11 Easy Tips for Styling a Round Coffee Table

In this post – 11 things to consider when decorating a round coffee table.

If you’ve been following along, you know that I’ve been planning a few different projects in our new home, including replacing some wallpaper in our half bath and furnishing our flex guest room/office. We’re making progress on these and I’m looking forward to sharing more about them in future posts. However, I am excited to share that we finally have a coffee table! It’s the little things in life. Or in this case, the big things – this is a big coffee table! Now that it’s finally here, I’m thinking about how to accessorize it without completely covering the pretty wood inlay in the center.

Modern Coastal Style

A coffee table is often the centerpiece of a living room, naturally drawing the eye and anchoring the surrounding furniture. It’s more than just a place to rest your drink; it’s an opportunity to express your personality, add layers of texture, and bring balance to the room. How you style it can set the tone for the entire space. In keeping with the modern coastal luxe style of our San Diego area beach home, I’ll be using muted tones, lots of texture, and some metallic shine.

The Situation

The Acacius 55” round coffee table we ordered last November from Arhaus arrived a few weeks ago.

I’m glad we went with a larger size table because it fills up the conversation area in our long main room. The round shape allows for easy traffic flow, and the scale of the table is appropriate for the size of the 100” long couch behind it.

From my research, I learned that a coffee table should be somewhere between 1/2 – 2/3 the width of the couch, so this size is perfect. Plus, the people in the two swivel chairs on the opposite side of the room can also use the table. So far so good! Now to make it pretty!

11 Steps to Accessorizing a Coffee Table

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Start with a Clean Slate

Since the table is brand new, it only needed a quick dusting to start. If you’re working with a coffee table that’s buried under a ton of clutter, it’s important to take everything off of it and give it a good cleaning. Once that’s done, take inventory of what you’ve removed. If there’s anything you want to reuse, put it aside. Find new homes for the remaining items.

Choose Your Coffee Table Decor Items

Start by Shopping Your Home

I like to shop my house first when decorating a coffee table. Often I find that what works in one area of my house will work equally well in another!

This home is new to us, and I’m still in the “collecting” phase of decorating, so I don’t have as much “inventory” to choose from just yet. I’m still rearranging things and figuring out where they look best. I ended up using a mix of old and new items.

Buy New or “New to You”

Other places I like to look for unique and inexpensive decorative items are thrift and consignment stores, along with retail stores like HomeGoods. Here in the San Diego area we have great second-hand shopping! I took a few pictures at our local consignment store to show you their selection.

Suggested Decor for a Coffee Table

1. Stacks of books – Coffee table books are perfect for, you know, your coffee table. That’s because they often have eye-catching covers and are generally larger than standard books. They can be stacked to add height to a display, either on their own or with a decorative object perched on top. For recommendations on beautiful coffee table books, see my post 20 Stunning Coffee Table Books and Creative Ways to Style Them.

1. Trays – decorative trays are the perfect choice for a coffee table because they corral smaller items that might be lost on a table. They are also make it easy to remove items from a coffee table to make room for snacks or a game. Amazon has a great selection of decorative trays that won’t break the bank. I like this round rattan one. This acacia wood serving tray with gold handles would also look pretty on our table.

1. Candles – I like to use either candles for height or depth in a display. Tall candle holders add height to table decor, while short, wide, multi-wick candles can anchor a display.

1. Plants – I love plants, both real and faux, for adding a touch of life to a coffee table. In my case, it makes sense to use mostly faux plants in our beach home because I can’t always be around to water them. In other cases, live plants are a nice way to visually bring nature inside. Just be sure to protect your table from water damage!

1. Decorative objects – Coffee tables are a great place to display odd or interesting objects because they stimulate conversation with your guests. Souvenirs, art, vases, bowls, sculptures, decorative boxes, etc. make your table unique and interesting.

1. Coasters – There are as many different types and styles of coasters as there are tables. You can choose some that become an attractive and functional part of your table decor.

Pay Attention to Scale

Since this is a large coffee table, I selected a number of items that “fit” the size of the table. I’ll be using some larger-sized items and more items in total than I would on a smaller table. For a smaller table I would scale down the size and number of the items. You don’t want to crowd a small table with so many large accessories that there’s no room to put down a drink.

Anchor Your Vignette

I try to corral some things in a tray to create a visual connection between them. And as I mentioned above, placing items in a tray makes it easy to remove them when needed. As for shape, I like to use a round tray on a round table, but either round or rectangular would look good, so long as the scale works.

Start with a Focal Point

Tallest item(s) – I like to start with the tallest items and work my way down from there. In this case, the grey glass candlesticks are the focal point of my vignette. They catch your attention and draw the eye to the center of the table.

Largest/Heaviest Item(s) – Another way to begin is to start with the visually “heaviest” item and build your display around it. In this case, I would start with a stack of books or a larger bowl, candle or vase.

Plant – A plant can also be a focal point, especially if it’s a larger one. This faux plant has is large enough to grab your attention without overwhelming the rest of the items on the table.

Layer and Mix

Textures – I love a pretty woven basket tray for displaying things on a coffee table. Being near the water, I also like to use shells and sisal for texture. Plants can add texture as well.

Heights – The height of the objects in the grouping should vary to keep the eye moving. Having all objects the same height looks static and boring. Ideally, the grouping should visually form a triangle shape.

A Mixture of Materials – A beautiful coffee table display includes a mix of materials for maximum impact.

Use Odd Numbers in Your Display

Divide Your Table Into “Zones”

It’s useful to think of your tabletop in terms of sections. For a round table, you can divide the center into 3 or 4 sections, each containing an odd number of items. Odd numbers visually form triangles which are more pleasing to the eye. You can think of your table like a pizza – each slice should only have an odd number of toppings on it.

However, sometimes you can achieve an attractive display by breaking these rules, so it’s important to also go with your gut and what looks good to you! In the arrangement above, I divided the tabletop into four zones – plant in basket + wooden beads + books & vase + candlesticks. Can you see where I broke the rule? I used two candlesticks in one zone. The rest of the zones have either one or three items (I’m counting the plant and basket as one. I’m also not including the coasters in my count.)

On the left, I divided the table into four zones – plant + shells in basket + wooden beads + book stack/candle. For the table decor on the right, I divided the top into three zones – plant + candles + book stack/coral.

Incorporate Personal Touches

The coffee table is a natural place to display things that have meaning to you. After all, you and your guests will be spending a lot of time looking at them! For our table, I’m displaying some of the shells I have collected over the years. The large conch shell below belonged to my grandparents, probably a souvenir from one of their trips to Tahiti or Hawaii. You might also include a small framed photo, a travel souvenir, or other artisan piece.

Consider Functionality

Of course, you’ll want to leave space for actual use as a table! Coffee tables need space to set down drinks and store remote controls. As mentioned above, coasters can be both decorative and functional! I like to store the remotes in a lidded box or tucked inside a tray. Since our table arrived, it’s been so nice having a spot to set down a drink and put my feet up! I decided a long time ago that I only want coffee tables sturdy enough to double as foot rests!

Switch It Up Seasonally

Rotate decor for fall, winter, spring, summer. Shop your home seasonally to freshen things up. Small swaps you can make are to replace candles for ones with different or new scents, or change the color scheme to match the season. By adding and removing items you can give your table a whole new feel.

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Share Your Ideas!

Styling a round coffee table is all about balance, creativity, and personal expression. Remember to play with varying heights, mix textures, and keep things functional yet beautiful. Most importantly, have fun with it! Don’t be afraid to switch things up with the seasons or your mood. Your coffee table is a perfect spot to showcase your style and personality.

I’d love to see how you style yours! Share your coffee table setup in the comments — let’s inspire each other!

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