With these tried-and-true tips, learn how to style a console table to create a welcoming entry to your home. The entryway is the first place guests see upon entering, so you want it to feel inviting. All it takes is a little thoughtful styling.
Given there are so many ways to style a console table, it can be challenging to know where to begin. So, I made it easy for you. Follow along to decorate your entry console table like a pro!
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Creating a Welcoming Entryway
You want your home to feel inviting and warm when you have guests over. Everything comes together around a styled console table.
- A lovely scent to capture attention
- A place to remove shoes easily
- A vase full of flowers - real or faux
I strive to make our home feel like a big hug from the very first moment, which begins at our entryway.
When you walk into our home, there is a wall to the left and our living room is to the right. It is a mostly open concept space, but I would not quantify the area as being large. Also, our entryway is only somewhat designated from the general area because of the wall to the left.
Shop the photo: Interiors for a Life in Good Taste book | The Joy of Home book | Small brass clock (similar) | Table lamp
To make it more inviting, I created the feeling of an entryway by placing a wood console table against the wall I mentioned was to the left. Underneath, I placed two stunning genuine leather textured ottomans to ensure guests have a place to take their shoes on and off with ease.
Shop the photo: Table lamp | Tall white large cachepot vase | Faux white hydrangea flowers | | Woven genuine leather ottoman (similar) | Rattan chain links | Blue cable knit cashmere throw blanket (similar) or Blue cable knit cotton throw blanket (similar) | AD at 100 book (bottom book) | Dusty blue velvet ribbon, shown as bow on the white vase
I found our leather ottomans at T.J.Maxx online, however, you may like this similar looking creamy ivory woven leather ottoman as well.
Decor to Style a Console Table
Decorating a console table is like decorating other areas of your home. In fact, I argue it may be easier, because it is a smaller, contained space. Basically, there is only so much area that needs to be styled: the top of the console, underneath, and next to/around.
Our console table is narrow and not very long to fit our small-ish entryway.
When decorating, I try to shop my home first, pulling decor pieces from around our house. Of course, if you want something specific, head out to your favorite store or browse Amazon for decor.
Be sure to check out my Tips to Get Home Decor on a Budget where I talk about why the T.J.Maxx family of stores, especially HomeGoods, are the BEST places to find high-end decor at unbelievable prices.
Decor to style a console table includes:
- Table lamp
- Artwork
- Mirror
- Decorative boxes
- Coffee table books
- Bowl
- Vase
- Greenery (real or faux)
- Decorative accessories/objects
- Ottoman, bench, or pouf
- Baskets
Shop the photo: Tall white large cachepot vase | Faux white hydrangea flowers | Rattan chain links | AD at 100 book (bottom book) | Dusty blue velvet ribbon, shown as bow on the white vase | See my post on DIY Intaglio Wall Art for artwork
The decor you choose should also vary in size, shape, texture, and color to keep it interesting. It also ensures your overall design doesn't fall flat. (I'll get into that more in a bit.)
What to Place Under a Console Table
What you place under the console table depends on the shape as well as the space underneath is open.
- Baskets provide storage for shoes and accessories
- Ottomans or a small bench allow guests to take shoes on and off easier and then they just tuck underneath
- Storage bins with a patterned fabric add interest
Choose a Color Palette
You do not have to decorate your entry table to feel different from the rest of your home. If you have a color palette that you like, stick to it. Find decor that fits within your chosen palette.
Our entryway does not differ stylistically from anywhere else in our home. I love calm, soothing colors in shades of blue, blush pink, creams and white, sage green, and, sometimes, very light grey.
Shop the photo: Table lamp | Tall white large cachepot vase | Faux white hydrangea flowers | Woven genuine leather ottoman (similar) | Rattan boxes set of 2 (similar) | Blue cable knit cashmere throw blanket (similar) or Blue cable knit cotton throw blanket (similar) | AD at 100 book | Dusty blue velvet ribbon, shown as bow on the white vase | See my post on DIY Intaglio Wall Art for artwork
The same colors appear in the decor on our entry table like it does in our living room, primary bedroom, and my home office.
Design Principles to Know
You don't have to go to interior design school to understand a few basic design rules. Instead, you just have to know a few key principles of design that can help achieve a well balanced look.
The Rule of Thirds in Design
The rule of thirds, or the golden ratio as it's also known, is one such principle. In a nutshell, this rule is all about breaking a space into thirds to achieve balance and proportion.
Once you have this in mind, and depending on the size of your console table, look at it as if it were in three sections. Imagine placing decor pieces in each third, leaving some negative space between the individual sections to distinguish the groupings, though overlapping is fine too.
Negative (Empty) Space is a Good Thing
When I used to design creative assets for marketing campaigns during my career in tech, I truly loved the white (negative) space between elements. Negative space ensures breathing room and is, in my opinion, one of the most understated aspects of great design.
When it comes to decorating a console table like a pro, don't place objects too far apart so they look disjoined, or too close together so it looks cluttered. In the end, you want balance.
Step back and view the table in the space. Move things around until you're happy.
Aesthetics of Odd Numbers
Just like the rule of thirds breaks a space into distinct but connected sections, odd numbers play a vital role in achieving great design.
Otherwise known as the rule of three, when placing items together, odd numbered groupings are more aesthetically pleasing to the eye. There are entire books written on this subject, so I won't go into detail here. I usually like grouping three decor pieces together.
If I place the items on a tray, I don't usually include the tray itself as part of the group of three. It just depends on what it looks like when I step back to take in the space I am styling as a whole. The same goes for stacked boxes.
I like to stack two decorative boxes and add a very small object offset to one side or stack them on top of a wider object, such as a book. Sometimes I will style only one decorative box on top of a book, but the book should be larger than the box to balance the vignette.
To add movement and interest, vary the shape, height/size, and texture of the decor pieces.
How to Avoid Flat Design
It is easy to style your entry table only to realize something doesn't look right. You can't pinpoint what it is, but you feel it. It is entirely possible that the design you've come up with is a little flat. Typically this happens when the decor pieces, combined with the other elements of your home - paint color, flooring, console table finish - don't offer enough contrast or interest.
Don't get too worked up about it. Even professional interior designers have this happen.
Ways to avoid flat design:
- Bring in a contrasting color through the decor
- Swap out the table for a different tone/color
- Add artwork to elevate the overall feel
After you've changed a few things out, step back and reassess. Because styling a console table is all about decoration, making small changes can have a significant impact on the look and feel. Keep trying until it looks the way you want it to.
Console Table Styling Ideas - 3 Ways
Now is the fun part! Let's look at how to style a console table 3 different ways.
Idea #1
To create balance from the start, I often flank each side of the console table surface with taller items, with a slightly taller item on the far left.
For example, a tall lamp on the far left, with a slightly shorter vase on the far right. Or, two lamps on each side is also popular.
This first console table styling idea is one of my favorites. I love that it's a little coastal feeling with the blues as well as natural rattan links atop pretty linen covered books. Layering is the defining characteristic of this design.
A large table lamp flanks one side, with a stunning large white cachepot vase.
A textured grey bowl is a convenient place to store sunglasses or any little item you may need just before heading out the door. To add interest, movement and color, a small framed piece of art leans against the wall.
I made the art using a piece of wallpaper sample I had and an antique frame, while the DIY Intaglio Wall Art is a project I walk through here on the blog. I used a peel & stick paint sheet to get the perfect shade of blue for the background.
Check out Pretty Coffee Table Books for Styling for more details (and many photos) of books to use in your own home.
Idea #2
Another favorite way to style a console table is to use stacked decorative boxes. Boxes are functional as storage for keys, hats, or sunglasses out of sight. It's also nice that you can get cute boxes in a variety of materials, styles, and sizes, like a set of rattan boxes (similar) I styled here.
I have also used wide grid bone boxes in the past. They live in our primary bedroom now on the nightstand, which I actually did a Stunning Nightstand Makeover on using a little white paint and chic hardware that you can read all about.
McGee & Co has one of the best selections of decorative trays and boxes.
Idea #3
Trays make an excellent home decor accessory for decorating. They keep items contained, and can be useful to hold keys or other items you need when you leave the house.
This tray lends a subtle texture to the design. Styled with a small bone box (similar), a space for sunglasses and a round marble dish (similar), which is actually a 4oz dip bowl, to hold earbuds, this little tray brings the design together effortlessly.
When you bring in natural elements, such as wood, it instantly warms up a space. Rattan fits well across different design aesthetics while adding texture.
There are countless ways to decorate a console table. I actually find it relaxing to change things up, so I move things around our home from time to time.
Move things around. Take things away. Add unexpected pieces. Play with the design until you achieve the look you want.
Style it, and let your eye be the judge. Afterall, you can always change it later.
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