The coffee table is what you look at from the couch all evening, so it’s a good place to put some Christmas. It also has to stay usable: mugs, remotes, feet.
Every idea below follows the same three steps:
- Give it an edge. A tray, a runner, a bowl or a mirror. Without a boundary, objects drift around the table and look like clutter.
- Give it some height. Something taller than the rest, whether that’s a candle, a lantern or a small tree on a couple of books.
- Give it light. At least one candle or a few fairy lights. LED is easiest if you have kids, pets or a habit of falling asleep on the sofa.
Nine arrangements
1. A tray of candles. A big round tray (on Amazon) with three LED pillars (on Amazon) at different heights, a sprig of faux pine between them and a couple of loose ornaments. In January you lift the tray and the table is back to normal. A wood or brass tray works all year.
2. Books as a stand. Stack two or three hardcovers with plain covers slightly off-center and put a small candle or a mini bottle-brush tree on top, with a sprig of greenery across the top book. It’s height without buying anything.
3. A garland down the middle. Lay a faux eucalyptus or cedar garland along the length of the table and set a few LED tea lights and pinecones along it. Leave a gap somewhere for a mug.
4. One lantern. A single lantern (on Amazon) with an LED candle inside covers all three steps at once. Put a small ornament or a berry sprig on one side so it doesn’t look lonely. The lantern goes back on a shelf for the rest of the year.
5. A tiny tree. A 12-inch tree in a small pot, raised on a couple of books, with a strand of 20 micro lights and a star on top. Decorate it like a real tree in miniature: lights first, then a few tiny ornaments.
6. Three candlesticks. Brass (on Amazon), black or wood, at roughly 8, 10 and 12 inches, in a loose row. Five minutes, and the candlesticks can stay out after Christmas with plain candles.
7. A bowl of natural things. Pinecones, dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks and a little greenery in a wide shallow bowl. No lights, no arranging. It smells nice and it’s very hard to get wrong.
8. A mirror underneath. Set a 12-inch round mirror (on Amazon) or a mirrored tray on the table and group candles on it. The reflection doubles the light, which helps a lot in a dark living room. Gold ornaments look especially good on it.
9. An advent countdown. A row of 24 small numbered boxes or bags across the back half of the table, with a few candles in front. Kids will check it every morning. The boxes fold flat afterward.
Changing it through December
Swap one thing each week and the table feels new without starting over: trade the candles for the bowl, move the little tree onto the books, change what’s in the tray.