DESIGN HOW TO: Styling Tabletops - Lynn Blackwell Interior Design

We style our own projects and especially enjoy the hunt for just the right items for each room we design. Every room tells a story and we begin the styling process with that narrative in mind. This especially applies to tabletops, flat, empty surfaces that offer a great opportunity to display accessories, objects and lighting that help communicate the mood, feel and history of a space. More accessories aren’t always better – we like fewer, higher-quality items but deciding on what to use, and how to arrange them, can be difficult!

There aren’t hard and fast rules for styling but the principles of design – balance, contrast, emphasis, movement, repetition, rhythm, and unity – govern tabletops as well as other visual arts. It’s important that vignettes use a mixture of contrasting materials – matte with glossy, nubby with smooth, handwoven with lacquer – and that these objects are arranged using intentional height variation, color balance and negative space. Each object needs breathing room.

Browse through each category of tabletops from our projects below to see how we style them. Our goal is to have each one contribute to the story of each interior and its overall aesthetic.

Entry Tables

Entry tables serve more of a decorative purpose than functional one although they can be a catch-all for keys and other drop zone items. Primarily these tables provide a place for lighting and greet your guests with a glimpse of what the rest of your home will look like. In each of the following examples, we use table lamps, flowers, vases and other items, each having a connection to the table is rests upon and the other decor in the room.

TOP LEFT – the stained glass sidelights of this historic house set the color scheme for our foyer decor. TOP RIGHT – an 10′ long antique store counter displays lots of “high and low” lakehouse-appropriate memorabilia. BOTTOM LEFT – an Empire chest in navy holds classic blue and white glossy porcelain and rope-wrapped lamps. BOTTOM RIGHT – this raw wood chest with bronze hardware holds restrained, minimal accessories and bronze hurricanes.

Sideboards

The dining room sideboard is usually a large surface that holds food and drink as well as lamps and decor. There is usually a dominant piece of art that hangs over the sideboard and helps determine what accessories we use. In every case our goal is to create a curated, uncluttered look that complements the art and tells someting about the mood of the room. See how the following sideboards tell these rooms’ stories!

Consoles & Cabinets

A console or cabinet can be found in every room, offering storage and a pretty place to display objects or even a TV. Since they’re not needed to serve food, these cabinets can display lots of items and push the narrative of the room and its story. We like to tie the accessories to the artwork that hangs over the cabinet and other objects in the room.

TOP LEFT – this traditional lakefront sunroom’s antique Empire cabinet displays casual topiaries and sentimental items. TOP RIGHT – this living room cabinet displays a mix of sleek, handmade items in a monochromatic color scheme. BOTTOM LEFT – this modern but woodsy cabinet holds lighting, artwork and nature-inspired accessories. BOTTOM RIGHT – this lakefront keeping room console displays large nautical lamps, natural objects and accessories

Desks

With the increase in home offices, a desk is crucial whether it’s in a dedicated room or in space taken from a bedroom or other room. It’s important to provide plenty of space to work but the decor needs to blend with the adjoining spaces. Since items must be used sparingly, we use items with color, texture and a look that complements the room’s overall mood.

TOP LEFT – a wormy chestnut dining table serves as a desk and holds lighting and other items with the desired wood tone. TOP RIGHT – this modern desk holds modern lighting and a terra cotta handmade vase. BOTTOM LEFT – this classic, campaign-style desk holds a simple, streamlined lamp and potted fern. BOTTOM RIGHT – a desk in a small bedside office area is simple and serene with an open-pattern brass lamp under lovely botanical art.

Coffee Tables – Square

Coffee tables can be hard to style but we take our cues from the rest of the room as well as the size and shape of the coffee table. Large square tables have a lot of space to decorate and the space can be hard to fill so we sometimes organize the surface into quadrants. As a general guideline, each section holds items of varying heights and materials, often having a tray to organize some of the items.

TOP LEFT – a sports-watching club room has a simple tray filled with objects, leaving plenty of space around the perimeter. TOP RIGHT – this large, matte, distressed coffee table in an English-styled room holds metallic candlesticks, ceramic vase and lots of books. BOTTOM LEFT – this modern, polished wood coffee tables holds lots of books, natural items and a lush floral. BOTTOM RIGHT – this large, traditional walnut coffee table holds a mix of rustic and polished items.

Coffee Tables – Round

Of all shapes, the round coffee table is probably the hardest to style. We either use a central, triangle-shaped space for three clusters of items, varying the heights, for an assymetrical arrangement. Or for a symmetrical look, start with a central item and place other items in a radiating pattern around the center. This is especially effective with stacks of coffee table books.

TOP LEFT – we use a triad of items, sharing a common color, in varying heights. TOP RIGHT – for this large round table, we start with a central ceramic vase and surround it with 4 stacks of books and wicker items. BOTTOM LEFT – this round glass table, not as large as the previous one, has a central vase, four stacks of books and one small clear glass paperweight. BOTTOM RIGHT – this round teak rootball table is comlex in shape so we use a simple arrangement of a small bowl, clear vase and one book.

Coffee Tables – Rectangle

The rectangular coffee table seems the easiest to style but to avoid a “runway” effect of items lined up on the table, care must be taken to use varying heights, materials and colors. Large coffee table books or a small stack of colorful matching vintage books are a helpful way to elevate objects to achieve height differences when needed.

TOP LEFT – this slim antique trunk holds an antique duck decoy, wicker-wrapped vase of florals and color-themed books. TOP RIGHT – this coffee table holds a mix of blue objects purposefully chosen to inbue the room with more cool color. BOTTOM LEFT – this glass coffee table holds an assortment of natural items in a nature display in a somewhat formal space. BOTTOM RIGHT – this traditional campaign-style table in a historic house displays a simple arrangment of clear glass items.

Bar Tables

We’re not big drinkers but we do agree that a simple bar set looks great in dining or living rooms! Even a small table surface in a room without space for a full bar can look purposeful and decorative filled with an assortment of bottles, decanters, an ice bucket and other items. We usually use a decorative tray to contain most of the bar essentials.

TOP LEFT – we made room for a small mahogany bar table that holds a small lamp and simple bar items. TOP RIGHT – this large cabinet holds a rattan tray full of decanters and other items. BOTTOM LEFT – the mod mood of this dining room BOTTOM RIGHT – we styled this large basement great room with a bar table/console which provides a focal point similar to a fireplace.

Mantels

A fireplace and mantel are a room’s focal point and deserve to be decorated like the important feature they are. We like to style a mantel to have balance with just the slightest assymmetry and use items that look great with the mantel surface and also reflect the overall look and feel of the room. Art over the mantel also provides a starting point for the color, texture and subject matter of the objects used.

TOP LEFT – a lovely antique wood mantel in a historic house needs only a few classic accessories in brass and colorful ceramic. TOP RIGHT – a white farmhouse-style great room with reclaimed mantel has bold art and subdued candleticks. BOTTOM LEFT – a lakefront great room has an extended mantel with antique tobacco basket bringing out the natural wood tones found in the stone and furniture. BOTTOM RIGHT – a white oak mantel holds green ceramic vases, an antique transferware platter and wood items.

Sofa Tables

If space allows, a slim console or table can be placed behind a sofa for a perfect place to hold lighting and other accessories. It can do double-duty as a desk surface, disguise extra seating underneath and even serve as a breakfast table. As with most decorative items, the accessories for these tables are chosen to work with the table’s material, look and function.