How to Decorate your Coffee table or Ottoman

Coffee tables and ottomans are an essential part of a living room but sometimes it can be difficult to navigate the decorating process for these pieces. Whether you have a coffee table or an ottoman, I generally have the same tricks when styling them. Below I give you three ways to decorate your coffee table or ottoman.

1-Keep it Simple

All you need is a tray, candle and books DONE!  Simplicity allows for you to “keep the clutter at bay and the pretty to stay“… haha you like that??

Something I like to do is add a book to my tray that I really want people to notice and talk to me about… So of course I reach for my Enneagram book 🙂

2-Add Height

This is the time for you to step it up one more knotch. Add a vase and florals to create that height in the tray.

My favorite place to find vases is probably HomeGoods and one of my favorite faux floral go to spots is Michael’s! In the spring and summer you will usually find fresh flowers from my backyard on my tray!

3-Create a Vignette

A Vignette (Vin-Yet) is a small, appealing space formed by grouping several objects. So this is where you can go crazy and this is usually how I style my ottoman.  I start with my tray and then I LOVE incorporating a taller vase with extravagant florals.  It gives dimension and texture to the space.  

If you are thinking, “the greenery sure doe look like a tree branch!” Well then you would be right! I like to go “shopping” in my backyard for greenery. See my DIY Backyard Bouquet blog post for more details on that!

Add in a candle, my little bird figure, decor beads and coasters and I’ve got myself a beautiful vignette!

Other Tips & Tricks

• When buying a ottoman I recommend either choosing an ottoman in the exact same color as your sofa/sectional/chair or choosing an ottoman in a noticeably different shade/style.  In other words don’t just buy any gray ottoman to match your gray sofa.  Some grays have a warmer tone and some have a blue tone that most likely will be slightly off from your sofa and will probably look strange.  Go for the wooden coffee table or charcoal ottoman instead.
• Make sure your coffee table isn’t too large for your living room.  You still need to have space to walk around.
• Rugs can be a really fun way to enhance your coffee table or ottoman area.  And YES you can put a rug on top of carpet and IT WILL BE BEAUTIFUL!
• Visit a thrift store or garage sale to find fun pieces to add to your tray on a budget!

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.

Vision boards!

Below I put together three different coffee table and ottoman vision boards! Use these to help guide you on our decorating journey 😉

Don’t forget to check out my other How To Decorate series posts:

• How to Decorate your Nightstands
• How to Decorate your Kitchen Table
• How to Decorate your Kitchen Countertops