Coffee Table Essentials {With Jo Malone London}

The humble coffee table. I’m guessing a high proportion of you have one in your living area to perch your cup of tea on and pile up your latest reads.
When my friend recently asked me over to her newly renovated house to help style her shelves and coffee table I realised I must have earned myself a reputation as a serial faffer. In the second of our Jo Malone London collaborations I’m excited to share how Charlotte and I add extra pizzazz to the simplest of furniture pieces. Choose as many elements as you like and mix and match to your hearts content.

Book Stacks

I like to add variations in height to my coffee table to add interest and books are are an easy way to do this. They also keep your surface flat so you can pile extra decor on top.

Diffuser

When I have a diffuser on display I adore that every time I walk into the room I get an enveloping scent. I have the same Jo Malone London Pomegranate Noir diffuser on my living room coffee table and by my front door and love the ease of scenting a space. I have the same fragrance in the candle on my coffee table however I’ve also combined the diffuser with an English Pear & Freesia Candle in the past to layer up the fragrance and create a signature scent

Candles

Lighting candles in the evening is one of life’s simple pleasures. Though I hate these rainy summer days we’ve been having it’s a treat to be able to light a flickering candle and add a gentle glow to cosy up the room. My new favourite is the Jo Malone London Velvet Rose and Oud. The sleek black packaging really complements the gentleman’s club kind of vibe I have going on in the snug and the rich clove and opulent rose scent is heavenly. Charlotte favours the Wood Salt and Sea Sage and has worn the perfume since it’s release a few years ago.

A Pampering Essential

After Mabel is tucked up in bed Charlotte uses the matching Body Crème to her favourite fragrance as it enhances the scent and it lasts for ever on your skin. It’s a real luxury to have an hour to sit down with a candle lit, a good book and a healthy dose of pampering.

Flowers

A good bloom or two adds more interest, scent and and a touch of nature. Charlotte’s coffee table is to the side of her sofa so she can go big on the florals. If your primed for a bit of TV viewing then go low with a stem or two picked from the garden. In my snug I’ve gone for a simple low maintenance faux succulent – no green fingers required.

Unexpected Elements

Why not add an unexpected touch to your favourite piece of living room furniture? The inexpensive faux sheepskin I have on my ottoman is used to protect the fabric underneath as well as to add an unexpected textured dimension.

Trays

From a purely practical point of view, a tray is so handy. I have a small display on my snug ottoman which I can easily pick up and move if I want to access the storage inside rather than decant a heap of individual items. They’re also a super way to corral a little collection together and make it look more purposeful. Big or small, square or round, a tray will instantly make a surface look more styled.

Personal Mementos

I have a lot of personal mementos around my house. Whether it be an ornament from your holiday or a photo of your loved one, it’s always emotive to have a memory evoker on your coffee table. In my snug the tiny Eiffel Tower was actually one of the trinkets tied from our wedding centrepieces and always makes me smile.

I’ve added the links to Charlotte’s side tables and my ottoman below. Apologies but my living room one is an upcycle project. I usually get asked on Instagram where the people can can get hold of one but unfortunately this is a one-off customised from a very simple wooden pallet.

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How do you like to style up your coffee table?

This is a sponsored post but we’d never recommend a product we didn’t love.