My Short List of Chic Coffee Table Books

Bunny Williams

Yesterday I was playing around with styling my coffee table and I was struck with how important  beautiful coffee table books are. Whether you are styling a coffee table, entryway table, library table, even your dining table, chic coffee table books are so key. Here is my short list of favorites of mine that will always elevate your look and some design inspiration as well. And great reads too!

Styling the Coffee Table - Florida Edition

My Coffee Table

I have enjoyed styling my coffee table in the new house. The pink marble slab was brought back from Italy by my late husband's parents decades ago and I have always loved it. The pair of gilded pagoda lanterns are from Charlotte Moss' Manhattan store that unfortunately did not stay open for long - it was wonderful. I found the brass monkey at HomeGoods shortly before moving to Florida. The pink coral is a new (yesterday) HomeGoods find. My HomeGoods store here in Sarasota is fabulous - filled with blue and white Chinese porcelain, Greek key, Kate Spade, and great art believe it or not.

I have now finished the entire first floor of the house and starting upstairs. This house is unusual for South Florida in that it has a second floor. It has two staircases that lead upstairs to two guest bedrooms, a full bath, a huge bonus room, and a large balcony.

The Chinoiserie Coffee Table

Pinterest

A stunning bamboo coffee table is styled with Chinese porcelain, coffee table books, and shells for a Coastal Chinoiserie vibe.

The Chinoiserie Coffee Table

Brooke Chamblee Interiors

A vintage bamboo coffee table and a blue and white Chinese box add Chinoiserie style to this traditional living room.

Greek Key

The Every Girl

The coffee table is an Ikea Vittsjo hack. I have done a fabulous desk and etagere like this using Liquid Gold Leaf.

Styling the Coffee Table

Kristin Cadwallader - House Beautiful

Coffee Table Styling

Mandy Kellogg Rye - Waiting on Martha

A wonderfully styled coffee table with a cachepot from Dana Gibson, a collection of calligraphy brushes, and a favorite book of mine by Carolyne Roehm.

Saturday Inspiration

Mecox Gardens

I love vintage brass animals, easily found on Etsy, eBay, flea markets, and such. I especially like this brass seal, a lovely addition to this coffee table styling. I have a Pinterest board with lots of inspiration on styling the coffee table here.

Training Your Eye and ORC News

A while back I found this darling little pink glass Asian lady figurine at one of my consignment stores for $7.00. Pink and Chinoiserie - a no-brainer for me. She has been sitting on my coffee table ever since. Yesterday I was looking at the Gump's website and saw these Asian sister figurines below. Not identical, but very close and $158.00 for the standing red one and $170.00 for the standing golden one. I like mine the best.

Thrift stores, consignment stores, yard sales, and the like are great ways to train your design eye. Generally things are not marked or labeled so you are relying completely on your own aesthetic and not a designer label. If you have a good eye and trust your instincts, you can find lots of treasures, big and small, for very little money.

A big thanks to Ashlina at The Decorista for featuring my One Room Challenge laundry room in "10 things that rocked my world this week...orc edition." I know how hard we all worked on our rooms and appreciate very much the shout outs.

The Pink Pagoda has come out with a green version of those fabulous botanical prints she made for Linda for the One Room Challenge. Wait until you see the inspiration board I have in mind for these!

Gump's Red Murano Asian Sisters

Gump's Golden Murano Asian Sisters

Set of Four Green and White Graphic Botanical Prints