Courtney Warren is a Texas-based interior designer whose work has been featured in Real Simple, Better Homes & Gardens, Good Housekeeping, Apartment Therapy, and Today.com. She is a frequent consultant on Fox 4 TV’s Good Day program in Dallas, was ranked in the top 3 percent of interior designers in the US by Houzz.com, and starred in the Dallas episode of TLC’sFour Houses. She delights in helping overwhelmed clients create beautiful spaces—and will never turn down a warm chocolate chip cookie or Diet Dr Pepper.

I'm Courtney Waren

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How to Style a Coffee Table

Design Tips, Plants

May 16, 2020

While you’re at home, making little changes can be a big mood lifter. Here’s one: style or restyle your coffee table!

Ah, the coffee table. Sure, it’s a knee-banger, but what would we do without it? There it sits, humbly awaiting our drinks, our remotes, our bookmarked pages, our sock-clad feet.

What’s a mom to do?

A mom asked me recently, “My coffee table seems to stay covered with kids toys and papers. Is it even worth it to try to style it?” Absolutely! When the kids’ things are put away, how nice to sit back with your beverage of choice (and the remote to yourself) and enjoy a put-together look in your family room!

Just because coffee tables are useful doesn’t mean they can’t be a beautiful part of our decor as well. A tray is really my secret weapon! You can make a pretty arrangement in it, whisk it away for kids’ projects or game night, then easily bring it back. A large bowl or flat basket could also form the base for your selections. The main thing is, does the arrangement feel intentional?

I believe some essentials are…

…something living, or faux flowers or plants that mimic live ones. A few stacked books help create interest by varying the height of your grouping. I’m a huge fan of vintage books. Stacks of beautiful look-books (they don’t call them “coffee table books” for nothing) add interest, build height, and hey, are great to READ.

Shop your house to work with items you have–pretty bowls, lanterns, candle holders, baskets, plants–and move them around until you have a grouping that pleases you. Bowls help corral remotes, too.

Vary shapes, and maybe throw in a little metallic sheen.

A game that’s also a graphic decor item could be a nice touch.

Layer in a little wood, a little metal, a little china, a book–bingo! Just add flowers.

Need some ideas?

See, not hard! Feel better already? Send me a pic of your coffee table restyle on my Facebook page!

Have other design questions about your home? No problem! Consult with me, safely.

I offer a complimentary, no-strings-attached phone call consultation. We can also consult by video conference. If you’d like to meet in your home, please know we will use all current safety protocols.

Email me to book a call time!

In the meantime, catch other great design tips on my YouTube channel, Real Life Design with Courtney Warren!

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