With these 7 styling tips, decorating an ottoman or coffee table is something you can easily do on a slow Sunday afternoon. From coffee table books to decor, make your living space cozy and inviting by making just a few simple changes.
The tips I share in this post apply whether you have a coffee table or an ottoman, large or small. I hope you find inspiration to change up your space from time to time as much as I love decorating our ottoman.
So, let's style a coffee table or ottoman using these 7 tips!
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Coffee Table vs Ottoman
A coffee table is typically a hard surface made from a material such as wood, while an ottoman is usually upholstered. An ottoman can sometimes double as seating and may be used as a footrest as well, though that's up to you.
Coffee tables come in so many styles, shapes, and sizes. From oval to square, painted or stained wood, with or without metal details, and more. Ottomans, like coffee tables, also vary greatly in design, including skirted, tufted, mixed materials, and different shapes.
We bought our mixed-material ottoman over 10 years ago at a Living Spaces store. The top is tufted in a neutral sand colored linen fabric with a wood base that has storage on the bottom. Typically I style the bottom with a basket and stacks of books.
Shop the photo: White vase | Interiors for Life in Good Taste book | The Joy of Home book | Similar but slightly smaller tufted upholstered ottoman | Rug (patterned rug on top)
Living Spaces carries a smaller beige square ottoman that may work instead. Otherwise, Wayfair carries this very similar, but slightly smaller tufted upholstered ottoman. In both cases, check the dimensions to see if it will work for your space.
I like a cozy, warm feeling in our home, like a Nancy Meyers movie, which is why I love our ottoman so much. Fabric softens edges of furniture, and whole rooms, in such a wonderful way.
Our living room is a very layered space where a jute area rug forms the base under a beautiful muted patterned area rug. I actually wrote the Priya/Amanda Loloi Rug Review post all about the patterned rug that you can check out. Our white slipcovered sofa from Pottery Barn sits on top and an ivory basketweave wingback chair makes for a cozy corner off to the side.
Pottery Barn no longer carries the sofa we have, but it is similar to the PB Comfort Roll Arm Sofa in White Twill fabric.
I use our ottoman as a mini library for when I read books on interiors and architecture, which is why you will usually find stacks of books on the bottom. Read the Pretty Coffee Table Books post for the best books on interiors to add to your collection.
Steps to Prepare to Decorate
Before you begin styling, there are a few steps you may want to take to help achieve the look you're going for.
- Clear the coffee table surface, or surfaces if you have storage below, of everything. It helps to not only clear the space, but clear your mind to start fresh.
- Gather everything you may want to use to style your coffee table in one place. This way, you will see what you have and what may be missing.
- Think about your coffee table in thirds for a round shape and quarters for a rectangle or square shape. Your goal is to have something in each section so that it feels balanced.
- Keep in mind not every square inch of the table should be covered. Leave some empty space to give the eye a break. This is otherwise known as negative or white space and, in my opinion, is an underrated design principle. I talk about white space more in the How to Style and Decorate Shelves post as well.
Shop the photo: White vase | Interiors for Life in Good Taste book | The Joy of Home book
7 Tips to Style a Coffee Table
Decorating a coffee table is one of those activities you may find enjoyable on a slow Sunday afternoon. I like to move things around in our living room from time to time, especially seasonally. I may move books from a shelf to the ottoman or maybe rotate decor from one room to another.
Use a Tray to Corral Items
A quick and easy way to decorate an ottoman coffee table is to use a tray. Trays keep things looking organized, because a tray contains all the things. What may otherwise come across as a few cluttered objects looks put together when styled together on a tray.
For our ottoman, I used a small rectangular tray to style a couple decorative boxes, books, and my favorite reed diffuser in the vanilla bourbon mandarin scent.
Decorative boxes are a great way to hide remote controls, ear buds, or other tech items many of us have these days. The gorgeous alabaster box that is stacked on a couple books to give it height and interest holds ribbons that I use as bookmarks.
My love of little boxes and bowls runs deep.
Just recently I found this stunning tiny round marble lidded dish I styled in the same tray. It is solid marble, including the charming knob on the lid. After it arrived, I quickly ordered one for my mom and sister, because they are just too pretty to not share!
Books are the Best Decor
A coffee table does not need to have coffee table books on top, but it certainly is fitting. Books, in all their glory, feel right at home atop a coffee table.
Stacked in rows, decorated with a small object placed on top, or splayed open to a favorite photograph, anyway you choose to style books simply works. Below is how I usually style our ottoman.
I mentioned that I like the cozy Nancy Meyers feeling in our living room, which is part of why I usually have a few stacks of books around a decorative tray. It is a bit reminiscent of Graham's office in The Holiday. He was a publisher, after all.
Decorative Boxes and Objects
I love a great layered space. A space that looks styled over time as life happens.
To get a layered coffee table look, place a bowl, object, or small decorative box on the tabletop or on top of a couple of stacks of books. You will find it feels more dimensional than flat stacks of books. Plus, you can store odds & ends that you need in the boxes, but want out of sight.
Shop your home first, too. Maybe you have a special object you got on a trip somewhere that would look nice styled on your coffee table. Try it! Part of decorating is trial and error anyway.
Add Some Height
Varying different heights of objects creates interest. Use a tall vase or moody candle sticks to add height.
I experimented placing a favorite substantially large white vase filled with these faux beige pink peonies that I used on our Christmas tree last year - the Captivating Christmas Tree Decorated with Flowers - on our ottoman, and I absolutely love it!
At first, I thought it was going to be way too big for the ottoman, but it is not at all. In person, at least, everything still feels in proportion. I hope the photo conveys that as well.
I am not sure how long I will keep the vase on the ottoman, as it normally sits in one of the deep window wells that flank our fireplace built-ins. We will see.
Bring in Florals and Greenery
Similar to the faux peonies I have in the large vase, bring in greenery - real or faux - to give your space some life! You can get faux plants that look very real today. Places like Afloral, Target, and Amazon carry life-like florals and stems of all sizes.
Some of my favorite flowers are these faux white hydrangeas and the faux beige pink peonies I already mentioned.
Change out your greenery seasonally, such as swapping to autumn leaves in the fall and cedar branches during the winter.
Layer in a Signature Scent
Candles, room sprays, and diffusers elevate any space, by layering in a scent to go with a space that looks inviting. Maybe you have a signature scent around your home, such as a candle.
Place a diffuser or candle on the coffee table (with a heat safe plate underneath, of course), along with a candle snuffer and electric lighter.
My all-time favorite scent is this vanilla bourbon mandarin reed diffuser, which I also have in candle form. How do I describe the scent? It's a warm, seductive yet sweet, but not overly so, scent, given the notes of vanilla, amber, and others.
I do not get tired of the scent and I use it year-round.
Drape a Throw Blanket
Drape a folded throw blanket over a section of the ottoman coffee table. Play with the size of the fold and the length of the drape to get it just right.
A throw blanket on an ottoman serves a few purposes:
- Adds color and texture
- Breaks up the expanse of the table
- Functional when a guest needs it
Bonus Tip: Style a Coffee Table with Storage Below
If you have an ottoman or coffee table that has storage beneath, like I do, there are many ways you can style it. I suggest styling the shelf with a pretty basket and stacks of coffee table books.
Baskets can also be used to conceal items you need out of sight. Stash folded throw blankets you use on movie night, but would otherwise put away when not in use.
Remember, don't overcrowd the coffee table. You want to leave some empty space to give the eye a break. In the end, you want the table to look styled, not cluttered. Decorating is a process, so give it time. Place some items, stand back to take it in, and then move things around again until you're happy. There is no right or wrong way if it looks good to you.
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