6 Ways to Style Your Outdoor Coffee Table

Coffee tables are versatile pieces that serve as focal points in any setting, and there are plenty of ways to display them. Use our design tips and decorating ideas to style an outdoor coffee table like a pro.

Try these tips to create a cohesive look for your accent table.

In photography, the rule of thirds challenges the photographer to break an image down into horizontal and vertical thirds visually, creating a nine-part grid. By framing the subject(s) where the gridlines intersect, the result is more balanced and interesting.

Imagine a similar grid on your coffee table to arrange your outdoor accessories in an aesthetically pleasing manner. For instance, a potted plant placed at the center of the grid with books or magazines artfully stacked in the bottom left corner offers a clean and simple look.

Whether it’s objects, textures, or colors, our favorite decor vignettes use layering. This design technique makes a space seem intentional and more lived-in. As in the last example, books are a great way to add layers and color to a coffee table. Pots of flowers and candles in differing colors, heights, and sizes are also great for layering.

Varying heights work well on any table. A copper serving tray carrying a tall coordinating pitcher, medium-height ice bucket, and lowball glasses in a contrasting shade of cyan distributes visual weight and invites interest to your coffee table.

Keep it simple with a single planter on your coffee table. Ornamental kale brightens up dreary winter days, while ferns look lush from spring through fall. Find botanicals that work best in your hardiness zone for a low-maintenance decor moment.

Let your coffee table reflect your tastes. If your favorite color is blue, select a navy table and top it with family photos encased in cream, teal, or grey weatherproof frames. Love woodworking? Display a handmade wooden tray topped with favorite found objects for everyone to admire.

Loading your coffee table with pretty bits and baubles is tempting, but it's best to keep decor to a minimum. Leaning toward function instead of form will allow your table to do its job: keep drinks and food off the floor and within reach.

Now that you know how to decorate an outdoor coffee table, let's look beyond its surface and discuss the best ways to style it with other furniture.

Professional designers often use symmetry when staging a room because it attracts the eye. Here are a few tips for employing symmetry when styling your outdoor space:

• Place your coffee table in the center of the room with identical seating on either side.
• Use the same number and style of accent tables on both sides of your space.
• Top each coffee table with the same decor.

A coffee table should sit between 14 and 18 inches in front of your seating. If you need to accommodate moving furniture such as rocking chairs or gliders, increase the distance to 24–36 inches. This allows ample legroom, but the table is still close enough to reach.

A coffee table should not stand higher than its paired seating. The goal is to keep drinks and snacks within easy reach, so ideally, it should sit two or three inches shorter than the chair or sofa’s armrest. Measure the distance from the top of your seat’s armrest to the floor, and remember that dimension when shopping for a coffee table.

Give these style and decor ideas a go on your porch or patio.

A simple vase filled with fluffy hydrangeas and pretty pink blooms brightens up this warm-toned coffee table. Notice how the flowers pull in the cream and beige from the deep seating cushions and natural stone patio.

This customer made the Club Coffee Table the focal point of their star(fish)-studded oceanside lanai. We can practically feel the salty sea breeze.

Starring our iconic collaboration with Martha Stewart, this scene is grounded in neutral tones on and around the coffee table. Cream-colored cushions and sandy furniture frames play well with the natural stone surface, while the hints of greenery and pitcher of lemonade add fresh color to the look.