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How to Style the Perfect Curated Coffee Table
By Emily Huxtable - 1st July 2025
For many, the coffee table is a vital part of the living space. Sitting in the very heart of the living room, a coffee table isn't just a surface to rest your drink or hold your most-used items, it can also provide a space to share memories with loved ones, and help us out as a place to rest when we're in need of a break. Whether it holds food, drink, trinkets, decorative accessories, or relaxation aids such as candles or incense, a coffee table is rarely ever left completely plain.
The coffee table isn't just a practical furniture piece, however. Like most aspects of home interiors, the aesthetic appeal of a surface to decorate opens up opportunities for self-expression. If you're unsure how to create a coffee table centrepiece that perfectly combines style with practicality, this guide is on hand to talk you through it step-by-step.
Where do I begin with curating my coffee table?
The first step to curating your dream coffee table is to consider the overall design goal for your home. If you're striving for a warm, cosy environment, you'll want to consider earth tones, soft materials, and calming neutrals, and avoid anything bright or heavily textured. For those who prefer a cleaner, more refined look, consider leaning into simple colours and sleek, shining textures. Sticking to larger items with fewer details or complications can lend to more of a clean design feel, as anything that could constitute clutter will immediately clash with minimalist decor.
Design should never be rooted in heavy rules or strict instructions. Your interiors are meant to reflect you, your personality, and your passions. Choose pieces that spark a little joy in some way, as well as decorative accessories that mean something to you.
There are four main style groups you could consider when you begin deciding what your home decor style is. If you feel one of these categories fits your style more, aim for products that sit within the categories and you'll soon have a coffee table perfectly suited to you.
Rustic
Consider natural materials such as wood, clay, wicker, and unpainted ceramic. For soft furnishings, fabrics such as linen, cotton, and hessian fit a more rustic theme. When it comes to colours, stick to neutrals and let the materials do the talking. At its core, rustic design will always let texture take centre-stage.
Minimalist
Simplicity is key. As long as you're striving for clean lines, monochromatic colours, and simple textures, your style will easily fall into a minimalist theme. Function should be at the forefront, covering the basics of simple living combined with truly practical elements.
Bohemian
Similar to rustic, bohemian style takes natural, simplistic elements and lets them do the talking in your space. Leaning slightly more on eccentricity, boho design takes influence from varying cultures around the world. Many use boho design as an artistic expression of their favourite patterns, prints, colours, and textures to create a warm, uplifting atmosphere, bursting with personality.
Maximalist
Think colour, texture, and pattern, and times it by ten. Statement styling is what makes maximalism truly sing. Maximalist homeware is about extending eccentricity and creativity and allowing your inner artist to flourish. Your surfaces should be filled with well-thought-out pieces that show who you are and what you love, even if they have no real connection to each other.
How do I choose the right coffee table for my room?
It can feel overwhelming to choose the right table for your living room. Thankfully, there are some helpful ways to find one that fits your style and space best. When you consider your preferred style aesthetic - as discussed above - you can instantly narrow down any materials, shapes, and colours that don't fit your vibe. If you adore rustic styling, starting out with choosing a wooden table is a great, easy choice. If you're still unsure what sort of textures and styles you like, looking around your home for finishes on furniture you already have can be useful. If you have a lot of white-painted furniture in your lounge, for example, it might tie your whole room together to have a coffee table that matches.
After you've decided what kind of material you're after, it's time to think about the size of table your space allows. If you have a lot of space in the centre of your living room, you may want to fill this with a statement coffee table in a big rectangle, square, or oval shape. If you're not wanting your coffee table to be too overstated, however, a small side or lamp table could be a better alternative. You could still decorate it as you would a coffee table, but it will be much easier to tuck up a corner and still have space to move around the room.
Where do I begin with adding decorative pieces to my coffee table?
The most important part of styling your coffee table centrepiece is undoubtedly choosing what you put on it. If you want your table to look carefully considered rather than a place for clutter to accumulate, you'll want to consider the 3 golden rules of coffee table styling. These rules are:
Product height
Product type
Product texture
When it comes to choosing the height of products, try not to choose items that are all the same size or height. If you have 3 items you want to display, put the tallest - like a vase for example - in the middle, with a shorter object one side, and an even shorter one the other side.
For product type, try to have 3 varying types of product. Nobody wants to display 3 different plants or 3 different candles without having anything else to break up the theme, for example. A great way to add variety to the pieces you choose is to select 3 items that hold different functions. You could choose a candle for scent, a plant for greenery, and a book for intrigue.
With texture, it's not an essential to add variety, but it can make your table look more interesting. If you want some ceramic, consider a painted planter or candle holder, but then mix this up with a fabric or paperbound book. Finally, adding something natural like a leafy houseplant or a beautiful bouquet of dried flowers can really pull your materials together and add a mix of colours to your mixture of textures, too.
What vases or planters can I put on my coffee table?
Vases are a great way to add a dash of fun to your space, and not just because of what they're holding. While you can add plenty of colour and texture through flowers, an empty vase can create just as much of an impact providing it's intriguing to look at in the first place.
For those who prefer more rustic styling, a rough-textured or unglazed vase in an interesting shape can add interest without overpowering. Opting for vases in neutral or pale shades like this Small Pastel Pink Ceramic Matte Textured Vase provides a great way to make your vase look more sculptural, too. Vases make a wonderful centrepiece to your table, or they can also make a great secondary addition to a stack of books or a lit candle.
For something large and loud, consider a novelty shape like this Leopard Head Vase. Brightly coloured and packed with personality, this playful vase can easily make impact without anything in it. But as soon as you add a bright bunch of blooms, it comes to life and really takes centre-stage on your coffee table.
Planters provide another great way to add greenery or natural elements without having to continuously find something new or fresh to fill them with. If properly cared for, a beautiful house plant can last you a lot longer than a bunch of flowers but can still provide colour and texture to your coffee table. For smaller tables, consider small planters housing succulents or cacti, like this Pink and Red Harlequin Ceramic Mini Planter. For tables with a little more space, you could opt for big plant pots that provide the real wow factor.
What candles or home fragrance items can I add to my coffee table?
It can feel comforting and ritualistic to light a candle after the reorganisation of a room. Candles are great for refreshing a space, welcoming good energy into the home, and also aiding in relaxation. Most people like to light a candle or incense after a tough day, and use their living room as a space to unwind. This means any home fragrance items can be ideal for adding to your coffee table and really pulling the space together.
Choose your favourite brand, scent, or style, and decide whether you prefer an incense product, wax melt burner, or a classic candle. You can use an oversized pillar candle if you prefer more of a classic look, or use your candle for adding colour and pattern to your table by choosing a unique holder or jar.
If you're limited for space, consider a small tealight holder like this East of India Good Friends Tea Light Holder with Handle. Small enough that it doesn't take up too much room, this gorgeous candle is great for adding a quirky touch, a sweet smell, and a gentle glow. For fans of wax melt burners, consider going a little more interesting with your choice. Sweet house-shaped or animal-themed burners are great for those with more of a kitsch, cottage-esque style. This Ceramic Starry Wax Melt Burner is understated but unique, adding a gentle flicker of star-shaped light to a cosy living space.
Are books a good choice for decorating a coffee table?
What better way to take a well-earned break with your feet up than reading a good book? A coffee table book combines function with fun, allowing you to get a little more out of your coffee table decorations. While they look good stacked or simply laid on the surface of your table, a coffee table book also gives you something to do when you don't want to watch tv. It's also a great tool to occupy guests when they come round, and allows them a glimpse into your hobbies, likes, and dislikes, too.
While some people opt for a stack of magazines, the best way to add aesthetically-pleasing reading material to your space is with hardback books. Durable, sturdy, and classically beautiful, a hardback book can also provide a secondary surface and higher level for you to display a candle, vase or ornament.
For those who love to look on the bright side and inject their homes with positive energy, this Happiness for Everyday Book is the perfect choice. Packed with uplifting quotes, vivid illustrations, and useful tips for a happier life, it's a great choice for your coffee table, and is guaranteed to entertain your guests while you're making them a cuppa.
What practical pieces are essential for adding to my coffee table?
Even if you're knee-deep in adding flair and fun to your coffee table, practicality can still be at the forefront of your mind. Adding in pieces that are both aesthetically-pleasing and practical is a great way of making your coffee table work for you and everyone else who uses it.
Many use coffee tables for storage and like to add boxes, drawers, or baskets underneath the table to ensure they're getting the most out of the space it takes up. For storage on top of the table, a beautiful tray can make all the difference. A tray can look great while also providing a space for smaller pieces to gather without looking too cluttered. By selecting a tray that suits your style, you can easily keep things in one place while adding a sleek design element. Consider rattan, brass, or wood for sturdy tray materials, or even go a little more out there with a clear perspex tray, to add function without overpowering. For smaller trinkets, a trinket tray or dish is a great piece to add to a coffee or side table. Even if you leave it empty, it can add an extra material and texture to a coffee table display, and act as a sweet ornament to elevate the space.
Another practical piece many forget when decorating their coffee table is coasters! Most coffee tables are used to hold hot or cold drinks while you're not actively sipping from them, but if your table is brand new and you want to protect the surface, you'll need to ensure you have a bank of coasters handy. They don't just have to be practical, either. Choose fun, colourful coasters with interesting patterns or textures as the final detail to tie your coffee table together. These Sass & Belle Set of 4 Wooden Crescent Moon Coasters pull the raw, wooden elements of a rustic theme together with sweet celestial details to make them pop.
With so many great ways to add intrigue to your coffee table, it can sometimes feel a little overwhelming. Hopefully this guide provides a helpful starting point, with theme, style, colour, texture, and size of products carefully considered. The most important part to remember is that your coffee table should be a carefully-executed extension of you and your style. And of course, ensuring practicality is always considered is a great way to keep your coffee table working for both you and your guests.
