How to decorate a coffee table: 7 tips
03.2022
Find out how to style your coffee table with our 7 valuable tips
7 coffee table decor ideas
When it comes to decorating your home, it is often the case that you concentrate on the general decoration of your living room and lose sight of the details.
When it comes to coffee table styling the choice is especially crucial as, due its position, it easily jumps out at guests. Effective decoration is not as simple as you might think. Are there any mistakes to avoid? And what are the best furnishing accessories to embellish the coffee table?
Let’s discover together the importance of the coffee table, the fundamental advice for effective decoration, and 7 tips for decorating the coffee table to perfection.
The importance of the coffee table
The coffee table is an indispensable piece of furniture to complete the interior design of a modern living room. For example, it is very useful around the sofa or next to an armchair, to provide a functional surface on which to place things that enhances the comfort of the room.
Furthermore, thanks to its often central position, it is the perfect element to tie the room together perfectly.
We must not forget that the living room is a very visible room: the choice of the coffee table must never be taken for granted. Its style has a profound effect on the style of the whole room.
There are many ways to effectively match the table to the room, such as by colour or by calibrating it well to the space. The important thing is not to make a rash choice that could turn out to be wrong. A well-thought-out decoration will also enhance this important piece of furniture to perfection.
Mistakes to avoid when styling your coffee table
Coffee table styling is not as easy as you might think. There are 3 simple rules to follow for perfect decoration:
- Do not overcrowd your coffee table
- Choose harmonious decorations
- Respect the size of the table
For an elegant and tidy effect, it is certainly advisable to avoid filling the surface of the coffee table with too many decorations. It is better to choose a few objects that stand out without weighing down the space. The harmonious factor is also important: in a beautiful and cohesive environment, continuity in the theme of the furniture is essential. It is ideal to choose coffee table accessories that match each other, for example in style or material as the effect will be very natural.
The last important piece of advice is to respect the size of the table. Decorations that are too large for a small coffee table, or vice versa, instantly create a major disharmony.
After having examined the mistakes not to make, let’s discover together 7 categories of decorations that are perfect for a coffee table.
Bowls and trays
As we have said, the coffee table is tremendously useful because it provides an additional surface on which to place things. The coffee table for the sofa is very handy, for example, for placing a book or the telephone. For smaller accessories, however, it is a good idea to provide the coffee table with a container, which allows small items to be stored safely without the risk of losing them.
Bowls and trays are perfect for accompanying the functional purpose of the coffee table. Salvatori has developed many of them, in different shapes and materials, so that you can always find the right accompaniment for every living room.
For the living room we are proposing we have chosen to use the Pietra L 04 tray, with simple and essential lines. Made from our precious Grigio Versilia, this tray perfectly completes the furnishings of our Proiezioni coffee table: next to the Kilos bookend and the Omaggio a Morandi sculpture, the bond of natural stone binds the whole room together. A functional and stylish coffee table that perfectly complements the large leather sofa.
Vases and flowers
The charm of flowers elevates a living room environment to perfection. Moreover, at a time when reconnecting with nature is the perfect cure for everyday stress, decorating the living room table with one or more vases is practically a must.
Whether you prefer vibrant fresh flowers or dried flowers with a retro feel, the trick is to choose vases with character that don’t get lost in the room as a whole.
In this living room with its oriental contours, our Span indoor coffee table takes on a changing nature: from a side table, it is effectively transformed into a dining table, for eating a meal in perfect Japanese style.
To decorate it, we have chosen the clear, harmonious lines of our Pietra L10 vase: formed by a natural stone base and a fine crystal body, the elegance of this vase is unparalleled. United with the accessories from the Ellipse collection it can go from an everyday decoration for the coffee table, to the perfect accompaniment for a romantic evening.
Scented candles
In the living room, relaxation and hustle and bustle alternate naturally, without interruption. For this reason, the lighting system in the room must also include stronger and softer lights, to adapt effectively to the various situations.
When relaxing in the evening, however, there is always a romantic, soft light that is the undisputed winner when it comes to creating atmosphere: the candle.
The charm of the delicate flame of a candle is incredible, making it a perfect addition to the coffee table. Then, if you choose an elegant candle holder to accompany it, the beauty of the result will be even greater.
In its holistic approach to design, Salvatori has not only developed scented candles with stone-inspired fragrances, it has also designed essential and elegant candle holders.
For this elegant living room, we chose the Lui&Lei candle holder to complement the veined Love Me, Love Me Not coffee table. Designed to match perfectly with the capacious tray of the Lui&Lei collection, the style and colour of the candle holder perfectly complement the whole living room. A small element, with great impact.
Quality sculptures
The living room is the perfect place to display precious or sentimental decorations. As well as bookcases or walls, a great place to display an ornament or sculpture is on the coffee table.
It is enough to respect the simple rules we have seen above to obtain a harmonious effect: elements matched to each other, and proportioned to the surface.
Salvatori offers a multitude of varied designs in its extensive catalogue of sculptures. For this living room permeated by the warm tones of Silk Georgette® and Crema d’Orcia, we have entrusted a unique and delicate note of colour to our Archimera. Two metaphysical microcases, which give dimensionality to the Dritto coffee table and to the whole living room.
Useful paperweights
Placing a paperweight on the coffee table may, at first glance, seem like an unusual choice with a vintage feel, but this is not the case.
Important documents, bills, or memos which should not be forgotten are often placed on the coffee table, and risk being lost or submerged in daily hustle and bustle. A paperweight allows you to highlight your documents, keeping them secure and in plain sight. For this reason, we have designed paperweights that take advantage of the stoicity of natural stone combined with a unique design.
To complete this living room, we decided to use our Gravity style. A circular paperweight in precious Nero Marquinia that enriches the design of the living room at first sight. Its perfect shape on the outside hides the white veins of marble at its heart: a perfect symbol of the conflicts that punctuate our daily lives.
In this living room, positioned on the slender W Coffee Table, Gravity retains all its functionality, disguised as a prestigious sculpture.
Elegant lamps
As we have already said, living room lighting is dynamic and, even more so than bathroom lighting, must be adapted to the uses and functions of the room.
Adding a strategic light point can sometimes be complicated, due to lack of space or available surfaces. In the case of a coffee table by the side of the sofa, for example, placing a lamp on top is an excellent idea to provide the right lighting for reading a good book. Choosing a lamp with a sophisticated design is a great way to combine functionality with a touch of style throughout the room.
In this living room we have decorated our elegant Ta_Volo® using the Urano lamp. Carved from a single block of marble, Urano provides the perfect beam of light to create atmospheric lighting. Its sculpture-like appearance enriches any space.
On the ceiling, the Silo lamp, installed as a series, provides a perfect general light to illuminate the room. The living room is perfectly functional, thanks to the double lighting, and sophisticated, thanks to the quality and design of the furniture.
Home fragrances
One last idea for making the most of your living room table is to use a home fragrance.
Permeating the room with pleasant and relaxing essences increases the multi-sensory experience of the home. For Salvatori, holistic design is a real mission: we aim to create beautiful environments that provoke emotions and sensations in those who use them.
This is how our Essenze collection was born. In this living room, permeated by the delicate tones of Silk Georgette® Levigato, we have decorated the Dritto coffee table with the Pietra L11 diffuser. The delicate emanations of the fragrance designed to accompany the Sik Georgette® are the perfect complement to relax on the Curl chaise longue and leave your worries behind.
Just mention the southern Italian coast and you start dreaming of sparkling blue seas, long hot days and the laidback, peaceful calm of days by the water.
The true nature of Scandinavian design goes far beyond mere minimalism. The pale colours, ample use of space and light and coolly sparse, pared-back style which generally spring to mind don’t necessarily reflect the true depth and soul of the movement.
