HOW TO STYLE AN END TABLE LIKE A PRO

HOW TO STYLE AN END TABLE- 5 no fail items to put on your end table!

The flat surface of an end table is prime decorating real estate. But, accessorizing an end table is not always easy! What are the items that need to be on an end table? What will make this area useful? And how do we make an end table look attractive? Many of us don’t give lots of thought about making each end table in our home look amazing much less how it will work with the rest of the room. However, I can hopefully make decorating each end table in your home easy and functional and oh, so fabulous! Let’s style an end table!

Today on our podcast Decorating Tips And Tricks we are talking about END TABLES! How to choose them, what to use, and how to decorate them! If you are wondering about side tables this is an episode for you!


  To listen to any or all 55 episodes of DTT or to learn how to listen on your smartphone check out the “PODCAST” link under my StoneGable header!

HOW TO STYLE AN END TABLE- 5 no fail items to put on your end table!

Today I’m featuring a very simple and easy to decorate side table. How a table is styled depends on how big horizontal surface is, the size of the things to go on the table and the end table’s use!

If your table is big and is not going to be used to hold someone’s drink then you can add larger items and spread them out a bit.

If your table is going to be used to hold an occasional drink there should be lots of open space so nothing gets knocked over. 

Not every element I’m sharing today can go on every end table. Choose the ones that work for you and your room!

So let’s get to it!

 LAMPHOW TO STYLE AN END TABLE- 5 no fail items to put on your end table!

I have two of the same lamps on end tables on either side of my sofa. However, my end tables are different in shape. The color and height are the same and I really LOVE not having them entirely matchy-matchy!

Today I’m sharing a nice size end table with two shelves. End tables with shelves are a big decor win! Sometimes they are just decorated like the one here and sometimes they are not as much styled as they are filled and used!

Let’s get back of matchy-matchy, I do like the same lamps flanking a sofa. It brings in a little bit of symmetry I love! Both of my end tables are large enough to work with the heft of my big urn shaped lamp.  The lampshade is just passable. The throat of the lamp is showing (and that’s okay) but the socket does not show (thank goodness). I love the little on/off chains that hang and wanted to show them off.

 

I tend to like tall lamps because I have high ceilings, but one smaller would work here too! It’s good to be mindful of how much space on a table your lamp will take up. 

Striking a balance between the size of a lamp and the size of a table is important! A lamp is the number one consideration when styling an end table!

BOOKS

HOW TO STYLE AN END TABLE- 5 no fail items to put on your end table!

For me, books not only bring a personal touch and color to an end table they also work as risers! Oh, I love a stack of books! If you have space on your end table think about adding two or three books to the mix. They don’t have to really take up space if you use them as a perch for another item on them!

I chose decorating books that have shades of blue to work with the coasters on the table! BTW… you know how I LOVE Savannah, aka “The Mothership”! Paula Deen’s Savannah Style is low-country at it’s decorated best! And it is one of my all time favorite decorating books!  You can see the book HERE.

ART/MIRROR/ PICTURES

HOW TO STYLE AN END TABLE- 5 no fail items to put on your end table!

A table is the perfect place to display art or photographs! As you can see I have a silhouette of Beau the Wonder Dog on the end table! Just a small photo or little work of art adds such warmth and charm to an end table. If the vase I chose for the flowers was less bulky I might have propped Beau’s likeness next to the flowers on the books!

I get lots of emails asking me why I don’t have family pictures places around my home. The answer is quite simple. I just don’t want them in my photographs on my blog. I think my children (and now my grandson Anderson and soon to be granddaughter Emma Kate) deserve a little privacy.

So instead of taking them down every time I take pictures I keep them in my bedroom to enjoy. Now when that room is finally made over enough to share I’m not sure what I will do!

If your end table is against a wall, propping a smaller mirror behind the other objects on the table can look amazing! Even think about layering a mirror or larger piece of art with a smaller empty frame in front of it. 

ORGANICS

HOW TO STYLE AN END TABLE- 5 no fail items to put on your end table!

Not every table in a room needs to have something organic on it like flowers. But maybe one or two would be nice! Bobby picked these snapdragons from our garden today. So of course, I am using them. And I chose to put them in handmade jug type vase that also works as a piece of art.

Just a couple little tiny blooms in a small bottle would add life and beauty to a side table. Other organics like sticks and twigs or even a very very convincing faux plant would soften up the table too!

A pretty bowl with willow or moss balls would work just as well! Be creative and work with things you have. I’ve even put flowering weeds in a little vase on an end table. Who knew?

COASTERS/ BOWL

HOW TO STYLE AN END TABLE- 5 no fail items to put on your end table!

Coasters and bowls seem like an odd pairing and they are! I have a set of attractive coasters in my living room and family room and a great place for them to find a home are on end tables!

I also love to display a little bowl or even a stack of pretty and different bowls on an end table but I would probably not have coasters and bowls on the same table. So it’s one or the other.

It’s best if you display coasters to have a few nice coordinating ones to show off. If you have a mish-mosh of coasters, that’s okay, just keep them in a drawer until they are needed!

SOMETHING PERSONAL

HOW TO STYLE AN END TABLE- 5 no fail items to put on your end table!

A table looks so personalized and inviting if there is something special to you on it! The silhouette of Beau works as art and as something personal on this end table.

I might have arranged things a little differently to include a darling monogrammed lucite box I recent received. 

Even something with a bit of whimsy or a fun piece that looks a tad out of place can be so interesting on a side table! This is a place to let your personality shine!

HOW TO STYLE AN END TABLE- 5 no fail items to put on your end table!

How about rearranging and styling a few side tables in your home? I’m taking a second look at mine!

Now it’s your turn. What do you like to put on an end table? 

You might also like…

HOW TO CHOOSE THE PERFECT SIDE TABLE

 

THE ART OF THE UNDERSTATED TABLE TOP

5 TIPS FOR DECORATING ACCENT TABLES WITH SHELVES


You might like to follow me on Pinterest and see what I’m finding to pin every day HERE.

HOW TO STYLE AN END TABLE- 5 no fail items to put on your end table!

This post contains affiliate links.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

59 Comments

  1. Great ideas thanks . Love your lamps.

  2. Very good and useful tips. I love the vase with the snaps!

  3. love the arrangement! thanks

  4. Thanks for the very helpful tips! Love the arrangement and the container!

  5. genie steger says:

    You always give me new ways to use things and inspire me…..And I am going to look for Paula Deen’s book, I live in Beaufort SC’ about 40 miles from Savannah, right in the heart of the lowcountry!!!!!

  6. Karen VanLoo says:

    End tables can be a bit challenging, like shelves or a mantel. Thank you for the wonderful tips!

  7. Love your end table and lamps!Especially love your drapes! Where did you get them?

  8. I have different white ceramic planter with green low light plants around the room on end tables. The mirror behind lamp on wall is a good tip I took from today’s post, will think about implementing that today!

  9. Anne Marie says:

    Great tips – love your lamps.

  10. For my organic item in the kitchen—a lovely mint plant. It looks pretty and I can pinch off some for my sweet tea or freeze some into ice cubes.

  11. Good morning Yvonne, I love your end tables and how you have styled them. My mother recently gave me a walnut sofa table. So far I have a lamp and family photos displayed on the table but I think I will be use some of your tips for decorating. Thanks and have a great day.

  12. I love your posts on styling whether it’s a side table, coffee table or other surface. You always have great ideas and a wonderful flair! Thank you for the inspiration!

  13. Jan Fusco says:

    Thanks for the tips. I love your lamp.

  14. I’m with you in using books to create levels.I try and add
    some green and maybe a flee market find for some whimsy.

  15. Great inspiration. I haven’t changed things up on my end tables in quite awhile, so I think I need to try some of your suggestions. I also have that same Paula Deen book (I love her style!). I think it’s time for me to start using books as risers on my tables.

  16. I have smaller end tables so I just have an interesting candle, a vase with flowers and an adorable picture of my niece with my dog Max on it. I also have some coasters- they’re a necessity at my house!

  17. You are so elegantly practical, Miss Yvonne.
    LOVE Beau and the coasters! And Charles Faudree is the BEST! Right? 🙂

  18. Any suggestions for a floating end table with no available electrical outlet. I am now using a large lantern but would love any suggestions.

  19. mattsgramma says:

    Always great suggestions Yvonne!

  20. I understand why you don’t display family photos but for me it’s a different story. I just think they look cluttered and do nothing to enhance a rooms decor. I do have lots of photos on my fridge but that is all in one area, cluttered as it may be.

  21. Thanks for your tips! I also learned how to stage an end table at a staging course I took at our local college. These are things I will use often when decorating my home. Love your blog!

  22. I love your styling tips for end tables. I have been putting less on my end tables because when I sit down with a cup of tea, a book, IPAD, and whatever, I think there should be space for those things. It is practical to have less. I am trying to declutter and allow more space on my tables.

  23. The end table looks great.. I like the idea of books on the table as risers. Also love the vase.

  24. I’m glad I am not the only one with picture issues, however, it’s hard to not display a reasonable amount of photos but not to go over board with a photo gallery. Honestly, I try to have the most current pictures of my grandsons, yes all boys no girls yet, my younger son better get busy-ha-ha!! I try my best to update my tables and keep them clutter free, but keep a space for my morning cup of coffee. This was a great blog Yvonne, your ideas are spot on.

  25. I have as much fun styling my end tables as I do my mantle and coffee table. Using the rule of three on a round table next to our sofa I have a tall lamp that is great for reading,an oval woven tray and a medium sized cloche. On the tray is a faux boxwood topiary, a small metal bird and a light colored pottery vase which I use for a bouquet of whatever I can cut from the garden. This week it is Daylilies and Ferns. Under the cloche is a piece of coral.

  26. Carol Elkins says:

    Great tips for decorating end tables! I love using books on my tables too.

  27. great ideas …love your lamps!

  28. Minnie mccoy says:

    Lovely and cozy!

  29. You always decorate so beautifully no matter what it is you are designing. This end table is nothing short of fabulous. Thank you for sharing.

  30. Wanda Lee says:

    Loved your tips for styling an end table. Can’t wait to scavenge my home and re style mine.

  31. I like the various sizes of your end tables. I like the idea of a vase of flowers too. I used to put something new out weekly (from my home) and worked to get it just so. I was so careful not to move it a fraction of an inch when I dusted the table!! I’m not so ambitious nowadays!!! I do like books and flowers and a personal print or in my case it’s a square little plate that’s edged in gold with the correct shade of blue, and a robin painted on the small plate. I think my Mom and sister are the best end table decorators around!! And you too!!

  32. I too love an end table with a bottom shelf. Sadly I can not decorate mine as it has become kitty’s favorite resting spot. Good thing she’s cute.

  33. Maggie Nelson says:

    Thanks for the ideas and my end table doesn’t have shelves but I do have a lamp and hard cover decorating books and small round iron decoration and small vase with flowers. I like to change the things on top of the books.

  34. Love these tips, your home and the podcasts!

  35. Shauna Neuenswander says:

    Just beautiful!!!

  36. I really like the vase that has the snapdragons in it. Then again I really like snapdragons.

  37. Julie Briones says:

    I love the shelves on this table, and love the pedestals you placed on them. Really pretty!

    My only side table, at this time, is a ‘garden bench’. A cute little bench that has storage inside. It’s perfect for holding all my candles/melts that I use. I have a little vignette on top of it. (The one that I sent the pic of, and Kelly posted on her FB page.) 🙂

    My next side table will be a knock-off of your large 3-tiered tray you use as a table. 🙂 Looking forward to making that!

  38. I am new to your blog and can’t stop reading! I am sure that you’ve probably covered this before since your site has so much information. But, if you have a quick second, where do you find your best deals? Are you shopping at lots of different places, yard sales, or is there a favorite place? As I am starting to stage my house to sell and think about what we really want for our next home, I am trying to comparison shop. It’s hard because I am chronically ill, so I prefer online retailers, but I plan on getting a relative to go physically shopping with me, since I have time to make lots of trips.
    And really, your site is super inspirational. I love it.

  39. Sally Messenger says:

    I love your pictures and blog. Thanks

  40. As always, everything looks beautiful. I am going to rearrange my end tables today,!

  41. Super ideas! Love the “organic” reminder!
    Have you ever done a “tutorial” on how to choose a lamp for an end table? I need help with the height a lamp should be. Is there a “Stone Gable Guideline’ for height and the amount of light a lamp should give off?

    1. Super good idea, Joanne! Look for an end table lamp post this fall!

  42. I enjoy seeing the pictures of how you move things from one room of the house to another. The best thing is that you don’t always go out and purchase new items you repurpose a lot of items that people have in their homes already. Thank you for taking time to show others ways to revitalize their homes. You are doing an awesome job.

  43. I love to arrange things on my end tables. Being a smaller space, I don’t feel intimidated. Great ideas!

  44. sush khati says:

    nice tips… I am new here but the really nice blog

  45. Kathleen Kuryllo says:

    Please tell me where did you find the Urn Shaped lamp. I love it and want the same.

  46. Where did you find the jug/vase?