Happy Monday, friends! This weekend in my super exciting life, the highlight was the arrival of our new coffee table! We’ve had the same coffee table that I bought at a thrift store for $6 since we moved in together three years ago. I was almost sad to get rid of the old one because it was my first furniture DIY project. After I took it home, I coated it in white spray paint, got some 2x4s cut to size at Home Depot, and nailed them on and stained them gray myself. But between the fact that it didn’t really match anything in our living room and the fact that I also accidentally broke one of the legs off the table as I shoved it in my car the day I bought it (and then held it together with gorilla glue for the next three years), it was definitely time for a new one.

We registered for this coffee table a while back, and you could say I was THRILLED when it was the first gift one of our friends bought off our registry! Thanks to Zola (which I highly recommend for anyone planning a wedding right now), we were able to choose when to ship it – and I had no patience, so we decided to order it last week. I then spent the next week refreshing the tracking info 5 times a day because I basically get as excited for a new piece of furniture to be delivered as children do for Santa’s arrival on Christmas Eve.

ANYWAYS. Once our new coffee table arrived and I put it together (BY MYSELF since men are no help during March Madness), I immediately started the process of styling it. So I thought that would be a great topic for today’s blog post! Read on for my tips for styling a coffee table – I’ve even included a list of my 6 picks for coffee tables under $100 at the end!

Start with a tray.

You can’t go wrong by starting with a tray! Trays are perfect for coffee tables because they provide a pretty way to corral items such as remotes that might otherwise look disorganized. For larger coffee tables (like ours), they can also help you break the surface up into sections for more visual interest.

My tray picks:

Add something with a yummy scent.

And by that, I mean a candle or diffuser! There are candle people and then there are… not candle people. Personally, I’m a candle person! I think there’s nothing better (or prettier) than the warm glow and soothing scent of a new three wick candle. However, I know several people who aren’t crazy about candles, so I’d suggest a diffuser as an alternate. For clarification – when I say diffuser in this case, I’m not referring to the essential oil diffusers that have become increasingly popular (because like, where would you plug it in on the coffee table?) I’m referring to reed diffusers, which look as pretty as they smell. By incorporating a candle or a reed diffuser into your coffee table decor, you’ll add a pretty element that also makes your home smell amazing!

My candle picks:

My diffuser picks:

Books are essential.

Even if you aren’t an avid reader, books are essential to creating a beautifully styled coffee table. If you’re anything like me, you’ll already have a million books in various places in your home, so you might not even need to spend any money on this one! Some pretty books will add warmth and dimension to your coffee table. The greatest tip I’ve seen for styling with books comes from Chris Loves Julia (is this basically a Chris Loves Julia fan blog? Maybe.) – take the book jackets off! I’ve done this countless times and it blows my mind every time. Some of my books with weird covers have the most beautiful spines underneath. Try this and you’ll be amazed!

My coffee table book picks:

Use items with a variety of heights for added interest.

One of the biggest decorating mistakes that I consistently see is sticking to one height on a surface. Whether it be a shelf, a dresser, or a coffee table – when every item on a surface is the same height, it starts to feel flat. In order to give the space more depth, you need to incorporate various heights – for example, a short stack of books, a medium height candle, and a tall vase with greenery would be much more interesting than a short stack of books, a short candle, and a short knick-knack. The easiest way to incorporate height is by adding a vase with some flowers or greenery! Pretty lanterns and tall diffusers can also do the trick here. Just make sure you don’t use anything TOO tall if your coffee table is between your couch and the TV – you don’t want your pretty decor blocking your view of the TV!

My picks for adding height:

Incorporate hidden storage.

As much as we all want to make our coffee tables gorgeous and photo-worthy, the most important thing is that they’re functional. If you want your coffee table to be both gorgeous AND functional, you’re going to have to incorporate some hidden storage! You can do this by adding baskets on the lower shelf (if your coffee table has one) to corral magazines, papers, and knick knacks, adding a pretty box on top to store remotes, or even having some open storage using a small wooden bowl or trinket dish.

My coffee table storage picks:

Bring in an element of fun.

I love when I see coffee tables that have a little element of added fun! Casey of The DIY Playbook‘s small gold hashtag comes to mind instantly – it’s a small trinket, but it brings tons of personality to her coffee table. Every great coffee table should have some sort of element of fun, whether it be a fun sculpture, a whimsical trinket, or really anything that gives a glimpse into your personality. It will make your coffee table feel so much more welcoming and lived-in!

My fun trinket picks:

Make it personal.

The key to having a home that you love and that feels like you is adding personal touches. This can mean different things to different people! I’ve seen pretty trinket trays filled with photo booth strips, meaningful trinkets sitting atop a stack of books, bowls containing ticket stubs from first dates – there are so many different ways to incorporate personal touches into your coffee table decor. Do whatever feels right to you and your coffee table will finally feel complete!

Coffee Table Roundup

I wanted to end this post with some beautiful coffee tables that you can take home for under $100. These would all look beautiful in any home and with that price tag, they’re a steal. Happy decorating!

budget decor coffee table coffee table styling decorating on a budget