How to Style One Coffee Table Two Ways

Coffee table styling is one of those staple, bread-and-butter design topics that we will never tire of talking about…

and today, we’re going to show you how we styled one of our favorite coffee tables in two different ways!

One of the many reasons we love classic, staple pieces is that there are so many different ways you can style them to make a big impact from room to room, and home to home. Whether you’re stacking a pile of books for a modern touch or curating vintage vases for added character, the possibilities are endless with coffee table styling. Here’s a breakdown of two of our recent looks:

Look #1:

For this look, we wanted to create something with a lot of texture to add an element of character to the room. Starting with two, similarly-sized vintage pots in a cluster, we added some asymmetry by placing some stems in one and leaving the other empty.

To balance the weight, we added a marble catch-all dish filled with vintage books to compliment the two taller pots.

We used books to divide the look into sections and bring some dimension to the pieces on top. On one, we styled another, shorter pot for some height variation, and on another, some beads to contrast the vintage elements and add a touch of glam.

Look #2:

For look two, we started with a canned vase to bring texture and dimension to the table (literally,) and then used the same heavy, marble tray to offset the weight. In this case, the tray balances the height of the coffee table books to ground the look.

Next, we added stacks of books for a more modern take on sectioning the coffee table.

To create more interest, we added two metallic bells on one stack of the coffee table books and left the other alone to bring some asymmetry.