I’m sharing all of my favorite coffee table decor ideas to help you have a beautiful, functional coffee table!

I’m a sucker for pretty coffee table decor! When I took a good look at the two coffee tables in our house, I realized that there are five decor essentials that I always use and I’m going to share each one of those coffee table decor ideas with you today! (post includes some affiliate links – see my full disclosure statement {here})

Coffee Table Decor Idea #1 – Large Coffee Table Trays

I always use a large tray on my coffee tables. Always. I love that they keep everything neatly corralled and if you want to clear off your coffee table to use it for playing a game or setting out a spread of food, you can take everything off with the simple lift of a tray. Trays are also a great way to add some contrasting texture or color to keep things interesting.

For our family room coffee table, I went with a large 28″ square wood tray that takes up a large chunk of the coffee table but still leaves room for my husband to throw up his feet on it (he keep a designated “foot pillow” around for him to do that with – lol!):

Sources: White tasseled corner pillow cover | Textured gray pillow cover | Antelope pillow cover | Faux fiddle leaf fig tree | Rug | Pair of floor poufs | Acrylic coffee table (similar) | Black and white striped box (on coffee table) | Brass cranes | White coral (similar)

I had the hardest time finding a large handled square tray that I liked but ended up finding the perfect one on Etsy. The shop I bought mine from no longer exists but you can find an almost identical tray at {this Etsy shop}. They offer them in a wide variety of colors in a velvet matte or gloss luster finish. A tray this large is expensive but I’ll have mine for YEARS. I love that if I change up my color scheme in the future, I can simply repaint it rather than having to buy a new tray.

On our living room ottoman/coffee table, I mostly use light woven trays to add some brightness and texture. I recently bought {this large woven rattan tray} which is a nice size and a great price for a tray this large:

Other sources: White vase | Faux eucalyptus | Gold wishbone

FYI, be sure to add felt pads to the bottom of woven trays to make sure they don’t scratch your coffee table! These are a few other favorite coffee table trays that would also work beautifully (Scroll & Click/Tap to Shop):

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Coffee Table Decor Idea #2 – Flowers & Natural Elements

I use flowers and natural elements throughout my home because they add life in a way nothing else can so it’s no surprise that one of my favorite coffee table decor ideas! During the summer when we have a ton of flowers blooming in our yard, I keep small fresh flower bouquets on our coffee table:

You can add even more life and personality by placing your flowers in something unique like this brass swan planter of mine (you can find similar planters {here} and {here}) that I’m pretty much obsessed with:

If you don’t have blooms to clip from your yard, grab a $5 bundle of tulips at the grocery store or for even less maintenance, add a plant. This snake plant that used to be on our living room coffee table is the best – seriously unkillable:

And I love {this dried star anise pod} I have on the stack of books on the end of our coffee table too – it’s another way of bringing nature into this space.

There’s also no shame in going faux! I recently bought {this faux peony bundle} in raspberry and two of {these white hydrangeas} that make the prettiest little arrangement:

And after moving my snake plant upstairs, I’ve been using three of these faux eucalyptus branches (found {here}) in {this white vase} on our living room ottoman:

You can use other natural elements to add life too – a bowl of pinecones, feathers, or elements from the sea such as driftwood, shells, and coral are just a few ideas. The best thing about natural elements is that there are so many outside your door that you can find and use for free!

Coffee Table Decor Idea #3 – Coffee Table Books

Books are another must-have for me. They’re perfect for adding a layered look plus it’s nice to have some interesting coffee table books that your family and guests can pick up and read. Being the design lover that I am, most of mine (big surprise) are centered on design. Books about the area you live in, your favorite state or country to vacation in, or a favorite hobby are other great choices.

You could also think about getting a bunch of your photos off of your phone and computer and into one of {these cute digital photo books} – that’s future coffee table goals for me! And if you want to add some color or pattern to your coffee table, a simple way to do it is to use a remnant from a favorite fabric to create a fabric book cover:

If you’re a design lover like me and are on the hunt for some good coffee table books, these are a few that have great content inside and look pretty outside (Scroll & Click/Tap to Shop):

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Coffee Table Decor Idea #4 – Book Toppers

Along with some stacked coffee table books, I always add a book topper or two. These can be just about anything from the large gold wishbone (similar one available {here}) I used on my fabric covered book above to a decorative magnifying glass like one of {these} or a small piece of coral like {this one}):

Wood bead garlands or sea glass bead necklaces like {these} are other favorite toppers:

Here are a few other ideas for fun book toppers (Scroll & Click/Tap to Shop):

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Coffee Table Decor Idea #5 – Decorative Boxes

Decorative boxes are the best! There are so many beautiful options and they’re great for stashing things that you don’t want cluttering up your table. {This black and white pinstripe box} on our family room coffee table holds extra TV remotes, our lighting remote, and my photo flash drives I need every now and then while laptopping on the sectional:

And the smaller marble box on our living room ottoman tray holds a set of coasters:

These are some other beautiful decorative boxes that would work well on a coffee table (Scroll & Click/Tap to Shop):

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Once you’ve got these essentials in place, then it’s time to have some fun and add a few quirky things you love! For me, that’s often brass animals (#obsessed) like this pair of brass cranes (similar ones available {here}):

but for you it might be something related to your favorite hobby or a piece that simply has some history and special meaning. Put it all together and you’ll have a coffee table that’s the star of your space!

Sources: TV console (similar) | Chandelier (satin bronze) | Rattan chair | White tasseled corner pillow cover | Textured gray pillow cover | Antelope pillow cover | Faux fiddle leaf fig tree | Rug | Pair of floor poufs | Acrylic coffee table (similar) |

Thanks so much for stopping by today! You can find a full source list for my family room in {this post} and a source list for my living room in {this post} in case you were wondering where something came from. And if you’re new here and want to join the Driven by Decor crew in getting DIY and decorating inspiration delivered to your inbox, I’d love for you to subscribe by email – it’s typically only 2 posts per week and you can unsubscribe at any time! CLICK {HERE} TO SUBSCRIBE!