How to Style a Coffee Table: A Simple Formula with Natural, Woven Pieces
A simple way to style a coffee table that still works every day: one base, one piece with height, one small group, then leave space.
A coffee table is where everything lands: remotes, mugs, the post, a phone charger. Styling it is mostly about giving those things a home and choosing a few pieces on purpose, so the table looks calm and still works on a Tuesday night. Put down one base, add one piece with height, finish with one small group, then stop and leave space.
First, clear the table. Take everything off, wipe it down and put back only what you use or love. The woven pieces suggested here are from our own shop and handmade in Thailand, with sizes taken from the listings. For the table you eat at, see our dining table centrepiece ideas.
Start with a base
A tray or low basket turns loose things into one group. Remotes scattered across a table look like mess; the same remotes lined up in a basket look put away. A base also makes the table easy to clear: lift it off and the whole surface is free. A woven base adds texture too, so a sparse table looks finished rather than bare.
| Base | Listed size | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|
| DAORUNG rattan tray basket | 15 cm or 20 cm wide, 1 cm high | a small table |
| Our small rattan tray | 17 x 11 cm or 24 x 16 cm | a small table, or the middle of a longer one |
| PIM LA DA oval basket, handwoven | 14 x 21 cm, 1 cm high | a small or rectangular table |
| MON CHI DA tray, handwoven | 27 cm wide, 6 cm high | a medium table |
| JUNTRA round rattan basket | 25 to 28 cm wide, 8 cm high | a round or square table |
| PASUB seagrass basket | 32 x 20 cm, 8 cm high, with handles | a rectangular table |
DAORUNG and the small rattan tray are both listed for coffee tables. There are more in our tray collection.
Match the base to your table's shape
A base that echoes the table's outline looks as if it belongs there.
- Round or square table: one base in the centre, such as the round JUNTRA basket, with clear space all round.
- Rectangular table: a longer base laid along the length, such as PASUB or the 24 x 16 cm rattan tray. Or use two pieces spaced out, with the base towards one end and your tall piece towards the other.
- Small table: one small tray, such as the 17 x 11 cm rattan tray or the 15 cm DAORUNG, holding your small group, plus a coaster or two. On a table this size the tray is the whole arrangement, so skip the tall piece.
Test it by putting a mug down next to the base. If you have to shift something to make room, the base is too big or in the wrong place.
Add one piece with height
When everything sits at the same low level, the table looks flat. One taller piece gives the eye somewhere to land; two tall things compete. It needn't match the base; rattan, bamboo and seagrass sit happily together.
- The WA RIN YA rattan vase is 33 cm high and 20 cm across, made for dried stems or branches. For anything wet, its listing says to put a watertight container inside.
- The KODCHAON bamboo basket is 26 cm high and 20 cm wide. The handwoven JI RA JED basket, 21 cm high and 27 cm wide, suits a larger table. Either can hold a small plant in its own pot (take the pot out to water it); the wider JI RA JED also takes a folded throw.
- The KAWEEKON bamboo lantern, 25 cm high and 25 cm across with an open diagonal lattice and a curved handle, works as a shape in its own right.
- Books, if you have them: a stack of two or three gives height and a flat top for something small.
Stand it to one side of the base, not dead centre, so the middle stays open.
Finish with a small group, then stop
Now add two or three small things to the base: a little plant, a stone or shell you picked up somewhere, a pair of coasters. Keep them close together so they read as one group.
This is where a styled table slides back into clutter, because small things are easy to keep adding. Stop at three. The space left over lets the base and tall piece stand out, and it's where the mugs go.
On a rectangular table, the finished arrangement might be PASUB towards one end holding the remotes and a pair of coasters, the vase of dried grasses towards the other, and the middle left clear.
Keep it practical
Three habits keep the table usable:
- Leave a couple of coasters within reach, on the table or on the base. The WAN NA rattan coasters come as a set of four, 10 cm across; their listing says they protect the surface from heat, moisture and scratches, and they wipe clean with a damp cloth. KA NOK PUN, four water hyacinth coasters with a jute edge, are also 10 cm. Our coaster collection has other sets.
- Give remotes and post a basket without a lid, so things go in without a second thought. One with handles, such as PASUB, lifts off in one go when you need the space.
- Keep one patch of table free for a mug, near the seat that gets used most.
Then check it from the sofa. Is there one base gathering the small things? One piece taller than the rest, unless it's a small table? No more than three small things? Can you put a mug down without moving anything? Four yeses and you're done.
Change it with the seasons
Once the base is right, leave it and change what sits on it. Dried grasses in the vase can give way to bare branches in winter, pine cones can fill the round basket in December, and a throw can go in the JI RA JED basket when the evenings draw in. If the lantern is your tall piece, our lantern decorating ideas suggest other ways to use it.
Coffee table styling FAQs
What should go on a coffee table?
A base (a tray or low basket), one piece with some height and a small group of two or three things, with open space left for mugs. Add coasters and a basket for remotes so the table stays usable. Anything you never touch only adds clutter.
How do I style a rectangular coffee table?
Lay a longer base along the length, such as a 32 x 20 cm basket, or treat the table as two halves: a tray at one end and a tall piece, like a vase of dried stems, at the other. Keep the small group on the tray and the middle clear.
How do I keep a coffee table from looking cluttered?
Give every small thing a home on a tray or in a basket, keep the loose group to three items and leave one patch of table clear. When things pile up, reset: lift the base off, wipe the table and put back only what belongs.
What size tray do I need for a coffee table?
Big enough to hold what you keep on the table, with room left for a mug beside it. On a small table, a tray 15 to 20 cm wide, or about 17 x 11 cm, is plenty. On a larger one, look at 25 cm or more, or two pieces spaced along its length.
