Coffee Table Starter Kit

A few coffee tables I love & the best ways to bring them to life in your space.

Feb 28, 2023

After requesting for input on what else I could write about, a friend (hi Karl!) suggested creating ‘starter kits.’ Think: Bedroom Design Starter Kit, Living Room Starter Kit, Coffee Table Starter Kit, etc (thank you, Karl!). That’s where this idea came from.

(PSST. What else would you like to see?)

Coffee tables I 💝

Pazel Coffee Table ($168)

I’ve had this glass coffee table from Home Depot for years and I love it. It’s moved to three different apartments and has stood the test of time. Plus, it’s currently on sale.

Vidak Wood Magazine Rack ($360)

I have such a sweet spot for tables that include magazine racks. For folks with limited space, I really like the Vidak Wood Magazine Rack (although, the magazine rack coffee tables are quite easy to come by secondhand!).

West Elm Hazel Coffee Table ($100, secondhand)

This chunky coffee table from West Elm is a personal favorite and is way discounted second-hand at AptDepo. You can also find it new here for $450.

SVALSTA Nesting tables ($119 for both)

If I bought a new coffee table today, I’d go for these beautiful bentwood nesting tables from IKEA!

Reese Coffee Table ($229)

If I’m ever purchasing furniture from Urban Outfitters, I like to look at the most highly-rated pieces. This one is quite well-priced & beautiful!

Chairish Coffee Tables ($$$ varies)

If you’re looking for something vintage, I love this 1970s Maitland Smith Tessellated Marble Coffee Table from Chairish and this funky green one also from Chairish.

How to decorate your coffee table ☕

My coffee table literally full of everything on this list, but mixing and matching any number of these items would be *chef’s kiss* IMO.

A Plant

Although I have plants from The Sill, I’d always recommend your local plant store over a D2C situation. When I lived in Bushwick I’d go to Little Shop of Soil, I’ve linked Tula here (which has more than just plants!) but there are so many other good shops around the city (and beyond). Here’s a list much better than what I could pull together.

Books you will actually read

I have a few of my favorite books from childhood on there and they bring me so much joy (The Giving Tree and One! Two! Three! Bears Teach Me!), I also have Mad Libs in case there’s a weird lull in conversation with a guest. Do I have coffee table books I will never read? YES. Am I against them? YES! I promise any book I purchase I have the intention of reading, but I am fundamentally against books for show. Buy books you love and want to open, they can be beautiful too!

Candles

This made me realize I have never done a newsletter dedicated to candles. That is coming. In the meantime, a few of my favorites: literally anything from Marshalls (yeah I said it!), Keap, Trader Joe’s candles, CDG2, Otherland, and Janie Korn. More to come.

A cute cup with random shit in it

Think: That Diptyque candle you finished that is too expensive to just throw away, a random small tchotchke that you don’t know what to do with, etc.

Matches

I’m not linking matches because you should be getting these for free from every establishment you enter, take two or three. Litter these around your coffee table or put them in a small dish.