LAURA HAMMETT

How To Style A Coffee Table with Laura Hammett

Coffee table styling from a pro and the pieces you need to get the look

Interior designer Laura Hammett takes us through her steps for creating a flawless coffee table display and showcases some pieces from her new Laura Hammett Living x LuxDeco collection.

"Coffee table styling is one of the most important elements of designing a room," the designer reveals, "I love to use ottomans when we're working in more informal spaces. Naturally, you want to be able to put your feet up and just feel more relaxed in the space, but you always have to think about how to style on it because of the soft surface."

1. Consider balance & proportion

"With styling, it's always about balance and making sure that you've got different proportions to play with and that you're really getting good coverage. I don't like bitty styling so it's really important to not have too many smaller items."

2. Use a large tray as a base

"I always find it so hard to find a tray that's large enough to be able to actually hold a number of pieces when styling. The Elemental Square Tray is perfect because you can include a stack of books and a few more individual items but, equally, you can just slide the whole unit across when you want to put your feet up so you're not having to individually take pieces off and restyle after watching TV."

Laura Hammett How To | Elegant coffee table design | Shop Laura Hammett Living online at LuxDeco.com

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3. Build in height with a stack of books

"A stack of books is always really strong when it comes to styling a coffee table. It's very clean."

4. Mix practical pieces with decor

"In my new collection, we've got the coaster box which you can either have all tidied away or you can display the pieces out. I quite like them looking a bit like a spray and the box itself is then quite practical. A lot of our clients like to have tissues on hand in every room, so we've got a tissue box in two different sizes—both work on coffee tables. And the stack of books always look nice with something decorative on top—like a bowl—to give it a show piece. Some fragrance—a diffuser or a scented candle—is lovely on a coffee table as well."

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5. Create zones if space allows

"When space allows, it's nice to create two different zones. So, you can have the tray area with a stack of books, which is one element of the arrangement, and then another zone. I like to include a second stack of books which can be a grounding for a decorative item."

6. Keep things tidy with decorative boxes

"The Elemental Media Box we've made quite large so that you can put lots of things beyond just a remote control in. In my household, we have about three remotes for each tv so you can put remotes, you can put lighters and any other messy items that you just want to tidy away at the end of the day."

The Final Word

"Overall, when you're styling a coffee table or ottoman, it's important to think about the things that you need to have to hand and places to keep it tidy, but not overly complicate it so that you don't have to keep styling it every day. It's just a clean, simple look."

Read our Behind The Brand: Laura Hammett Living x LuxDeco article to explore Laura's debut collection.

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