How to turn your coffee table into a focal point
22.9.2020
Translation: machine translated
Sometimes, instead of new furniture, you just need some good ideas to spruce up your home. How about updating your side table? With a bit of sleight of hand, it will be anything but ordinary.
As their name suggests, side tables are there to complement something. Yet they have the potential to become the centre of the room. Whether in front of the sofa or next to the armchair, these little tables can lend a new structure to the room. Sometimes all it takes is a thoughtful arrangement.
Bringing still life back to life
Still life is the magic word for making the side table prettier. Coming from the field of painting, it consists of the artistic representation of various still objects. You can make one in no time and lend not only to the bookcase, but also to your side table the little extra that will make all the difference.
Creating a dynamic
A good still life "lives" on contrasts. Play with the height and size of your objects when staging your coffee table. Work from back to front, placing the tallest object behind. If your things are the same size, you could stack a few books or magazines to make a pedestal. Coffee table books" are perfect for this, hence their name. In fact, their spines are designed to make them decorative and a stage for other objects.
To create diversity in terms of height, all you need to do is put plants or flowers. Tall shrubs and climbing plants will protrude from each candleholder. That said, not everything needs to be high up. Hanging plants bring movement right up to under the table.
Establish colour schemes
Similar colours bring harmony between the coffee table and the other stuff. Stick to a colour family and choose warm or cool tones. This will give a good harmony. Brown tones, for example, go particularly well with red, orange, mustard and beige.
Sublimating eyes
Odd numbers are often more pleasing to the eye than even numbers. Three objects are enough to give a calming effect. If you only have room for two, you'll need to vary the heights, as mentioned above.
Integrate nature
Add a touch of green to complement still lifes. Incorporate fresh or dried plants or flowers. If space is limited, a single branch is already sufficient. The fact that natural elements reflect the seasons represents all their beauty.
Alternatives to floral and green touches are shells and pebbles or elegant little bowls that you can regularly decorate with different kinds of fruit.
Choosing a theme
Decorative objects can also be chosen according to a theme. Bring the seasons or memories of your last trip into your living room and add a personal touch to your decor. This is precisely how your decor will stand out from the images in catalogues.
Opting for breaks in style
In fashion as in interior design, anything that breaks up styles is the key to the perfect overall picture. Dare to mix styles. For example, place a modern design object next to a flea market find. Contrast includes tension.
You can produce the same effect by choosing objects of different materials or combining two coffee tables of different materials. Don't hesitate to combine rough, matt metals with smooth, painted ceramics, or round, organic shapes with others that are geometric. Contrast is attractive as long as you use it in the right measure.
Dissimilating everyday objects
Unattractive things that you need to have to hand can go in a boîte. You have a whole range of choices from ceramic boxes to patterned cardboard boxes. The preserving boxes can also be used. Especially if they are opaque.
Creating an ambience
As with the dining table, candlelight complements the coffee table decor. Given that we don't normally eat at the coffee table, scented candles are perfect there. The battery-powered table lamps are less romantic, but work just as well as candle holders. They have no cable and a battery life of several hours. A handy side effect: they can also be used as a lamp for reading on the sofa.
Larger surface
Who said a side table had to stand alone? Two coffee tables instead of one give you more surface area to create a still life. Choose models with different heights and widths. That way, you can assemble them as a single unit. Different materials and structures are no problem.
Try putting one or more side tables against the wall. They'll become real platforms for photo frames or sculptures. If you decorate your side table with works of art, it will immediately become the centre of the room.
Pia Seidel
Senior Editor
Pia.Seidel@digitecgalaxus.chLike a cheerleader, I love celebrating good design and bringing you closer to everything furniture- and interior design- related. I regularly curate simple yet sophisticated interior ideas, report on trends and interview creative minds about their work.
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