7 Home Decor Must-Haves For Styling Coffee Tables, Bookshelves and Consoles

I have 7 main categories of home decor that I go to for styling at the end of a project.

I recently had a photoshoot and found myself considering items from these groups for styling each surface or shelf. I thought I’d share some selections from these 7 categories for you today so that you can shop more easily, in case you are on the hunt for some stylish pieces for your coffee table, bookshelf or console. :-)

1. Vases or tall vessels

2. Bowls or boxes

3. Trays

4. Knots and beads

5. Plants and planters

6. Sculpture

7. Books
   
   

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My dining table was filled with miscellaneous accessories after unpacking boxes from a recent shipment from my orders. carlaaston.com

One of the things my full service clients enjoy is seeing these last layers come in to fill out their home’s furnishings.

Really, they get great deals when they go through my business, as I am usually priced below what they would pay online for accessories. Additionally, everything is thoughtfully curated just for their project, then delivered and installed in just the right place.

Sometimes clients go on their own and don’t want to go all in with an accessory budget, but when they do, it is like the icing on the cake. :-)

This beautiful onyx bowl, pictured below, on a coffee table in one of my projects, was hand selected by me at Dallas market for this particular spot.

A beautiful onyx bowl was hand selected at market for this client’s living room coffee table. Carla Aston, Designer | Colleen Scott, Photographer

Here are a few pics of my storage unit, below, with some of my stash that I use for accessorizing at the end of full service projects.

Sometimes I pick up random items during markets to have on hand. I go to Round Top at least once a year and have a few vendors I visit to stock up on certain types of accessories. I found old seltzer bottles one year and then used them in this coastal style kitchen on the open shelves.

These jars, below, have such a nice color story and would look great clustered on a bookshelf, on the low shelf of a console, or even grouped on a rustic dining table. I’ve been adding to this collection over the years and have quite a few in the terra cotta finish, but these green ones are really unusual.

Most of these were found at Round Top.

Here are my top 7 categories of styling objects, with links to shop for similar pieces at the end of each section.

1) Vases or Tall Vessels

Vases or tall vessels like ginger jars, are important for height in styling a tablescape or shelf. They obviously provide a place for some flowers or branches, some type of organic material or greenery, but can provide an impact on their own too.

A tall vase and ginger jar in white add height to this console’s corner. carlaaston.com

I used this unique porcelain vase with some seed pod branches in a recent styling. It worked really as both a vase and a sculpture.

I paired it with an onyx bowl picked up recently at Dallas Market and then a small brass bird sculpture on a dining room console.

This organic look vase adds height and creates some asymmetry with this vignette. carlaaston.com

The vase and ginger jars work well in the pic below, as they fill that tall open space nicely. I often use tall items on lower shelves to fill the void there.

Entry hall console with tall vase and ginger jars on lower shelf. Carla Aston, Designer | Colleen Scott, Photographer

2) Bowls and boxes

Bowls, platters, small shallow dish type containers are great for holding a small collection of objects or making a statement on their own. They top off a stack of books and provide a place for a small, intimate, thoughtful moment in the larger scheme of things.

I purchased these beautiful smaller onyx bowls at Round Top last year and still have a few. They are perfect for styling and have such a nice organic feel.

Organic onyx bowls make for a pretty decorative element when styling home decor items on coffee tables, bookshelves, and consoles. carlaaston.com

This beautiful large bowl holds some large decorative balls and a touch of brass for contrast. See this post for what kinds of items you can use to fill decorative bowls.

This footed bowl tops a beautiful wood table seen in a vignette at High Point Market.

I love a pretty box too. This one looked great against the dark wall, sitting on top of the white console.

A pretty box can add bulk and height in styling a table. Carla Aston, Designer | Colleen Scott, Photographer

3) Trays

Trays do a great job of corralling smaller objects together to create a less cluttered look. Perfect for coffee tables, on lower bookshelves, consoles or dining tables, they can make a statement themselves or just provide a base for some of the lovely items you’ve collected.

They work so well in bathrooms and kitchens, I can never have enough when styling for a photoshoot.

This polished pewter tray corrals items on a bathroom vanity. carlaaston.com

I almost always do a tray on a breakfast room table. It serves to hold some fresh flowers and items like bowls of fruit, salt and pepper mills, and anything that people like to keep out on the breakfast table.

Round tray on breakfast room table | Designer: Carla Aston, Photographer: Colleen Scott

Round tray on breakfast room table | Designer: Carla Aston, Photographer: Colleen Scott

Check out this gorgeous tray in a project I recently had photographed. It adds so much color and brightness to the center of the room. (Can’t wait to see the finished photos!)

Colorful round tray for a coffee table in one of my projects. This tray adds so much color and vibrance to the center of the room. carlaaston.com

A beautiful round tray corrals a plant and decorative objects on a coffee table. carlaaston.com

This grasscloth wrapped tray adds some texture to this family room and keeps the books and vases grouped together.

Coffee table decor styling with grasscloth covered tray | carlaaston.com

This curvy white marble tray on a dining room console provides a nice base for some vintage glassware. carlaaston.com

4) Knots and beads

I’m a huge fan of an interesting knot, in brass or metal. They are perfect on top of a book stack, lying in a tray or on a side table.

This is one of my favorites, it is bronze and heavy. It looks great on a coffee table on a stack of books or tray.

This is my favorite antique brass knot that I love to use on coffee tables. carlaaston.com

Here’s that knot used in another project, on an ottoman tray.

This antique brass knot is one of my favorite styling pieces, used here on a stack of books on an ottoman tray. carlaaston.com

Here is my “signature” antique brass knot that I use on coffee tables in many of my projects. Designer: Carla Aston

If you haven’t become aware of the popularity of beads in home decor, then consider this your alert!

Decorative beads are everywhere these days. Recycled glass beads in various colors are extremely popular, but so are colorful ceramic ones and bold, graphic, globally-inspired looks too.

I picked up these beads at Round Top at the last market, along with a stack of horn bowls.

Recycled glass beads and horn bowls picked up at Round Top this year will go into some project styling. carlaaston.com

The recycled glass beads here add some color and a casual vibe to this table top.

Tray styled with books, a plant, an antique pewter container and some glass beads.

These gorgeous colorful beads were seen at Highpoint market in the antique center a few years ago and then I saw a bunch at Dallas Market this year.

Gorgeous antique beads for home decor are on trend these days. carlaaston.com

Loved seeing these colorful ceramic beads at Dallas market this year. carlaaston.com

Glass beads in a nice bowl are an instant colorful accessory that looks on trend.

The glass beads are a pretty accent in this foyer hall table. carlaaston.com

5) Plants and planters

I always take a lot of plants and greenery / branches for styling on the day of a photo shoot. A lack of plant material can really make a space feel ho hum.

You can’t imagine, until you start in styling, how much you need to really fill out a room! Plants and greens can really help fill in voids.

Plants are so hot in home decor now, as younger people are discovering plants as a way to add personality, style and is a fun hobby too.

I love special containers for plants, like this spiky white plaster one for a project.

This great room sofa table is the perfect spot for a large, plant with an unusual white plaster, spiky planter. carlaaston.com

I’ve recently purchased some air plants that just hang out in a bowl by themselves. You soak them in water once a week and then lay them out to enjoy anywhere without worrying about planters or soil.

This small unique air plant was a touch of life on a side table. The beads, marble tray, and handmade ceramic bowl provide a nice touch of personality here.

This small unique air plant adds a touch of life on a side table. | carlaaston.com

6) Sculpture

Sculpture doesn’t have to mean something super expensive or art by a real artist. It can mean something like an interesting giant pine cone or seashell.

Basically, it is an object that can sit on it’s own or might be mounted on a stand for some verticality.

This coffee table has two natural sculptural items in the mix here, the antlers and the giant pinecones. They provide an interesting rustic quality to the mix here.

Antlers and giant pine cones add a sculptural, rustic look to this room’s vibe. Carla Aston, Designer

I love these sunburst type pieces on stands as they make a big impact vertically and take up some good space in bookcases. You can really appreciate the beauty of geodes mounted this way too.

This round sunburst and the geode on a stand are great for filling vertical space in a bookshelf or for surfaces up higher in a room. carlaaston.com

This brass sculpture made a strong, abstract statement on the top shelf of this white bookcase on a project.

The brass sculpture in this white bookcase makes a lovely statement in this room’s decor. Carla Aston, Designer | Colleen Scott, Photographer

I love this sculpture of a woman’s figure that my husband brought back years ago from Africa.

A piece of sculpture in a bookshelf or on a table top elevates the look of styling. carlaaston.com

This metal sculptural object at the base of the fireplace here adds a little contrast and detail and catches your eye.

Metal sculptural object at the base of the fireplace adds interest and contrast. Carla Aston, Designer

Horse sculptures are always popular and make a nice, curvy silhouette.

7) Books

Please collect a few hard-bound picture books!

I’m going to start giving these as gifts to people, I think. As part of decluttering and downsizing, many people are getting rid of their book collections, if they had some to begin with. I mean, once you read a book, passing it along to someone else is a good thing, I understand.

However, there is nothing more perfect for styling bookshelves, coffee tables, consoles and side tables than books! Save some of your books and use them in decorating!

I recently made a trip to Craftex in Houston for some dried branches and ended up buying a few books (as usual!). They have an amazing assortment of books on travel, food, design, art, gardens, etc.

Inside secret….their books are usually a couple dollars less than Amazon and of course, you don’t have to pay for shipping.

When my MIL downsized and moved from her home to assisted living, she had this stack of art books that were a little tattered and old. I grabbed them for styling in some of my shoots though, as they make for a great book stack on shelves.

They sit in my storage unit now, ready to go for shoots when I need them.

I use some of my MIL’s books for bookshelf styling when I need some extras sometimes. After she downsized her home, I grabbed a stack or two to keep for photoshoots. This was her bookshelf after we donated and thinned out, we left some there to show the house. carlaaston.com

I’ve mentioned in this post about decorating with what you may already have, that raiding your boomer parents’ bookshelves might be warranted. I’ll bet many would love to give away a few stacks to their kids to have in their homes. :-)

Even if your books have some torn covers or the subject matter is not one to show off, you can turn them where the page-side only shows and make a nice statement with a grouping like this too. Kind of interesting, no?

Decorating bookshelves with books page-side out. Are you a fan or not? carlaaston.com

I do love seeing the spines and dust jackets of books and getting a look at the topics people find interesting. I think it makes for an interesting arrangement.

I prefer books with the spine side out. I like seeing what people read and find interesting in bookshelves.

A lovely example - This coffee table, below, seen in a High Point Market showroom recently, has many of the elements discussed above. A beautiful box, books, a tray, vase, a small decorative bowl, candlesticks and some live greenery in a vase.

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Check out these other related posts, below. They’re full of all kinds of tips and tricks for styling accessories all over your home!