YOUR COFFEE TABLE IS A PROBLEM...Lets' fix it!

Hey guys , welcome back .

I'm so excited today .

I'm starting a new series all about your Decor .

Oh , we're gonna have so much fun with this and first up is coffee table .

Uh Yes , the ubiquitous coffee table .

We all have one usually and you know , you finally decide on one that works for your style and there it says blank .

Oh , too afraid to deal with it or even worse .

It's covered in junk that doesn't belong there .

I'm gonna show you today exactly what to do with it to make it fit your style and nail your Decor .

Now , as I mentioned , this is the first in a series and we're just starting with the coffee tables .

But understand this when you're working with Decor , it's all about understanding the basic rules around styling .

And interestingly enough , a lot of the styling rules actually pull from your basic design principles .

Now , if you want to know more about that , be sure and sign up at the design club dot com because I've got a whole series of lessons all around the basic principles around design and how you can apply them in your spaces to make it work for you .

Rule number one about styling your coffee table is how many surfaces does the coffee table have ?

I mean , honestly , you can get one with just the simple top or you can have a double or you can have a trio .

So there's all different types .

So you need to know what you're working with there .

That's the first parameter .

The second parameter is what's the table's material made of very important because you're always going to be playing off of that visually .

So is it all glass ?

Maybe it's a glass and metal ?

Maybe it's a beautiful solid wood one ?

There's just , you know , there's all kinds out there , even like this trunk .

So there's all kinds out there and you wanna make sure that you're considering that when you're both choosing , arranging the pieces that will go on the top and the last parameter that you'll always wanna remember is what's your style statement ?

Right ?

Are you a minimalist ?

Maybe you're a maximalist , maybe you're something in between one candy boho , any of those ?

Remember this decor , the whole category always is what nails your design statement .

So you wanna make sure that it's always in alignment and injecting the final element of your style .

OK .

Now , speaking of elements , rule number two is elements and the rule of odds .

Now it's something in the universe and basic principles of design , but things look better when they are collected together in odd numbers , ones , three fives even seven .

So depending upon how many layers of table you've got , how many things you want to put on it , what you need on the top of that table .

Remember that you always wanna have groupings or elements that end up in odd numbers , it will just feel more satisfactory .

Now , rule number three is function and meaning .

So obviously , there are certain things that you kind of need on a coffee table and a lot of them can be sort of flotsam and jetsam , like , you know , a TV remote or a matchbox or all kinds of different things .

So you want to make sure that what you've got going in there is collected in a way that ends up looking visually organized .

So you're gonna think about really useful tools like bowls , boxes with lids , baskets with lids , uh trays , all of those kinds of things .

There's lots of different ways to collect the smaller pieces , pop the lid on them .

So they don't show and the collective decorative element does .

And that looks much more organized .

Now , like I said , there's always that element of function .

I need the coffee table or I need the television remote , I need XY or Z .

But then there's also the element of what would complete this statement and completely be decorative .

Maybe it's a found object or a piece of sculpture , maybe it's a couple of books , maybe it's just this exquisite bowl that you love or a simple vase with flowers in it .

They can even be fake if you really want .

That element is purely decorative and it's there to serve to create often either a height element or that purely decorative statement that helps round out the collection go to elements can be things like trays , uh bowls for vases and flowers .

Candles even can be good collections of candles but not too many , no more than three books boxes for coasters , perhaps that's actually a useful item and can be beautiful at the same time .

And like I said , a found object or perhaps some sculptural piece can be also very interesting and help complete the texture and balance statement .

So let's do this .

Let's study some gorgeous tables that I've collected by style .

So you'll understand how they got that way and you can do it too .

So let's start with a really beautiful traditional coffee table .

Now , this is a whole , a completely lovely room .

But on that coffee table , what they've done is they've placed a series of elements of books .

Now , I'm gonna tell you this , you don't really need that many books a lot of times they do that for styling .

But at the end of the day , you can't put a whole lot down on that .

So think about function and go uh maybe they only need three stacks of books or one stack of books .

It doesn't really matter .

But for the styling , for the picture , they added a few more , but it still looks lovely .

They've also got an ashtray , they've got a formal cut vase with flowers in it .

So it's a very sort of formalized composition .

It works very well for the space because the table top is glass .

So what they've added to it is rather mass like .

So that's really good .

Now , how about this next one ?

Oh my gosh , this is another traditional style table and it's a gorgeous market table with a super , super high gloss finish .

So what did we say about applying the rules and the parameters with that high glass finish ?

It's almost like glass but it's not see through .

So what they've done is they've added elements that have pops of color and texture that push back against that glossy bossy table and create a little bit of an interesting contrast without looking like a hodgepodge .

They've done a beautiful stack of books again with a lovely little bust on the top , a gorgeous footed vase that's blue with some white hydrangeas in it .

That's lovely .

A couple of small trinket boxes and a small bowl .

Again , odd numbers of elements and it looks absolutely intentional and beautiful and like it actually lives there all time like that because they probably used those smaller elements .

So that's a lovely example .

Now , another thing that you can always consider with traditional is you can have a little bit more than say , if you're leaning more towards the contemporary style statements because traditional allows you to have a little bit more of the elements of statement that create that style and it feels good .

Still .

All right .

So now let's take a look at some contemporary options that I pulled together that I thought would be good examples .

I love this one .

It's a trio nesting table that I think is absolutely stunning .

It's a stone top to it .

Now , what have you got parameters ?

You've got three levels .

You've also got a very contemporary space and there's that textual stone top .

So what they did is keep it very , very simple .

There's only three pieces on that entire table , which is great .

Two of them happen to be vases .

One of them is a tall vase that has high sprigs in it .

And what that does is that gives you that element of height that you want in a composition as well .

Then there's a lower vase which is really quite beautiful with a pop of color florals in it .

And then there's a simple bowl .

So they kept the statement of the three pieces very simple because not only are they dealing with level changes , but they're dealing with that incredible textured stone .

So that's a beautiful solution to that table .

Now , the next one also very textured .

Interestingly enough , we're getting lots of texture in these contemporary examples .

It also has a high element that happens to be florals , but it's kind of these rough he logs that are tied together .

It's a very interesting table actually .

And what they did was they wanted to contrast that roughness with some beautiful gloss , clear glass .

So that kind of plays against the statement of the rough table , simple white flowers in it and a beautiful sculptural piece in the center that has this lovely textured surface to it .

It looks like it might be cast bronze and that also plays against that .

So again , they're using odds , they're using textural combinations and they're placing items in ways that allow you to think that there's actually function around it , which is really great .

Now , this last one I simply couldn't resist .

And it's for all of you minimalists out there because it's a gorgeous coffee table and you never want to have an empty coffee table .

Never .

But it's this stunning stunning tree root .

Now , the tree root in and of itself is a sculptural art statement , right ?

So they didn't overburden it with too much decor , one simple glass bowl with a little bit of a greenery in the top .

You're done and that's all it needs .

Gorgeous , simplistic rule of odds .

Perfect levels of contrast , minimalist Decor statement nailed .

Now , for all of you guys out there that are transitional , you know , there's so many different looks with transitional .

So it's a really broad palette that you're working from , right ?

So I love this piece here .

It's a double layer coffee table .

OK ?

So we haven't addressed that yet .

And what they did was they took a stack of books .

I think there's four or five there .

And remember this , when you do a stack of books , it kind of counts as one element .

So they did that on the lower level along with this gorgeous flat bowl .

Then on the top , they added this high , gorgeous , gorgeous , super high gloss bust and then a gleaming silver vase with a little bit of florals in it .

And a couple more books that act again as a single element .

Clearly , you can see by the back wall that someone here is either a literary person or that reads a lot because there's a ton of books in this space .

So books are a kind of a decor theme for this individual .

And so they've kind of expressed that along the coffee table as well .

And so it's really nice to see how they played both layers of the coffee table in a way that you could see through and see it and it was important and well combined for both layers .

Now , a pro tip on this one is fiddling with your decor and that's an official Lisa term is the way you get it to finally work .

So if you play some things down and it doesn't work on the table , remember to squidgy something over an inch or maybe move something around just a little bit , maybe turn something a little bit and sometimes that's all it takes to kind of make the composition lock into place in a way that you go , ah , done .

And here's the secret super tip when you have it done , take a photograph of it from all four sides .

Why ?

Because the minute somebody else comes in the room , the kids throw their feet up on that table , your husband does this with a remote .

It's right .

No , because you've got those pictures , you can always refer back to them and go .

Ah , yes , it's peace of mind and insurance that you know that your table will always look fabulous .

Ok .

So now here's another great transitional example and this is an exquisite room leans more towards the contemporary side but very interesting what they did with this coffee table .

First of all , because that table is a high gloss shine .

They wanted to get some definite texture play against it .

So they've done a beautiful sculptural piece .

There's a little bit of sheen , but there's some sinuous lines to it which really contrast with the lines of the table .

Then they have this what looks like this gorgeous blob .

It actually might be an ashtray of molten glass , which is absolutely lovely and it feels solid and formed , which is gorgeous and then it looks like they have some sort of bronze art which is absolutely gorgeous and then there's a couple of books in the back .

So again , odd numbers , a high element that stays relatively low .

But pops with a series of serious red color because you've got the formal sitting arrangement and then just kind of placed in a way that looks like you can still use the coffee table .

But that all the elements look intentional .

That's a gorgeous example of a lovely transitional coffee table .

OK , guys .

Now , this last gorgeous transitional coffee table is actually Ellen degeneres Residence and I loved the composition on this one because of all the ones we've seen , we haven't seen somebody work with a plinth and this plinth is stunning .

It's just a simple plain wood grain , which is really very beautiful .

So what has she done with it ?

She's added a high element that is in clear glass because that plinth is so solid .

So that clear glass vase with just a few lovely little twigs on the top is so light and airy and clear and it's beautiful .

Now , the second floral arrangement again is a little bit lower , but it's a pop of color which is really fantabulous .

And then she's added a little bit of a small scope through piece , a couple of books and it's just a beautiful composition .

Again , it looks real , it looks lived in , but it looks intentional and well put together .

That's a gorgeous composition to be inspired by .

All right guys .

Now , I know you've got this , you have got this , I have faith .

Now , here's the deal .

I understand it is really tough to design for your style .

It's super hard .

So what you want to do is keep watching the channel .

Now , every time I drop a video , if you got your bell on ding , ding , ding , ding , then you're gonna get notified that I've just dropped some new super groovy little bit of information and make sure you subscribe .

Oh , I love that .

That's always great for the channel .

And what I want you to do now is I want you to go right over here to this button where I've created a special playlist just for this Decor series which will talk all about different style statements and how you get them beyond your Decor .

So go right here , click on this thing and I'll see you guys next week .