Nate Berkus' 10 Simple Coffee Table Styling Tips Will Keep Your Space Chic And Timeless

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There is no shortage of recommendations for making your home look its very best. Some of these tips and tricks you may have discovered on your own, while others rely on professional decorators and designers. One such popular individual is Nate Berkus, whose many tips can give your home a designed look without costing much. An important element in your home, though easy to overlook, is your coffee table. From the table itself to the way that you style it and choose your accessories, all of your decisions converge in one concentrated area of your living space that will be viewed by family and friends alike. If you're interested in improving the overall look of your coffee table, it can be worth looking to Berkus's tips for some simple coffee table styling that will keep your space chic and timeless.

Berkus knows the timeless rules you should follow when decorating your space, and this carries over to coffee-table-specific guidelines, too. Whether you love your current coffee table setup or not, you can adopt and test out his ideas, which include principles like using books as permanent fixtures (but rotating them from time to time), as well as utilizing trays. You should also definitely consider tapping into his ideas of putting texture and lines to use on your coffee table, and taking the time to track down a table that you actually love. With some effort, you might be surprised by what an impact a curated coffee table can have.

Books on a coffee table are an absolute must for Nate Berkus. These books can be anything that you find visually appealing, and you can absolutely play around with the sizes of the actual books and colors of the covers for added appeal. If you want to keep things simple but not have a stale collection of books on display, use the easy hack Berkus recommends, which is to swap around the lowest book on the pile to the top every so often. This will keep your book display looking dynamic without creating any new work for you.

Accessorizing your coffee table is an art form, and for Berkus, this expression is best pulled off when you embrace odd numbers of accessories. Whether you're talking about accent pottery pieces, a candle, ceramic figurines, or even nice stone coasters for drinks, the celebrity designer says that he likes to have 5 or 7 items on display. This is likely because of the popular 3-5-7 rule, which helps to create and maintain visual interest. By avoiding even-numbered accessories and keeping your collection pretty limited, you'll be achieving an appealing display.

If you're looking to take a page from Nate Berkus' book, your coffee table should absolutely turn heads on its own, not just by what you put atop it. Some good ideas include opting for materials that have innate intrigue — like marble or a stunning type of wood —  but also choosing other decorative elements that are remarkable, such as the shape of the table. Berkus famously has a marble Gae Aulenti coffee table in striking salmon tones. You can follow in the interior designer's footsteps, choosing something that is truly one-of-a-kind.

Practical beauty is an element that Berkus recommends embracing for your coffee table decor. You can and should track down and curate pieces that bring visual appeal to your space, but if you can pair those items with a practical purpose, you'll get a lot more mileage out of them. You can utilize something like a decorative dish to also serve as a catch-all tray for random items that will inevitably make their way to your coffee table. Coasters that are crafted from slate are another example of accent pieces that also have a practical purpose.

Beyond being just a pretty cover, Berkus believes that the books you choose to style on your coffee table should have real intention behind them. When you look at them, they should evoke a feeling of happiness — maybe it reminds you of a trip you took to Italy in college, or it's your favorite novel — that way they can bring you a sense of joy on a daily basis; they also will provide ample conversation material for guests who see your selection and are curious about your curated collection.

It's easy to plop all of your decor onto one section of the coffee table and hope for the best, but Berkus recommends a different system. His approach involves creating a number of different areas on a single coffee table, which can create some visual interest as well as make for a more organized surface. Instead of the entire table feeling cluttered, you'll essentially be creating little segments, each capable of putting forward unique vibes without overpowering one another.

Much like your book collection should inspire happiness in you, Berkus is all about choosing decorative elements that speak to you on a deeper level (and not just those that are technically beautiful). Don't be afraid to put items on your coffee table that help you express your personality and what you think is gorgeous — it will help the mundane day-to-day grind feel more special. Your personal items could be pieces that you picked up on your travels abroad or even a vase of your favorite flowers.

A tray is a definite must-have, according to Nate Berkus. Trays can serve a number of purposes; in addition to giving you a unique zone to place items upon, they also can help tie in various design elements like color, texture, material, and shape. Additionally, if your coffee table is crafted from a more delicate material, trays can take away much of your potential anxiety about protecting the surface from water stains left by glasses. Trays come in a variety of shapes and sizes, so choose whatever you feel helps improve the feel of your table.

A variety of textures on your coffee table will ensure it remains a valuable piece of decor in your home, serving as a canvas of sorts for whatever you put on top of it. This dedication to a marriage of textures is something that is showcased in Berkus' own product line, like his Voyage Hexagonal Marble Coffee Table, which has a marble center with an oak frame. While not complicated, bringing some textures together can truly elevate the intrigue of a piece. 

Nothing is quite so uninspiring as having identical lines and similarly shaped items scattered across your coffee table. If you really want to make your coffee table look elevated and sophisticated, remember to bring a variety of lines and shapes into your collection of accessories. For example, embrace soft shapes like a circular tray and pair this with sharper lines, like those found in some simple, modern candlesticks. While there are many ways to create your coffee table's best effect, using geometry to design a cohesive space is a great approach.