10 Cozy Coastal Coffee Table Decor Ideas to Tie Your Living Room Together

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Coastal home decor has been super trendy the past several years— with Nancy Meyers-inspired interiors taking over social media and the draw to create a calming nautical retreat becoming an aspired design trend. To be honest, we’re suckers for this design style. It’s calming, cozy and somewhat nostalgic. 

While many of the bigger elements, may be easier to visualize for this design style, it’s the smaller details of a space — like the styling of the coffee table — that can be challenging to curate a look to tie everything together.

This week, we’re channeling the cozy coastal design style and sharing how to create a beautifully styled coffee table that will become an intentional and gorgeous moment in your living room. By tying in the quintessential elements of coastal design — soft blues and whites, rustic textures, and coastal-inspired decor — you’ll quickly realize it’s a lot easier than it may appear.

Below are ten coastal coffee table decor ideas that will inspire you to create a Pinterest-worthy (and Tiktok-worthy) coffee table setup.

READ NEXT: 12 Ways to Create the Coastal Cottage Kitchen of Your Dreams

10 Cozy Coastal Coffee Table Decor Ideas

1. Choose Your Coffee Table Shape and Style

Coffee tables come in all shapes and sizes, but for most classic coastal designs, they are either round or rectangular. Deciding on the perfect table that fits your space and aesthetic is the first step in curating the coffee table look you’ve always wanted.

If you’re looking for a piece that’s not a traditional wooden coffee table, then a large upholstered ottoman is also a great alternative. It creates more of a comfortable, coastal vibe in your living room and still allows you the opportunity to style it like a coffee table.

2. Minimal or Maximal

Whether you like to sparsely decorate or prefer to fill the entire space, knowing your personal preferences when it comes to styling spaces in your home — including your coffee table — is a must. This will help you gain a better sense of the look you want to achieve and how many items you’ll need to help it come to fruition. 

• Minimal Coffee Table Design: Choosing a few elements to showcase on your coffee table. Maybe a large draw with a vase and stems and some coasters.
• Maximal Coffee Table Design: You prefer to fill your coffee table with layered books and design elements to maximize the space and show off the coastal design in an intentionally designed way.

3. Add A Bowl

Bowls are a beautiful styling piece for coffee tables. Whether they are holding green moss balls, seasonal items, or sitting empty on the table, they add dimension and decor to the space. There are so many different materials to choose from — stone, ceramic, glass, or wood. 

4. Create Height with a Vase

When it comes to styling your coffee table, you want to add items of different heights to the tabletop. The peak height of your table is a vase with flowers. For a coastal feel, go for a light, textured ceramic or terracotta vase (like the ones below).

5. Place Some Florals or Stems

As mentioned above, a vase with florals or stems creates the height you need on your coffee table. Not to mention, it also brings life and a bit of happiness to your living room. Opt for hydrangeas, colorful peonies or some stems to create the aesthetic you desire.

6. Layer Coastal Coffee Table Books

There are so many beautiful coastal books to display on your living room coffee table, so why not give them a moment to shine? When it comes to styling them on your coffee table, layering them adds depth and dimension. However, if you’re going to a minimal look, you may just want one or two on display.

7. Add a Tray

Trays act as a beautiful holding place for items on your table. Large trays are perfect for grounding and centering all the decorative items in one place. Small trays are another element to cluster with other items on the table.

Plus, if you need to use your coffee table or coffee table-ottoman, trays are easy to lift and move about however you choose.

8. Set Out a Cozy, Coastal Candle

A delicious candle has a way of setting the mood of a space and making it feel cozy. To keep with the coastal theme, look for candles with coastal notes like sea salt, santal, tonka bean, and more. Here are some of our favorites to choose from:

9. Have Fun with Unique Shapes

Decorative items with unique shapes have a way of breaking up a space with streamlines, and rectangular and circular shapes. Opting for a wavy candle holder, bowl, or decorative item to add a unique, unexpected shape to the mix is a great way to create an effortlessly designed coffee table.

10. Complete the Look with Coastal Tchotchkes 

To complete your cozy, coastal coffee table look, you’ll want to add some nautical items to the space. This will tie together the design style and give you an opportunity to display some fun items for everyone to see. Think cute coral decor, clam shells, and sea glass beaded garland.