Although often overlooked, coffee tables play an important part in tying together a living room, and a well-dressed coffee table can be the missing piece in the puzzle when transforming a space from a house to home. When thinking about how to dress a coffee table, it’s best to view it like a work of art, or even a masterpiece! Striking a balance with symmetry, adding accents of colour, and using a mixture of tones and texture are all imperative factors to consider when dressing your coffee table.
Read on to find out how to dress a coffee table
Figure out your Aesthetic
The first and most important consideration you need to make when figuring out how to dress a coffee table is the overall style you’re going for. Are you a minimalist or maximalist, is your style more soft than scandi, or do you tend to opt for a more modern than classic aesthetic? Once you have this figured out you can begin to think about the specific pieces you want to use to dress your coffee table.
Combine Colour with Texture
It’s now time to think about the colours and textures you’d like to incorporate within that style. Your coffee table should be considered a piece of ribbon that seamlessly ties everything else in the room together. However - that doesn’t mean it needs to match the rest of the space room like for like! If your living room is bright and vibrant, try and pick out key colours and subtly place them within your coffee table to create subtle but effective tonal accents.
Adding our Nicola Spring Diffusers to your coffee table is a great way of doing this, owing to their bold tones. With six scents available in six striking tones, they make the ideal coffee table accessory for adding an accent of colour. Or, if the rest of your living room is minimal, then this could also present itself as the perfect opportunity to add some bright and beautiful hues to your home.
Adding texture is another key component when deciding how to dress a coffee table to your style. A fantastic way of doing this is by incorporating unique planters or vases to stand plants and flowers within.
If you consider yourself a conscious consumer we offer some beautiful vases constructed from recycled glass, which look stunning when paired with on-trend pampas grass. Choose from our Nicola Spring Jebel Recycled Glass Hurricane Vases or our Parlane Iceberg Recycled Glass Vases.
In addition, our Reactive Glaze Plant Pots are perfect for adding both tone and texture to your table. Crafted from stoneware clay, each holder has been carefully hand-glazed, producing a beautiful ombre pattern. This is formed through the process of a chemical reaction during firing, offering up a stunning organic design, with a gorgeously glossy finish, meaning each pot's design may vary and will be truly unique to you! Our small, 10.5cm versions work best when dressing a coffee table, as you don’t want to overpower the space with one singular object.
Balance is Key
When it comes to dressing a coffee table layout is everything. If you have a square coffee table, one popular formation is to divide the space into a quadrant to create an arrangement of four main items, like we’ve done so here! As you can see we’ve chosen to use books as the base as they’re a great way of filling the space to add structure and create a neat and tidy formation.
Pro-tip: Try to mix together varying heights to create a more dynamic and asymmetric appeal - remember it’s all about balance!
If you have a round coffee table try to form your coffee table accessories into a triangle, again, for a more dynamic feel. Or, you might want to incorporate more than three pieces, so consider creating a circle or hexagon for a striking and eclectic effect.
Of course - you don’t want your coffee table to look messy, but you also don’t want it to look like it has taken you 10 hours to meticulously work out where each piece should be placed - even if it has! Always aim for an effortless appeal when dressing your coffee table.
Let it Glow
Candles are the ultimate way to take your coffee table from day to night. Use as a lovely ornament in the sunlight, and then light them up once the sun fades and the room gets dark, creating a warm and cosy atmosphere - perfect for this time of year!
Our Nicola Spring Scented Candles are ideal for dressing a coffee table as the coloured glass jar creates a stunning vibrant glow once lit, and the warm, floral scents add a serene and soothing ambience.
Keep it Trayful
Trays are a fantastic addition when learning how to dress a coffee table. Not only are they incredibly practical, but they also draw attention to specific items that you want to stand out, offering a sleek and stylish appeal.
Our collection of Argon Tableware Metallic trays are ideal for this as they offer a clean and contemporary look, owing to their high gloss shine - which is also great for adding tone and texture! When dressing your coffee table and choosing a tray it’s important to think about the shape. If you have a rectangle or square coffee table we would suggest going for a round tray, like these ones here and if you have a round coffee table, opt for a rectangle or square. Again, it’s all about balance and creating a contrast of shapes, colours and textures!
There we have it, five handy hints to help you dress a coffee table like a pro! I hope this has given you inspiration and you feel ready to create the perfect living room centre-piece.
If you do decide to dress your coffee table using any of our products, please show us by tagging us on Instagram, or use the hashtag #rinkithome, we would love to see it!
As always, thanks for reading,
Love, Helena and the Rinkit team