3 WAYS TO STYLE A COFFEE TABLE OR OTTOMAN
I’ve talked many times about decorating with the things you love around your home, rotating seasonally and redecorating again. Today’s post is about 3 ways to style a coffee table or ottoman. I had fun experimenting with this one, using many of my favorite pieces.
I’m continuously looking for new and different ways to switch things up around our home. It’s like a studio in here – I’m shooting for blog posts on a regular basis, always bringing in, and rotating different ‘props’ for different stories. My family is pretty used to it by now!
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I recently shared different ways to style a console table – it’s a post full of styling tips I think you’ll love.
When I’m decorating, I’ll always use a new accessory I picked up and add it to the mix, or add a new design book. Truth be told, I get stuck in my decorating ways, and sometimes when I love something so much, I won’t change much at all.
There are so many ways you can bring your personality to your home. Keep reading for tips to style a coffee table that speak to who you are.
BEAUTIFUL OBJECTS IN BLUE AND WHITE
Blue and white is one of my favorites as you all know and I can’t have enough of it.
Especially with the plethora that’s available on the market right now – I’m continuously on the hunt for new pieces to add to my collection.
Most of you already know this about me…
It’s really funny that I haven’t used it as a grouping on our ottoman until now. But I can tell you, I am LOVING this look.
I could live in a house that’s entirely blue and white! Since we’re in the thick of Summer, what better arrangement to be using?
You can also see how I’ve styled our ottoman for in my summer home tour post.
Many of my pieces I’ve picked up here or there, some form vintage shops, some are ‘borrowed’ from my mother’s collection, many I’ve scored in Chinatown, and others from different retailers like HomeSense (or HomeGoods), Pier 1 Imports, or Bombay Company.
There’s just something magical that happens when I see all these beauties corralled in one place.
To add dimension and interest and to play up the summery look, I’ve added some coral, sand dollars and shells.
Not everyone collects blue and white, or has enough pieces to group together like this, but the idea is to style a coffee table like this is to display a monochromatic collection – a group of accessories and vases within the same color palette.
Look around your home and gather items that are within the same color family – even blue and green can work for this look, because they’re both cool colors.
Or, maybe you want to stick to a vibrant palette if you have some brightly colored pieces around your home.
Whether it’s one color, or two or three, it’s important to group things that are similar for this look.
Then add in three or four other objects to break it up – like I have with the coral and other accessories.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- GROUP LIKE ITEMS TOGETHER
- USE ONE TO THREE COLORS MAXIMUM
- BREAK IT UP WITH DIFFERENT, SMALLER PIECES
SHOP BLUE AND WHITE HERE :
CANDLEHOLDERS IN GLASS AND METAL
Another gorgeous way to style a coffee table is with a grouping of candles.
Please make sure that if you’re lighting candles like this, never leave them unattended, or even think of lighting them with kids or pets around!
This is an ‘adult only’ party, and even then you have to be careful, ha!
Seriously though, this is look is so easy to pull off and it can work any time of year.
The best part, is it looks as beautiful when the candles aren’t lit. Keep the lighting for when it’s just a quiet evening.
Or, use this as a tablescape centerpiece, where it’s out of harm’s way.
Everyone has candleholders and everyone has glass jars or containers of some kind.
Be creative and use things you have around…mason jars, glassware – even wine glasses with tea lights can work for this look.
Mix them in with tall candlesticks – I used different metals mixed together, but you can use any kind you like.
Add in some reflective accessories like this glass sphere that I topped off this candleholder with.
How gorgeous does that light look bouncing around in there?
Small, lower votives are a key element to this look as well. If you don’t have any, use lowball or juice glasses – I know you all have those! 
I didn’t have time to retouch out my reflection and of course, I’m wearing a red t-shirt…try to ignore it if you can!
Aren’t these beautiful just like this?
And magical when they’re lit as well…
When arranging a grouping like this, make sure to use varying heights for maximum effect.
Keep them as close together as possible and fill in the empty spaces with the smallest candles.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- STAGGER DIFFERENT HEIGHTS
- CLUSTER OBJECTS CLOSE TOGETHER
- FILL IN THE HOLES WITH LOW ITEMS
SHOP CANDLE HOLDERS HERE :
STYLE YOUR TABLE WITH ACCESSORIES AND BOOKS
My last look on how to style a coffee table or ottoman is with your favorite pieces grouped together.
Why not gather all the things you love in one place?
If you’re like me and you have a love for accessories, this is your lucky arrangement ;)
I have to use blue and white here, so I started this look with a couple of my newer pieces, like the bowl and ginger jar.
I love this faux orchid – it looks so real and goes anywhere it gets set down.
Always a classic piece in any home, and well, the blue and white pot is too cute.
Bowls, agate bookends, decorative lacquer boxes and small dishes are all things I love to collect and have multiples of.
Arranging them atop a stack of beautiful books (design and decorating books in my case) is a no-fail way to showcase your beloved beauties.
I use this basic styling trick everywhere in our home and it’s the easiest way to show off the pieces you love.
Anything that’s raised up on something suddenly has more importance and your eye is drawn in.
If you don’t have a lot of books, you can use magazines to start – fashion magazines, decorating magazines or National Geographic would make a fabulous statement with those gorgeous yellow spines.
Try to keep the look clean and use magazines with thicker spines that are bound like a book – not the stapled kind!
You want to avoid anything that may look cluttered.
I arranged these stacks in an evenly spaced grid-like pattern, and I covered as much space as possible for strong visual impact.
You can play around with your color palette – mine uses black and white, different blue tones and some green, with a touch of brown – all which are neutrals.
This idea is create a ‘collected’ look of your favorite things. Be sure when grouping items together, you have a cohesive color palette, to avoid a cluttered look.
Keep in mind that whatever you’re using will add color – so the top book is something you want to pay attention to. 
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- USE MULTIPLE BOOKS OR THICK MAGAZINES
- CREATE AN EVEN GRID PATTERN
- DEFINE YOUR COLOR PALETTE
- KEEP THE LOOK COLLECTED, BUT CLEAN
- PAY ATTENTION TO THE COLOR & DESIGN OF TOP BOOK
Thanks so much for stopping in, I hope you found some tips that you can use on your coffee table! Tell me your favorite look in the comments below! I also want to know what you’d like to see…I want to hear all about it! xo
SHOP DESIGN BOOKS HERE :
SHOP LIVING ROOM PIECES HERE :
Thank you so much you’re so kind! These are years old! We bought them when we built our home several years ago, from a Canadian manufacturer called Decor-Rest. Unfortunately, I don’t think they’re available anymore! I’m sorry I’m not more help!
Hi there,
Great post! I LOVE navy and whites together. I apologize if this has been asked & answered already ( I tried to read all of the comments). Do you mind sharing where your couches are from?
THank you,
Michelle
Hi! This is an oldie! I actually painted and added gold leaf to it myself! It used to be a brown and beige lacquer…so haps you liked my post, I truly appreciate it! xo
Where did you find your gold tray?? I need that in my life! Great post, love it!
WOW juwt whzt I wwas looking for. Came here by searching for interior design
Hi! The walls are Collingwood by Benjamin Moore, in eggshell and the trim is Ultra Pure White by Behr, in semigloss :)
Wouldn’t that be nice to have haha! Thanks for stopping by!!
Everything is perfect, I could move right in! That black hole ( the TV ) above the fireplace, is distracting. Need a thin white Asian frame, with a blue willow motif, to cover it!
Hi Tamara,
Can you please let me know what the exact paints are.
Please and thank you
I love the blue and white and have used it in my home for years. It is so helpful to see different ways to style a space and get ideas. I especially loved the candle collection. It is stunning!! And the gold tray is awesome. I have been looking for one like that for awhile and would love to know where you got it. Thanks for all the wonderful tips!
Hi Marilyn! Thank you so much for stopping by, I’m glad you like everything! I think round trays are fabulous and yours must look great – you can totally pull this off with a large round tray! That said, for something different go with a large square tray, that will fit the proportion of a circle better than a rectangular one. I hope that helps! xo
Wonderful post, beautiful pictures and items. My one problem is that my coffee table in the living room is large and round. So I have had to use round trays or wood circular items. Any suggestions on if I could use a rectangular tray???
Thank you so much! Walls are Collingwood by Benjamin Moore, the door is Cracked Pepper and the trim is Ultra Pure White, both by Behr :) Thank you so much for stopping by to say hi! xo
I love this room. What paint colors did you use on walls, trim and door?
Teri thank you so much for your awesome comment – I am thrilled to hear from you! I love that you love blue as well – we have it in all the bedrooms and bathrooms right now also! We must be twins separated at birth haha! Although, I’m painting out daughter’s room blush very soon, so no more blue in there! I’m also so happy that you found my post useful – that’s the whole reason I do this! I love to connect with people and give them the tools they need to create a home they love! There are so many ways to do it too…and mixing metals is one of my favorite things to do! I often talk about it in my posts :) So so happy you like it, and it really means a lot to me to hear that! Have a great week! xo
I am a blue lover just like you. Almost my entire house has some shade: teal in my bedroom, navy/cream/beige in my living room and kitchen, navy/gray/red in my son’s room, aqua/pink in my daughter’s room etc. Your first arrangement really spoke to me.
But your second one—wow! The way the light is bounced off the clear glass as well as the mixed metals is genius. In fact, easily a Christmas time arrangement without being literal. A few paragraphs down and you mentioned the same thing-ha! I Love it, and now want to create something similar for my dining room table (small house, no room for coffee table or ottoman) Funny too is that you mixed metals–a look that I definitely cringed at a few years ago, but have totally embraced now. It used to be such a no-no– especially in regards to fashion.
That orchid is really convincing too. Love the container. I could see this working in a lot of places in my home.
I really enjoyed this post. I especially like the formula behind the beauty-thanks for sharing your tips. It really breaks it down into something I can think about when trying to style my home!
Thank you Rose! So happy you stopped by and you’re right, they are all so easy! Our walls are Collingwood by Benjamin Moore :)
Great choices,easy to try them all. Love everything about this post. May I ask what color are your wall. Thank you.
Hi Christine! Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! I love that you love to use things around your home in different ways – it’s amazing how something can feel completely new! I’m in the process of thinking about my Fall and Holiday decor and just like you said – making it simple and effective, I love that! Thank you for your ideas, my wheels are turning! So happy you stopped by to say hi!! xo
Thank you so much Darlene! Isn’t it so classic? You can never go wrong no matter where you put it! I love that you love it too!! Thank you so much for stopping by to say hello! Happy weekend! xo
I too love the blue and white! Have it all around my house in many different shades. Also have the orchid in the blue vase. Your home is beautiful, love it.
I love the glass / metal and candles. I think they look beautiful for anytime of the year.
I think your pictures and tips are very helpful and create you to imagine things that you own and love in different rooms in your home. I am currently in the process of redoing my home relative to decor and I am finding I use things all over the house and fall in love with them all over again.
What I would like to see is some simple but effective decorations for fall and Christmas. How can we make a major statement or say, happy holidays that we can enjoy all season long. Perhaps 3 table setting for Christmas Breakfast or Lunch. Simple ways to show the spirit all through the house.
Thank you and I look forward to your next email.
Sonya, I think this look may be my favorite!! I always love to display collected items and books are such a great way to do that! So happy you’re inspired!! Thank you SO MUCH for leaving me a comment! xoxo
Gorgeous! I’m a blue and white lover also, so that was my favorite but all three were beautiful. I’ve been struggling with my coffee table and the scale of the items, I believe I will try the third look!
Thank you SO MUCH Joni! I truly appreciate that – it makes me so happy knowing that you find ideas when you visit! Your support means so much, thank you! xo
Love them all. I always come away with some new idea after reading your posts. ?
Shar you are the best!! I just love you! Thank you so much for stopping by sweets! xoxo
Love them all!! Tam this is such a helpful post! Great ideas and tips that we can use! Gorgeous!!!