Simplified Decorating: End Table Decor Ideas
5 rules for perfect end table decor ideas in a living room + the best items to include to make it pretty as well as functional.
A couple of weeks ago I asked a bunch of y’all Instagram and in the Bless’er House Decorating Group what YOU needed help with and wanted to see here on the blog this year, and a chunk of you said you were stumped on end table decor ideas, how to style shelves, how to choose the right size rug…
Basically, I got a huge response about how to simplify decorating.
Because it definitely isn’t simple if it’s not one of those things that comes to you naturally. (I get stuck a lot too, really.)
Simplified Decorating
So I’m breaking down the steps to make each little part of decorating your home as easy as it can possibly be and hopefully take out the guesswork for you.
Every week or two, I plan to focus on one area of the home and span it out into an entire series. I’m SO excited, and I hope it helps! Because I sorta geek out about this stuff.
Since I did a little living room winter refresh the other day, I thought I’d break down how to style end tables because they seem like the perfect starting point.
The Challenge with End Table Decor
How do you make end tables pretty but still functional?
What is too much or too little?
How do you make them look put together and not cluttered?
I’m by no means a certified interior designer, but I’ve studied every resource I could find for YEARS, so I’m just sharing what I know. (And over holiday break, while I was visiting the NC mountains with my mom, I found these end tables that I couldn’t wait to decorate anyway so…)
End Table Decor Ideas:
1. Less is more
When in doubt, use only 3, 4, or 5 items on your end tables maximum.
(Did you know that 3 is the “magic decorating number”? It creates the best symmetry. Seriously, try that number of items on anything: a mantel, a dresser top, a shelf. It works. It’s not a number you have to stick to, but it helps, if you’re feeling lost when styling something.)
That number works for “groupings” as well. In the photo above, the frame sitting on top of the book stack counts as one grouping.
2. Consider what items you usually need within reach.
I usually need just a set of coasters and a table lamp as my essentials, and then the other pieces can be just pretty decor that don’t have to necessarily serve a functional purpose.
3. Incorporate an item from nature.
I like to include a potted plant or a vase with flowers to add color, texture, and “life” to what could otherwise be a flat looking vignette on a side table.
4. Use books to create height.
If you have two items on your table that are exactly the same height, raise one up so that they are staggered. Stacks of books or coffee table books make great risers.
5. Create a “visual triangle”.
Whenever styling shelves or tabletops or any sort of vignette, place items into a triangle shape. The “visual triangle” is a stylist’s best secret.
Can you see it?
What home decor items to include on an end table
Table Lamp
I really like the Philips Hue White bulbs. They’re not too yellow but not too stark white, and they work with Alexa and Google Assistant, if you want to make your lamps “smart”.
Coaster Set
Planter/Vase/Plant/Flowers
Picture Frame
Trinket Dish / Bowl
I like having one of these to hold small odd ‘n ends that end up on our tables like loose change, jewelry, etc.
Candle
Go with non-seasonal-specific scents so that you have the flexibility to use them year-round and don’t have to worry about storing them when out of season. Capsule decor tip. 😉
End Table Options
Anything else you like to add to your end tables?
We usually have extra pacifiers and naked Barbie dolls flung onto ours, but that’s only if you want your decor to look very sophisticated, of course. 😉 Ahhh… mom life.
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Use a tall plant that adds height instead!
Not at all. It’s fine to match your living room furniture if you would like to, but eclectic end tables in a space add that feeling of curated furniture.
The table should be within two inches of the sofa arm’s height, no taller or shorter than two inches.
Do you count the lamp as one of the three items on an end table? Should you try and use different shape objects for accessories? I have a round glass and iron (legs) end table which has a lamp on it with a round base. I’m having the hardest time figuring out what to put on it beside a stack of square coasters. It seems so many things are round in shape. Help!
Hi, Rose. The shape of the items on the table or runner do not need to be uniform. However, If you are not enjoying it the way it is, maybe take one thing off and see if that will work. Or switch an item with something of a different shape to see if what you are not liking has to do with shapes or something else all together. I wish I could be more specific in answering the decorating questions but I just get too many to get to them all. I have to step away to spend time with family. But I have a Bless’er House Decorating Group you’re welcome to join to submit questions and get input from the lots of helpful people in this community. I try to pop in there too when I can. I do these Decorating SOS submissions about once a month and will announce it on social media for the next one.
What if I can’t put a lamp on my end table? Running cords or adding an outlet in the floor is not an option for me. I already feel on the brink of having too many flowers and vases. Do you have suggestions of how I can add height without the above mentioned items?
Hi, Ashley! Could you add a lamp with a remote controlled puck light? You could tuck the cord to the lamp. Another suggestion may be to add wall décor. A narrow mirror or a picture could add some height as well.
Where did you get the end table?
Hi, Leslie. The end tables are off Amazon. https://rstyle.me/+uNp89GmqOCWRzXxhTLyOVw
Thank you for responding! The link takes me to a sign in page not a rug, do you have another?
Oh no! It must be sold out or discontinued. Let me see if I can find another source somewhere.
Love the living room rug! Do you have a link for it?
Yes! Here you go! 🙂 Hope that helps!