The coffee table is the furniture piece that completes the living room and makes it look and feel whole. But finding the right coffee table for the space is not all. An empty table can look a bit awkward and incomplete so you need to decorate it somehow. Coffee table decor is not always simple and straight-forward but there are a few basic techniques and ideas that you can use. You’re free to add your own twist to the designs to make the whole decor look and feel suitable for the space and your lifestyle.

Fresh flowers

With a few exceptions, everybody likes flowers. We use them as decorations for our homes and we often place them on coffee tables because this way they can stand out and even become a focal point for the decor without necessarily impressing in any particular way.

Flowers that match the decor

If you want to create a cohesive look throughout the living room and if you like flowers, you could display some in a vase or container and they can match other elements, accessories and decorations in the room such as the sofa, accent pillows, a wall, a painting or a lamp.

Interesting vases

The flowers themselves don’t need to look interesting or to feature vibrant and eye-catching colors or shapes in order to be able to create an interesting decor for the coffee table. Another strategy is to use a sculptural vase or a container that stands out in one way or another.

Potted plants

Potted plants last longer than the flowers displayed in vases so if you want something a bit more permanent for your coffee table this could be the answer. So do your homework and find a plant that would be suitable for the job. It shouldn’t grow too large or to tall because then you’d most likely need to relocate it somewhere else.

Small plants or succulents

If you want to make your coffee table look nice and pretty without using up a lot of space, small plants or succulents are great for that. You can decorate the table with a small planter or a set of two or three and it will look fresh and beautiful. You’ll still have plenty of space left to use for the usual stuff.

Decorative candles

Candles are nice decorations for a lot of settings and decors. Use them on the fireplace mantel to create a warm and cozy atmosphere or display them in groups on the coffee table for a similar effect on the living room’s decor. You could mix and match different types of candles and votives to create an interesting display.

Interesting candle holders and votives

Sometimes it’s not about the candle itself but the container used to display them. You can use this design as inspiration and have large pillar candles placed inside glass cylinders on the living room coffee table. Display them in pairs or sets or use a single candle to make a statement.

Candles grouped in trays

Trays are really useful when you want to group things up on a table or a desk in order to better organize everything or to save space. You can put a bunch of pillar candles on a tray and turn them into a stylish and elegant centerpiece for the living room coffee table. Use candles of different heights for an interesting and dynamic look.

Stacked books, magazines or boxes

It’s common to have books or magazines on the coffee table. If you want to play with the concept you could even get a book about coffee tables for your coffee table. In any case, consider this idea if you usually enjoy browsing magazines or reading books while relaxing on the sofa or if you want to give your guests something to look at.

Eclectic combos

Can’t decide what’s best for your coffee table? Perhaps it would be a better idea to put together a few of the things you love and create an eclectic decor. For instance, you could place a small vase next to a pillar candle or votive and then put them all on a tray or next to a stack of books or boxes.

Empty vases

A vase can look beautiful on its own without needing colorful flowers to look pretty. So if you have a vase with an interesting shape, color or design, you can use that as a decoration for the coffee table. A nice idea is to group objects so you might want to use two or three vases. They can have different designs or can be linked in some way.

Groups of similar objects

We’ve just mentioned that you can group up vases to create an interesting display for your coffee table so here’s another example that illustrates the same idea. There’s also another interesting detail in this case. The coffee table is actually free or any decorations. They’re all placed on a sleek side table.

Decorative containers

Sometimes we come across a vase, a planter or some other type of container that looks really pretty and doesn’t really need anything else to stand out. So why complicate things when you can choose to be minimalist instead? Decorate with empty containers and highlight their beautiful forms, colors or finishes.

Interesting geometries

Geometric designs are really popular in modern and contemporary interiors and you can definitely find some inspiration in that when decorating your coffee table. Look for decorative objects with interesting geometries like pencil holders, vases, storage boxes or planters and turn them into centerpieces.

Small sculptures

You can pretty much place sculptures anywhere you want in the house and the coffee table is one of those many places. You could pair a small decorative sculpture with a potted plant or some other decoration and create a nice grouping of objects.

Here’s another example of how sculptures can be used as coffee table decorations in combination with other objects, in this case decorative items.

Glass ornaments

Decorate a table with glass ornaments if you want to maintain a clean and open look throughout. Take advantage of transparent glass to highlight the beautiful design of the coffee table while avoiding making it look too simple or austere.

Matching sets

Sets of matching objects are a common and classical option. You can find all sorts of interesting sets with which to decorate your coffee table. For example, there are sets composed of different candle holders and votives or decorative trays and vases or bowls.

If the rest of the living room decor is minimalist and neutral, pick a set that introduces something new like a bold color, eye-catching shapes, geometric forms or interesting finishes. You can usually create a glamorous display with objects that have a metallic or golden finish.

Objects linked by color, form or function

There’s no need to find matching sets of decorations when you can create your own. It’s pretty easy actually. You can start by looking for things that have something in common such as shape, color or function. For example, you could pair some vases with different designs or some pretty things that share the same color.

When groping objects, make sure you highlight each one’s uniqueness. For example, if you have similar vases, put some flowers or decorative plants in one of them and leave the other one empty or add a contrasting objects in between them.