Finding the right coffee table for your living room is hard enough and once you finally did it you think everything will be ok. Well, there’s still a small detail to figure out: how are you going to decorate the coffee table? Sure, you could just leave it like that, with nothing but its own charm and beauty to rely on but that’s rarely enough. You have to find the right decorating strategy and that can turn out to a challenge bigger than you initially expected.

Choose the items to display on the coffee table based on the table’s size, shape, finish and materialIt’s not just the coffee table itself that matters but also the elements around it like this glamorous chandelier for example

We’re not saying that coffee table decor needs to be complicated…just that there are a lot of different strategies to consider. What’s important to remember is that your home’s interior decor should represent you and everyone living there so simply copying an idea that you find cool might not do you any good if it simply won’t feel right. It would help to have a look at a few ideas and examples to use as a source of inspiration.

Sometimes the table itself is interesting and eye-catching enough to stand out on its own so a centerpiece is purely optionalA flower vase or a cute planter can brighten up a lounge space and can also look elegant on the coffee table

Based on everything we mentioned so far, there are a few basic options to consider. So what could you keep on your coffee so it doesn’t look empty but also do it doesn’t lose its functionality entirely? A few things comes to mind immediately: flower vases, planters, terrariums, sculptures, books, bowls filled with stuff and pretty much anything that you think would look beautiful here or that you’d like to keep close to you when you’re chilling on the sofa.

In a contemporary setting you can focus on simple decorations like a little vase with a minimalist design or a stylish bowlEven an empty vase or a bottle can make a statement, no content requiredFeeling creative? What if instead of flowers you were to put some feathers in a beautiful vase and keep that on your coffee table?Decorate the coffee table groups of objects unified by details that they share in common but also by their differencesMatch the color of the decorations to that of the coffee table to create an interesting and subtle visual effect

Anything can be a centerpiece and a part of your coffee table decor if it suits certain criteria, both from a practical and from an aesthetic point of view. Look around and try to think of something that would go well with the rest of the room’s decor. The inspiration can come from a certain color hue, a shape, a piece of artwork or furniture, the texture of an item and just about anything else. The coffee table and the elements on it can follow a theme and blend in or they can stand out and serve as a focal point.

Think of the coffee table decor as an opportunity to add a touch of color to the spaceA vase or bowl full of fresh flowers or plants is a simple ornament but with lots of potentialChoose decorations that match the overall interior design theme of the room or be inspired by the color paletteThe inspiration can also come from within so think of something that represents you. Perhaps a chess board?The placement of the decorations is almost as important as the decorations themselvesCan’t decide on a single object? Pick several and group them together into a cluster