The coffee table is one of the first surfaces a buyer notices when walking into a living room during a showing. It can also be the perfect way to market your home with a picturesque coffee table listing shot.
Deciding what goes on a coffee table is one of the cheapest staging moves available to a seller. It doesn’t take much time, it could cost practically nothing, and it changes how a room photographs.
Why the coffee table matters when selling a home
Staging works by helping buyers picture their own life in the space instead of yours. The Real Estate Staging Association reports that staged homes spend 73 per cent less time on the market than homes that were not staged. The living room does a lot of that work, because it is where buyers stop, look around and form an opinion about how the home lives.
A cluttered table reads as a storage problem. A bare table reads as an empty rental. A table with three or four considered objects reads as a home somebody takes care of. That is the target.
For the full room-by-room version of this work, the REMAX home staging guide covers the rest of the house.
Nine coffee table decor ideas that work in listing photos
The goal of a stylistic coffee table is one that looks composed and intentional. Don’t just leave your table cluttered, as is. Think about how books, lighting, or art can help shape the table while complementing the rest of the living room.
Pottery accents
Ceramic vases and vessels add height without adding too much visual noise. Two pieces of different heights may work better than a matched pair. Keep them empty or add a plant. Skip anything with a strong glaze color that fights the room. Neutral colors and patterns are the way to go.
Florals and greenery
Live greenery signals upkeep. Buyers may read that as a well-maintained home. A small trailing plant or a group of succulents can photograph better than a overwhelming bouquet of flowers. Fresh flowers need replacing every few days during an active listing, so a hardy plant is the lower-maintenance option.
Aesthetic coasters
Coasters are the rare staging item that can be used for both decor and function. A stone or marble set stacked in a corner of the table fills space at low height and hints that the surface is usable. They also protect the table during showings which is very important.
Chess board
A game board suggests the room gets used for something other than screen time. It works best on a large table with room to spare on either side. On a small table it can take over. Set the pieces mid-game rather than in starting rows for a lived-in look.
Decorative tray
The tray is the one of the most useful object on this list. It draws a border around the display. It also keeps small items from drifting. It can give the whole arrangement one clean edge in photos as well. A tray makes cleanup fast, since the entire setup lifts off in one motion before a showing.
Coffee table books
A stack of two or three hardcovers adds height and a horizontal line that balances taller objects. Choose broad subjects such as architecture, travel, design or photography. Books tied to politics, religion or a specific fandom pull attention toward the current owner. That’s the opposite of what staging is for.
Vintage glass
Cut glass and colored glass catch light. This can help a dim living room read brighter in photos and in person. One piece can be enough depending on the size of your table. A bowl can hold something simple such as citrus or matchbooks. It can also stay empty as a sculptural object and art piece.
Tapered candles
Candles add vertical lines to a mostly horizontal surface. Grouped in odd numbers at staggered heights, they are one of the easiest ways to make a flat table look composed. Leave them unlit during showings. An open flame is a liability with strangers moving through the house. Scent can also be a gamble with buyers who have allergies or sensitivities.
Sculptures
A sculptural object is the piece that makes a table look styled rather than tidied. Bust reproductions, abstract forms and carved wood shapes all do the same job. Keep the scale under control. Anything that blocks the sightline across the room works against the photo.
How to build the display in five steps
- Clear the table completely. Every remote, coaster, charger and magazine comes off before anything goes back on.
- Anchor with a tray. Place it off-centre rather than dead middle. It gives the eye a starting point.
- Group in odd numbers and vary the height. Three objects at three different heights is the standard formula. A tall vase, a medium stack of books, a low bowl.
- Leave roughly two thirds of the surface open. Empty space is what separates a staged table from a decorated one. Buyers need to see the table, not just what is on it.
- Check it through a camera. Photograph the table from standing height and from the doorway. Objects that look balanced in person often crowd each other in a photo.
What to leave off the coffee table
- Remotes, chargers and visible cords
- Mail, paperwork and bills
- Family photos, diplomas and anything with a name on it
- Medication, vitamins and personal care items
- Valuables and anything fragile enough to worry about during an open house
- Toys, pet items and chew marks in the sightline
- Strong scents from diffusers or plug-ins, which buyers often read as covering something up
Depersonalizing is the part sellers tend to resist. It is also the part that most reliably helps a buyer imagine their own belongings in the room. More of that thinking is covered in these 10 expert tips for staging your home to sell.
What size coffee table works best for staging?
Before anything goes on the table, the table itself has to fit the room. A piece that is too large eats the walkway and makes the living room photograph smaller than it is. A piece that is too small disappears between the sofa and the rug. The general target is a table about two thirds the length of the sofa, sitting at roughly sofa-seat height.
Sellers do not need to buy anything. If the current table is oversized, blocking traffic or damaged enough to distract, borrowing a smaller piece from elsewhere in the house or removing it entirely is usually the better call. An empty floor reads cleaner than a crowded one.
Proportion is where most coffee table displays go wrong. A few working rules:
- Decor should sit below the eye level of someone seated on the sofa, so conversation is not blocked
- The tallest object should measure roughly two thirds the height of the sofa back or less
- Keep about 18 inches of clearance between the table and surrounding furniture so walkways stay open.
- A large rectangular table can carry two small groupings. A small round table should carry one
Clear walkways matter as much as the decor itself. Buyers who have to sidestep furniture register the room as smaller than it is.
Recently bought? The same rules apply as a refresh
Not everyone reading this is selling. A coffee table refresh is one of the fastest ways for a recent buyer to make a new living room feel settled, especially in the stretch after moving day when most of the house is still in boxes. One styled surface gives the eye somewhere to land while the rest of the room catches up.
The difference is that a new owner gets to put the personality back in. The framed photo, the souvenir from a trip, the stack of books nobody else would pick. Staging strips those out on purpose. Living in a home is when they go back on the table.
Keeping the table showing-ready
An active listing means the table needs to reset in under a minute. A few habits make that realistic:
- Keep a basket or bin nearby for remotes, mail and anything that lands on the table during the day
- Photograph the finished display and keep the photo on your phone as a reference for resetting it
- Wipe the surface before every showing, since stone and glass tops show dust and fingerprints in photos
- Replace or remove greenery the moment it starts to look tired
Whether staging pays off depends on the property and the local market, and a local agent is the right person to judge that. A REMAX agent can walk the home, flag the rooms worth the effort and point out the ones already working. Find out whether staged homes sell faster, then connect with a REMAX agent in your area to build a prep plan for your listing.
Frequently asked questions
What should go on a coffee table when staging a home?
Three to five items in varied heights, usually a tray, a stack of books, something living such as a plant, and one sculptural object. Leave most of the surface open and remove anything personal, including photos, mail and medication.
How many items should be on a coffee table?
Three to five for most tables. Groupings in odd numbers tend to look more natural than pairs. A small round table can look crowded with more than three objects, while a large rectangular table can carry two separate groupings.
Should coffee table books be stacked or fanned out?
Stacked. Two or three hardcovers in a neat pile add height and a clean horizontal line. Fanning books across the surface eats space and reads as clutter in photos. A small object placed on top of the stack gives the grouping a finished look.
Should candles be lit during a showing?
No. Unlit candles still add height and shape to a display without the fire risk of open flame in a house full of strangers. Strong scents also create problems for buyers with allergies or sensitivities.
Can you stage a coffee table without buying anything?
Usually, yes. Most homes already have books, a bowl, a tray or a plant somewhere else in the house. Staging a coffee table is more often about editing and rearranging what is already there than about buying new decor.
Does coffee table decor affect how a home sells?
On its own, no single surface sells a house. What sits on the coffee table contributes to the larger impression a living room makes in photos and showings, and the living room is one of the rooms buyers weigh most heavily. Ask a local agent how much staging effort makes sense for your property and market.
