I don't care for a heavily stylized look, so I sort of go minimal. I don't have a photo right now, but we have a round coffee table, and typically have a woven tray on it with some books we're currently reading for every day, with a glass or brass paper weight on top. If we are entertaining, I usually replace the books with a short, round glass vase of hydrangeas or other flowers in the tray. Come summer, I will have flowers or a plant there more often than not.

With my husband's feet! I gave up because in the past my husband has moved any items to the side, saying they are in his line of sight to view the TV.

Exactly, except substitute my feet! DH has a nice club chair and ottoman.

That aside, it holds the latest books for magazines.

Ingrid, since I moved into my Tx home 7 years ago, I've never had a coffee table. In the GR I have 2 ottomans in front of the sofa with a tray in the center. Upstairs in the FR I use a large trunk as a coffee table and it isn't decorated at all. On top is a box which looks like a book, and holds the remote control devices. This is where I get comfy and put my feet up to watch tv, so putting anything on the trunk could possibly get kicked off. I always had a coffee table in the LR, and it was completely useless since the LR was rarely used. It usually held a flower arrangement/plant, and a couple of coffee table books. Previous FR's never had a coffee table. Having 5 kids w/friends thru the years, floor space was usually more important for floor sitting. We had end tables only. Now that I could have a coffee table, I find I really don't want/need one. ;)

The square tables are a challenge, mine is a square too and was bare for a very long time. It looked unfinished to me but since my husband wouldn't agree to change it, (it was barewood that I stained and varished myself) I finally decided to dress it up a bit. Those copper globes were out in fall, but aren't there now. (sorry something went wrong with my picture, but I've reposted it)

Last year we got a square ottoman to replace our rectangular wooden coffee table. Yes, it is a challenge. I've been switching out round and rectangular trays to provide a place for my morning coffee. Right now it also has a vase of tulips and a candle, plus assorted remotes. My feet are normally on the ottoman, too.

I feel your pain, Ingrid :-) I asked a similar question here sometime last year when I was trying out new things on our cocktail table in the library. Here is a link to the thread: http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2634227/styling-an-oval-cocktail-tabletips-and-suggestions?n=54

This is a picture of it then, sometime last spring or summer, with a white ceramic vase of flowers, three brass candlesticks and an enameled silver Revere bowl. It looks a bit different now, I think it has a red leather Chinese box with a bronze dog standing atop it, a bronze tray with coasters and something else, and a tall brass and glass hurricane lamp. I do like to change it up seasonally, going a bit lighter in warmer weather.

Here is our living room cocktail table below. It is currently sporting a lush potted ivy, a shagreen box and two tall glass candlesticks. The color is very off in this photo, as the pull up chair to the left of the sofa is mostly pink. (This dog's view picture was taken after my DIY attempt to burnish the ormolu on the table.)

I think I've got a pic of our upholstered table downstairs and the cocktail table in the sitting area of our bedroom, will look.

So here is our downstairs sitting area with an upholstered ottoman that is in four sections that fit together. It functions as footstools or extra seating so the only thing we put on it is a bronze gallery tray that holds the remote. And here is our bedroom sitting area. Again, the green check sofa is showing up as a much darker color. (The rug is a tiny one for the dogs so they have some traction under their paws to jump up on the sofa!) It has very little on it because we created it from by putting a piece of heavy glass atop a handpainted trunk. You can see the painted botanical designs on top so I hate to cover them up with other stuff.

We put our feet up on the table. And usually I have my book out,etc. We are pretty casual here. You can see that the remote and coasters are in the basket to help neaten up the space.

I painted the table base--it was gray originally.

Looks beautiful Mustang, very similar with what I've been wanting to replace ours with.

Styling my coffee table? Magazines being read/saved. Remote. My feet. A cat or two. Dinner.

Seriously, it's a round table that serves my needs, a place to put things.

There are some pretty coffee table stylings here and a lot of honest answers about how life is really lived. I actually have three coffee tables. The first one is in the living room where I sometimes sit to read or do things on my laptop, my husband rarely goes there except on his way to the bedroom, but company always visits in that room. The second is the guest bedroom. Forgive the untidiness. All of these pictures were taken without making a single change, except that I kicked my husband off the couch in the last picture, where you can see he had to leave his drink behind. This is the TV room where we mostly live our lives. Forgive the couch, which is being replaced. It would have been replaced last Tuesday except that the new couch would not fit through the doorway. On the same day we bought another couch without ever seeing it; let's just say it was a stressful day.

Here's what I currently have on mine. I usually try to keep whatever I put here in some type of tray so we still have room for our feet.

I'd enjoy doing something grand if I had another room for it.

I like that brass sculpture, sheeisback.

I think the way you've done the basket is really cute, decorative and practical.

I no longer use a coffee table and like it so much better. Easier to maneuver around the room and makes it look so much more spacious. It didn't really serve any purpose and I don't miss it at all. In the sun room where I have all wicker furniture I have a small round glass top wicker table in the center of the room with a set of decorative coasters on it and the binoculars for bird watching in the back of the property. I don't think I will go back to having one. I originally did away with it because I had 2 Great Danes in the house and believe me a Great Danes tail will clear anything and everything off of a coffee table. It was just in the way.

I have a single piece of chalet glass in the centre of mine. I bought it at a thrift shop. (kind of a scuptural shape - I don't like the ones shaped like animals)

This is my family room table. The one in the living room is actually pretty similar. It has a stack of books on the left and a silver tray with crystal decanters on the right. Maybe I should change one of them.

I change mine often. This is the current set-up ... a floral, picture, and candle, on a small rug. Sometimes, I just use a large glass bowl, and nothing else. We use and abuse this table! Feet on it, play games on it, food/drinks, etc. I love the rug, we don't have to use coasters.

I'm actually looking for a round one, something easier to walk around.

The top of this had an awful swirly grain ... I painted it with a suede-look paint:

Living room: piles of books and sometimes a vase or a couple with flowers/branches..and a cute teapot on the tray in the middle-it was a gift, and sometimes I put shorter flowers there

Family room: upholstered ottoman with a tray on it. Actually two trays-the smaller one holds remotes/random magazines/spare batteries/stuff I should go through and throw away, and the bigger (that kinda contains the smaller) is used for food/drinks when needed. The couches are leather so I'm pretty relaxed about eating there etc.

I like this thread a lot because I get to admire your beautiful rooms with architectural detailing, lovely rugs, beautiful furniture and, by the way, some very pretty coffee table arrangements. Living now in a ranchburger with no architectural merits whatsoever, no wood floors and a completely outdated kitchen, I really enjoy the beautiful homes many of you have created. For me it was a matter of choices, since collecting Chinese antiques will suck up every penny you have, but the emotional satisfaction is priceless. Our TV room coffee table has nothing decorative on it except a 19th century Guangxu bowl, and the coffee table is a relic from my parents' home, but I never tire of the bowl. The picture is washed out because of the bad lighting, and the bowl and carpet are much more brilliant, but this is a functional setup with plenty of room for the accoutrements of daily living. The living room is mostly there for the equally important function of satisfying my need for beauty. By the way, the glimpses of your animals add a lot to the beauty of any room.

Allison, I want to nuzzle your kitty.

Our coffee tables are dual purpose - equivalent to an ottoman to put your feet on and to put other things on that you're using. Reading material, beverages, snacks, etc. Obviously we have no style. Feet are not allowed if there's food on the table.

He's a sweetheart.

It used to hold three pieces of Native American pottery and the remotes (this pic was taken on a day when I was "auditioning" new throw pillows, so some are on the floor), but when my silver tea set arrives that's where I'm going to put it. I realize not everyone would want a tea set on their coffee table, but for me it works. This room is open to our kitchen and dining, and this is the place where I often sit to enjoy an afternoon "cuppa." I will enjoy having my tea set displayed here.

It often holds a cat too. Often? Oh, alright. Usually.

Turquoise, I would love to "audition" pillows on your couch and chair that are green and pale blue. It would look great with your dark furniture. Sorry, off topic and unsolicited advice. I now think the tea set on the coffee table is a splendid idea because it will give such an elegant note and the light and bright glow of the silver will balance the darker colors beautifully. It will also be a unique and personal look, showcasing something you love. Can't wait until you get it and show it to us.

I try to keep the coffee table open for everyone's feet because it is important to me that my DH and kids can put their stocking feet on the table as much as possible, because when they do, the dogs' white fur which was previously stuck to the bottom of their socks gets deposited onto the dark wood table and it just looks so special.

I brushed off the dog fur before I took this pic. This is my standard coffee table decor: a tray containing coasters, a vase that sometimes contains flowers, a glass box of amazing stones I found on the beach in CA, and a couple of other doodads.

That isn't a dog in the foreground; that's my cowhide ottoman, which is there why? So people can use it for their feet. But they don't. Grr.

I prefer a coffee table that speaks for itself since I don't like clutter on it. This pic is old but I still have the same coffee table in a different place (that's an old apt from long, long ago.) Just a vintage pottery dish for the stereo remote and to drop keys into.

Sorry for those who have seen this picture before. For my casual lifestyle I try to keep the coffee and end tables plain, except for books, eye glasses, etc.

I change the items out in the tray every couple of months.

Ours usually mainly have a few books :) The first two pics are from our previous house - in the second one we'd not yet finished decorating/accessorising, hence odd bits of lamp lying around and doors painted the wrong colour, lol! The books are all on Arts & Crafts/Art Nouveau/Pre-raphaelites (my interests!) and the blue pot is a piece of Brannam art pottery from our collection. There's also an antique pewter box for matches adorned with an Art Nouveau maiden.

The third pic is of the coffee table in the morning room in our current home - it's another project house so excuse the dust/clutter - and again it's just books really. The larger table is now in our upstairs 'snug' where we watch tv but I don't have a pic of that as we're in the midst of decorating!

Ingrid - I've been thinking about your suggestion to try different pillows. Actually, I didn't give it much thought initially but this morning when I was sitting on the sofa having my coffee, I started in with the, "Y'know ... maybe ... " LOL! Funny how that happens! Anyway, I think it might be nice to introduce a little more icy blue into the space, and I'm going to look at pillows. If I can find something with the particular shade of blue that I have in mind combined with brown, I think that will be ideal!

Perfect! My work is done. Now, if you were to be really brave and find the right shade of green for a pillow or two.....

You are quite the enabler, aren't you? haha! Since the current pillows are only a couple of months old, I need to be careful about overdoing it. I wouldn't mind adding one or two in that certain shade of blue. Oh, that blue and green and a little brown would be ideal! I'll be on the lookout!

ETA: I currently have my eye on a pair of pillow covers from Restoration Hardware in a pretty shade of ice blue and brown. They're geometric and silk, but would go nicely in a room with both southwest and English décor. Thanks for the suggestion. I think I'm going to like the look!

I don't style it; I use it. It's a place to put things that are currently being used, like a coffee cup, a crochet hook, the remote, my Kindle, etc. It's not used as a decorative piece, it's actually used for a purpose. To make it pretty, I put an old piece of lace on top of the table, then laid a thick piece of glass on top of the lace for the table surface.

You'll have to show us the pillows, Turquoise. I do quite enjoy being an enabler. For myself I would get a solid color, just blue and/or green, but I suppose it is your house. :)

oldgardener, I totally understand. The one we use daily has only one ornament, an antique Chinese bowl which doesn't get in the way because it's in the middle of a quite long coffee table. The lace under glass idea is quite ingenious.

I used to decorate coffee table but got tired of cleaning gals rearranging every time they came. I've chosen my battles with them and let them win this one, so this is all

i have. I adore red but found this book humorous in a quirky way

We don't use a coffee table in our great room. In the sunroom (which is used like a den) I have a large ceramic bowl that sometimes holds a potted plant, sometimes small grapevine balls, etc. and then a stack of books. Right now a small brass box on top of the stack of books. I don't care for the look of things lined up around the edges of a coffee table. Also, while I like the table to be "useful", I don't like things we use out on display so I love the use of small boxes (hides remotes, eyeglasses if you wear them, pens, notes, etc.) and also trays to corral items. Love your tray arrangement Shee. I like the LOOK of a vase of flowers on the coffee table and have even seen them on ottomans (used as a coffee table I guess) and can only see an accident waiting to happen. LOL

Bossyvossy, love your magnifying glass. I have several vintage ones that are displayed here and there in our home.

Are we sure that's not mtnrdredux' table?? :-)

This is the coffee table on my porch; that's where I display my shell collection.