Simply Beautiful By Angela

creating simple beauty on a budget

Coffee Table Essentials Challenge

Well hello friends!  Remember the time I shared my dark hallway makeover, promised to be back soon with some tutorials and then dropped off the face of blog world? Yeah…

I’ve honestly been so caught up with baby snuggles and toddler playtime that I just haven’t had the time to get on the blog. It’s been really nice and much needed, but as I’m wrapping up my final week of maternity leave (*sob!!*) I plan to share a lot with you all in the coming weeks!

One of the most exciting new things going on around here is our basement makeover.  I’ve been planning out wall treatments, furniture placements and wall decor ideas like crazy!  So it was perfect timing when I heard about the Coffee Table Essentials Challenge by Chairish. It inspired me to start racking my brain on how to decorate the coffee table down there.

The coffee table is one of the most essential pieces of a space since it usually sits center stage and pulls your eye in to the room.  Decorating them can be a real challenge since you want them to be functional and not feel too cluttered.

I’ll be totally honest with you, due to our wild two year old, I leave our upstairs coffee table totally empty on a day to day basis. I only decorate it if we’re having a lot of people over. Since the basement area isn’t going to be an area that our toddler spends a lot of time in, I plan on going all out on the coffee table down there!

One of my favorite tables spotted on Charish was this one drawer Tuscan wash.

Isn’t that color gorgeous? If this beauty belonged to me this is how I would style it.
I used 7 key essentials to style this coffee table.

1. Tray


This is probably the most important piece because it’s what pulls everything together.  It acts as the canvas in which all the pieces sit on.  I like the idea of everything sitting on a tray because it can all be easily picked up and moved if necessary.  There are tons of flattering designs out there but they are also really easy to DIY.  This antique white one is from Target (source).

2.  Height
When styling anything, height is always visually appealing.  One way to do this is by adding a lantern.  I love, love love lanterns!  They can hold a candle or stand alone. This awesome metal one from Target (source) looks great against the wood of the tray and the table.  
3. Vases


A pretty glass vase is a must for greenery (see number 4!) and can either be shorter height like I have here, or you can use a larger one to achieve the height I mentioned previously.  It’s also a good way to bring in some color like this aqua mason jar.  I for the life of me can’t find the source for where I found this (even using Google image search!)
4. Greenery/Flowers
Adding in a touch of the outdoors makes the table feel lively and fresh.  If you’re like me and are terrible at keeping plants alive, you can find some pretty realistic ones like this hydrangea from Crate and Barrel (source).

5. Decorative spheres


It’s also important to have shorter pieces to act as a filler for the tray.  I have these ones from IKEA (source) and absolutely adore them.  I like the fact that there are several different sizes and two different colors.
6. Basket


After spending so much time and effort decorating the top of the coffee table, you can’t forget the bottom! A basket not only looks warm and cozy under the table, it also acts as a nice storage area.  I really like the oval shape of this one from Crate and Barrel (source).
7.  Basket Filler
The basket under the coffee table can be used for anything you really need it for.  My personal favorite is this cuddly throw from Target (source).   It’s really nice to have it stashed so tidy and close to the couch!
So there you have it, my 7 essentials for coffee table decorating!  I can’t wait to implement these on our basement coffee table. I’m thinking that the throw and the lantern are going to be must-buys.  Thank you Chairish for motivating me to get off my booty and start planning!

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