One Coffee Table, Styled 3 Ways With 3 Key Items
Whatever you do, never leave your coffee table bare. It's the perfect item in your home to highlight your style identity.
by Tessa Kowalski • Aug 22, 2026 • 2 min read
Whatever you do, never leave your coffee table bare. It's the perfect item in your home to highlight your style identity.
by Tessa Kowalski • Aug 22, 2026 • 2 min read
In this post, I'll show you three simple ways to style your coffee table using three key simple items; a vase with your choice of flowers, a book, and a tray or bowl.
To begin, clean up your coffee table - mine is glass, so I like to use Windex to give it a nice wipe down.
First style is the easy one - just place your vase of flowers in the center of the table and call it a day - yes, that easy!
Second style - add a coffee table book adjacent to the vase with flowers at a diagonal angle. And if you have an accessory laying around (e.g., clay knot, small cute bowl, etc.), place it on top of the book.
Third style - place a nice bowl or tray on opposite sides of the table and in the middle, add an open coffee table book, or a book with nice pictures. The bowl or tray can be used to house remotes, and the open books, can be a conversation piece for guests. The vase of flowers is just there to look pretty.
Since I have a large table, I tend to style with lots of books and other accessories, but I always leave room for guests to place their coasters, drinks, or plates. I've included a bonus picture of how I style my coffee table periodically.
Hope these 3 styles were helpful to you. If so, let me know in the comments. To see how I styled the room this coffee table lives in check out my blog post: https://www.oddessence.com/post/can-you-mix-design-styles.
Cheers!
Item you need - a vase of flowers
Item you need - a coffee table
Item you need - a coffee table book, or any book you like
Item you need - a nice bowl or tray
First style - simple and classic - place the vase of flowers on the center of the table.
Second style - add a coffee table book with an accessory if you like
Third style - add all three items, this time, have the book open
Bonus - if you have a large coffee table - throw in more books and other accessories
Remember to always leave room (aka negative space) for other practical items such as plates and cups.
