HomesDirect365: Coffee Table Centrepiece Ideas

You can think of a coffee table as the cherry on the cake of your living room design. It is pleasing for our brains to have a focal point in the middle of the room and a coffee table is a perfect solution for this. Not only that but a coffee table can serve a practical purpose of increasing storage space and as a place to put things down within easy reach of the seating. So how can you make your coffee table arrangement the highlight of your living room? There are lots of ways to maximise the style of this essential decorative piece.

Grey Antique French Style 2 Drawer Coffee Table

Choose the right coffee table

The first step is, of course, to find the perfect coffee table for your living area. A glass-topped coffee table can help to make the area feel less cluttered whereas a wood table with natural elements can make the living room feel warm.

The size of your coffee table is also key. Take note of the size of your floor space and make sure that your coffee table leaves everyone enough room to move around it easily. If you have a small apartment, a full coffee table might be too much but you can still achieve a similar effect with a side table tucked in next to your sofa. Work with the space that you have and find a solution that works for you.

The shape is also an important consideration. A round coffee table can be a soft touch (as well as safer for small children) whereas a coffee table with modern lines can highlight other modern touches.

Watchet Marble Coffee Table

Avoid the clutter

It is far too easy for coffee tables to become a convenient dumping ground but a cluttered coffee table isn't pleasing to the eye. Instead, it can make an otherwise clean and tidy living room feel messy and cramped.

Having careful and deliberate placement of the items on your coffee table can help you to avoid cluttering it. If you need more storage space than the top alone would allow, a two-tiered table can give you some extra storage space underneath.

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Inject your personality

Your coffee table or side table can be a true reflection of your personality through the clever use of coffee table decor. Elsewhere in your living room, your personality might be well reflected in your colour and furniture choices but the coffee table is your spot to inject a true little part of yourself. This can be through books and magazines, fun decorative objects that reflect your hobbies and interests, and meaningful family photographs.

Milano Mirror Box Photo Frame

Think about height

A key consideration for a coffee table is the height of the objects that you place on it. It is usually best to have objects and knick-knacks that vary in size. It usually isn't a good idea to have a lot of objects that are quite high. This can make the living room feel disconnected and can block people from conversation or from being able to see the TV. Remember that this is your family room so it needs to be functional as well as decorative.

The best way to add height and interest to your coffee table decor is to have one or two higher objects that are quite slim. Think about pillar candles or fresh flowers that won't completely block anyone's view across the coffee table.

For a side table, the issue isn't as much about blocking the view as it is interfering with the use of the table. Too many high objects will mean that it is difficult to use the table. If you want to add height with candles or flowers, make sure that they are on the side that is farthest away from the people that will be using the table.

Catio Small Black Bamboo Lantern

Aim for symmetry

Just as we naturally find a space with a focal point pleasing, our brains are also primed to enjoy symmetry and you can achieve symmetry with the decor on your coffee table. The easiest way to do this is to have a decorative object as a centrepiece balanced by a pair of other objects. As an example, you could have a statement piece vase with flowers in the centre, flanked by a pair of candle holders and candles on either side.

This can be slightly more tricky to achieve with a round coffee table. Don't be tempted to use the 360-degree space. Instead, align the objects linearly as you would with a square or rectangular coffee table.

Tyrri Brown Tapered Vase

Utilise a tray

One of the best items you can use on your coffee table is a tray. If your coffee table has any chance of being used in a practical way, you are going to need to place some bits and pieces on it that aren't decorative items, such as remote controls, matches, gaming controllers, etc. By placing these items in a tray, they will naturally be contained within the overall arrangement and style of the table and won't spread themselves out and look cluttered.

A square tray can look great because it is neat and simple but you can also use a decorative ceramic bowl or a basket to create the same effect.

Medium 48cm Rectangle Stainless Steel Tray

Bring the outside into your living room

You don't have to limit yourself to manmade accessories for your coffee table. By bringing natural elements into your living room, you can add that all-important texture to your living room decor. A vase with some white flowers can bring some light into the space, especially when placed on top of a glass coffee table and if you don't want the hassle of constantly replacing freshly cut flowers, then succulents can be a great option.

But you aren't just limited to flowers or plants. You can bring some natural elements into your display by using wood, stone such as marble, pebbles, or even shells.

Orchid Cycnoches

Decide between minimalist or maximalist

Simple decor in a minimalist style can create a clean and functional look for the centre of your living room. But you aren't just limited to minimalism. If it suits your personality you can go the other direction entirely and lean into big style and maximalism. With these decor schemes, you can bring a real eclectic vibe to your coffee table.

You can make it a grand design statement by including gold accents and marble or you can use a mix of different styles to make it eclectic and a true talking point for your living room. With this style, your coffee table can be a miniature art collection that reflects your personal taste perfectly.

Gold Complements Elephant Sculpture

Try using a theme

Overuse of a theme in decorating can be too much but careful use of a theme can make your living room display look classic and filled with style. For example, you could try a nautical theme by adding nautical elements such as an anchor, seashells, a compass, and some wood.

You can make the theme for your coffee table anything you like to make a big impact on the feel of the living room.

Driftwood Bowl Leaf Scoop

Experiment with a geometric style

Coffee tables can be a great chance to inject some style into your living room. And a geometric style can be the perfect way to give your living room a modern and sophisticated look. Geometric elements can look clean and modern on a glass coffee table.

The basis of a geometric style is to use shapes to create other shapes and you can achieve this with your coffee table decor with some thought. Using a square tray placed on top of a differently shaped mat can help and you can even add to the geometric style when you stack magazines in a decorative way.

Geometric prints can help to complete the look. A vase with a geometric print and some white flowers can look great in the centre of your coffee table. And you can use a tray or basket with geometric weaving or a glass bowl with geometric engraving filled with stones.

40cm Mirror Vase

Don't forget accent colours

When you are decorating your living room and thinking about styling, accent colours are likely to be important. And your coffee table can help to create the colour scheme that you are aiming for. Don't overdo it with the colour but use the accessories on your coffee table to anchor the accent colours of the room. Since your coffee table is going to be the natural focal point it's the perfect place to pull the overall decor together and complete the look.

A glass table is a neutral colour to which you can add a pop of your accent colour. A vase with flowers can be a simple way of adding the accent colour to your space, as can candles, and small pieces of art.

Pink Orchid with Ceramic Pot

Make your coffee table your gallery

Have you ever wanted to bring a taste of a museum or an art gallery into your living room? Your coffee table can be the perfect place to do exactly that. A carefully curated art collection or fascinating items will make your coffee table look sophisticated and will give your visitors something to enjoy and talk about.

Even in a small space with side tables, you can add a touch of the art gallery to your living room but you do have to be more careful with how many objects you use. A tray with smaller pieces can be perfect to save space and avoid clutter.

Use candles and clever lighting to highlight your favourite pieces of art and gently illuminate your coffee table.

Leamington Hurricane Lantern

Don't forget your coasters

A coffee table, as the name suggests, should always be somewhere that you can easily place drinks on. But it is easy to forget about the importance of coasters. You and your visitors are always going to need somewhere to place down a glass and if your drinks are hot or they get spilled, this could mark the wood. Of course, this is less of a concern with a glass-top coffee table but most people feel more comfortable with somewhere to naturally place a glass.

And your coasters don't have to be boring. In fact, they can be accessories that add to the styling and decor of the coffee table display and your living room. There are so many different options for coasters. You could have a matching set made of wood or you can mix and match different colours and styles for an eclectic look. Some coaster sets can stack to make an interesting arrangement and then unstack to be used.

You can play with shapes as well. A round coaster compared to a square coaster or even a hexagonal one can add a completer different element to your coffee table.

Hexagonal Gold Tray With Sand Design

Don't be afraid of metallics

Styling coffee tables with metallics can help to make it a centrepiece of the room and they can help to integrate with the overall decor and colours decorating the living room. Copper is a classic metallic colour that can add to an industrial look, especially when paired with wood. Silver can add to a glamorous and sophisticated living room styling and can help to pull together the look. Gold can pull together a variety of looks depending on the type that you use. Antique gold can help your coffee table finish a vintage living room whereas brighter gold can make the room display luxurious.

It can be difficult to mix metallics while making everything cohesive, so it is often better to stick to one. Mirrored glass can help to reflect light back onto the metallics to highlight them. And you can use a variety of different coffee table items to add metallics. You could add a metallic tray, vase, candle holders, basket, and more.

Circular Cast Aluminium Votive Tray With Mercury Glass Votive

Choose your books and magazines wisely

Coffee table magazines and books are a mainstay of styling the centrepiece of your room but you should make sure to choose them wisely. A stack of books that aren't cohesive or that don't reflect who you are can make the table seem lifeless.

While it is important that books look nice and that they stack well together, the collection should also be an opportunity to display your interests in a clever way. Look round a while before settling on the books that you are going to use to make sure they are exactly what you want to display in the centre of your living room.

Experiment with different tables

A coffee table doesn't have to be a normal coffee table. You can experiment with different ideas to make your living display completely your own. For example, ottomans are something that people often use for tables instead of an actual coffee table and they can make the room feel warmer and more comfortable. An ottoman table can also be filled with whatever you don't want to clutter up your living room or coffee table so it can help you to perfect your styling.

To convert an ottoman into a table, you will need to create a flat surface. The easiest way of doing this is with a large tray placed in the centre. You can place all of your table stylings on this tray and it can be lifted off with ease to access the centre of the ottoman table. Of course, if you have a glass or vase with liquid inside placed on the tray, you will need to be especially careful of not spilling it as you move the furniture around.

A table nest of three can also be a great idea for changing up the coffee table look. The largest top table can hold your display items and the smaller tables can be brought out if and when you need them. Or you can carefully place the three in a step configuration to make an interesting shape in the centre of your room.

Black Square Velvet Stool With Buttons

The bottom line

A coffee table is a vital piece of furniture that can help to tie your entire living room together. It is your chance to put a mark of your own personality onto the room. You can play with the size and shape of the table (a round wood table will look very different from a rectangular glass table). And you can play with the items that you display on the table to bring in your own ideas and style. Whatever you decide to display on your coffee table, if you want it to be the centrepiece of your room, it is worth taking some time to be thoughtful and mindful about the items that you choose.