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Mar 2, 2016

RUSTIC COFFEE TABLE STYLING

I've always enjoyed finding interesting pieces to incorporate into our Barn House.  Everything that comes into my home has purpose, a rhyme and a reason for it's invitation. I say invitation because yes, I am that picky about my decor. 

When people walk in, they enjoy how all the colors and pieces flow together. No matter what style you choose, it's very important, if you want your home or business to flow nicely, you need to be picky about what you hang on the walls and what you place on your furniture.

This is especially important for simple pieces we often take for granted and use to fill up space such as a coffee table

A coffee table can easily be the focal point of the room if you find an interesting enough piece and you style it correctly. If you've inherited a piece that doesn't fit with your particular style and you do not have a large budget to purchase something different, you can look at the option of refinishing or repainting. 

Once you've established a piece that fits with your decorating style and serves as an attractive focal point, you must next style it with similar-looking pieces.. Styling a coffee table is important because if you don't pay special attention to what you place on it, you can take away from the attractiveness of your piece. 

My husband and I have tossed around the idea of getting a fun coffee table for our living room. I have really enjoyed the idea of a coffee table repurposed from a tractor hood.  Someday, when we pull the trigger and bring a new coffee table into our home, this is how I would style mine. You can also apply my ideas to your own coffee table!


1. Tall item. First,  choose something taller that serves as your main focal point. T his can be a vase, a piece of pottery, an antique, etc. The possibilities are endless. I've always wanted an antique fan but never really knew where to put it. For my example, I am using the fan as my tall object.

2. Catch-all. Place what I like to a call a "catch-all" onto the surface of the coffee table. Your tall object will sit inside of it. This will give you an idea of how much decorating space you have to work with. A "catch-all" can be any kind of container or piece that holds objects together, bringing your eye to the group, separating them from your everyday objects you may place on the table that can create clutter and take away from your decor like a remote, coffee cup, magazine or in my case, the cat. ;) 

Be creative with your "catch-all" item! It doesn't have to be a tray. You can use wooden cutting boards, platters, a slice of tree trunk, a small box or even a table runner. 

3. Collection. What do you like to collect? I enjoy collecting old barn pulleys. They're easy to find around here and it's always nice to have an extra spot to keep a few. Make sure you collection has a shape that can be piled with the other pieces. Pile your similar objects together. Collections can be anything! Think outside the box: old door knobs, mason jar lids, antique irons.

4. Foliage. Place some foliage in your "catch-all" between the collection. You can choose different foliage to change out with the seasons. I have a lot of earthy, darker colors in my home so I chose cotton because it's neutral and adds a pop of white.

5. Candle. Every coffee table needs a cozy candle. I may be a little biased because I LOVE candles and usually have one burning when I am home. Choose one that is neutral in color that doesn't take away from the character of your table and tall object. This candle can just be for decor if you're not comfortable burning them. I suggest setting it outside of your catch-all, away from your foliage if you do choose to light it. 

Disclaimer: Always burn candles under supervision, trim the wicks and keep pets, children, husbands and other flammable objects away at all times. 


6. Books. My husband gets a lot of novelty books for his birthday and holidays. I also have a lot of barn books tucked away in drawers. It would be fun to have a spot to display a couple of fun books and allow for guests to pull them out and thumb through the pages. Do you ever have those moments where you're still getting around and tell a guest to make themselves at home while they wait? Having some fun books available at your coffee table will help ease those awkward moments! Well, there's always the Smartphone.... but there are still people like my husband's grandmother who would enjoy have a book to peak at!

I hope these tips will help when it comes time for you to style a new coffee table. Maybe you might even re-evaluate your current coffee table situation! Are you making the most of your space? Is it visually pleasing? 

For other coffee table ideas.. check these out from Chairish.com






3 comments:

  1. Cute, cute, cute!! I have never seen a table like this. I can imagine how cute it will be in your home. This would be a great edition to the March Country Fair! http://www.inlinkz.com/new/view.php?id=609411

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  2. So many great ideas!! Our struggle is the nightly wrestling match and game of chase that the girls do in the living room and around our coffee table... They've been known to go OVER THE TOP of the table in a moment of sheer excitement and blind enthusiasm. My father-in-law made our table and it has a shelf under that I keep my 'catch-all' and collection on for safe keeping! It's a good thing we love our dogs for all their shenanigans!

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  3. I love that you are choosy about what goes into your home. It's pretty easy to walk into Ikea and order all the pieces to make up a pre-packaged room. But finding little bits and pieces that are really YOU and then finding the perfect place for them in your home? Now, that's something!

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