decorative boxes we love

Bring more levels of height to the look with stacked decorative boxes.
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Natural Cane Box
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Rectangle Brass Boxes
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Wilmot Boxes
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Broken Stripe Box
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Woven Cane Tuscan Box
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Crossed Bone Box
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Rattan & Glass Box
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Travertine Striped Box
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Grid Patterned Box
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Wood & Brass Box
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Plateau Lid Box
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Hexagon Patterned Box
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Lidded Natural Wood Container
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Natural Woven Baskets (Set of 3)
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Burl Box
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Grid Bone Box

No. 4: Layer in decorative objects 

Decorative objects are the best way to add some interest to your coffee table, but you don’t have to use a fragile sculptural piece to implement this tip in your space. Something beautiful but functional like a door stopper, paperweight, or even a pretty deck of cards will do the trick.  

From The Cliffside Netflix Remodel

How to Style a Square or Rectangular Coffee Table
How to Style a Square or Rectangular Coffee Table

From our Beckham Project

Objects of interest

Elevate your coffee table with a decorative object.
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Wooden Chain Links
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Charcoal Soapstone Link
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Aluminum Crosshatch Object
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Aged Brass Bells (Set of 3)
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Duo Marble Stone Links
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Industrial Weave Object
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Gold Loop Object
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Bucharest Iron Bells
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Knotted Marble Object
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Faceted Bone Beads
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Iron Cubed Object
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Round & Square Wooden Links
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Jute & Wood Garland
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Curved Aluminum Interlude Object
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Intercept Sculpture
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Linked Wood Object
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Brass Anchor Paperweight
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Stone & Iron Door Stop
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Gilded Knot Object

No. 5: Add a pretty candle  

The key to making your living room feel instantly cozy? Light a candle! We love layering in designer candles to bring an elevated touch to the space, ignite all the senses, and create an experience.  

Explore more of our 2021 Fall Collection here.

Candles that steal the show

Ignite the senses and create an experience.
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Palo Santo & Oakmoss Candle
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Neroli & Vetiver Candle
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Freesia & Pear Candle
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Sandalwood + Fleur Candle
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Citrus + Birch Candle
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Salt + Sea Candle
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Voyage et Cie 3-Wick Candle
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Maison Louis Marie Candle
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Maison Louis Marie Candle
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Maison Louis Marie Candle

For tips on styling a circle coffee table, check out our post here.

Watch our video below for a visual guide to how we styled the coffee table in our Pine Brook Project 

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5 Comments
Studio McGee
  1. At which project was this filmed? I’d love to save the living room photos to my idea board for our next home. Thanks!

  2. Looks lovely! I’m curious — where do you keep the books (of which there are several — Bible, devotional, my book, my husband’s book, my journal) that you use regularly? I have them on the coffee table and it isn’t attractive.

    1. You could store them in a large box, stacked or alone! We tend to keep journals upstairs in our nightstands!

  3. Any thoughts on wood coffee tables and how the decor should coordinate? For example, if I have a wood coffee table, is a wooden tray a no-no? I noticed that you went with a leather tray in this example.

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