Attention grabbing titles stump me at times.  The backspace on this keyboard should start up its own CrossFit class because this baby gets in an impressive and exhaustive daily workout erasing first drafts, not so PG-13 wording and the like.

Title considerations for this post ranged from Not Another Boring How To Style a Coffee Table Post, Putting Stuff on the Coffee Table and Why It Matters and the winner, Styling The Table Between Two Sofas.

Anyway you title it, how to style a coffee table is a hot topic of decorating interest.

I like to incorporate individual style and objects that capture the soul of the life lived within your home.

The only hard-and-fast rule I follow in regards to how to style a coffee table is no sight obstruction.

I don’t know about you, but I hate to sit down to gab, read or watch television only to get right back up to move a decorative accent out of my sight line.

High, medium and low is a working concept with considerations to factor in.

When I’m styling a coffee table I sit down on sofa, chair, etc…  and choose the primary sight line.

X marks the center spot- the prime location for a medium or low height object placement.

The “outer” areas balance the method with graduated heights to continue the flow, theme and visual engagement.

The rule of you effectively applies to decorating and should be beautifully evident throughout your home.

Styling a coffee table with a sense of individual style is easy.

A treasured keepsake, great read, conversation piece, a decorative box to house remotes (a necessary evil), framed picture of something, somewhere or someone that when you look at it a smile instantly touches your heart- the essentials!

Here’s the background on the pieces presently calling the top of my coffee table home.

The shells were found on the beach in Corpus Christi, Texas by my mother when she was eight years old.

My great-grandparents owned tourist courts in the beach area, and on one of the many trips to Corpus my mother picked up these shells.

Treasures of time and travel for sure.

The rose bowl was an anniversary gift from Dave the Builder.

A  fellow antiques dealer brought it into the shop, and my heart skipped a beat.

Dave surprised me with it, I bawled like a baby, and up this keepsake went.

Fast forward to moving day when Miss Grace Kelly (me) dropped it, shattering it into several pieces.

The water works began, but I sucked it up and let it go.

No use crying over chipped and cracked porcelain- the thought behind the gift was still in one piece.

I picked up the pieces as best I could, placed them in a box, and set it out in the garage.

Dave saw the box when he came in and asked me what had happened.

I filled him in, letting him know I had made peace with the pieces.

Dave wouldn’t hear of it.

He grabbed the glue and went to work.

When he finished gluing the pieces back in place he offered up a rather profound explanation.

He told me to look at it in a new light.

Things that are perfect one minute may not be so perfect the next.  That doesn’t mean you throw it away- you dig in with determination and fix it.

The cracked and glued back together rose bowl is even more beautiful to me now.

Louisiana is known for unique characters, creatures, homes, food and culture.

House Proud: Unique Home Design, Louisiana by Valorie Hart and Edwin Edwards Governor of Louisiana by Leo Honeycutt are both interesting reads and wonderful conversation pieces.

Two birds, one stone.

The dried bouquet in the image below is a memento from my nephew’s wedding.

What do you consider essential decorative elements in the pursuit of how to style a coffee table?