I've been asked about "styling" coffee tables 3 times in the past week, and I keep sketching the same thing... so here is my current favorite coffee table outfit. I'll put together a post for a party outfit soon!

A. Here’s the thing about trays- they allow you to have useful crap on your table, without having to move every little piece when you want to dust or swap it out for a giant platter of snacks. Somehow, TV remotes look less gross on a tray too.

B. Unless you have a pyromaniac 7 year-old, candles are the best. You don’t need the 65$ ones.

C. These are the three books that are on my coffee table. They happen to be from people I love, and who all know me in different ways. They are books I could look through again and again, and I love when others get to use them to. Go for that when you pick the books. They should be a useful & functional part of your coffee table.

D. The plant is there to make you healthier and make everything nicer. No need to get exotic, an ivy plant works just fine.

E. Box – the box is key! My life got exponentially better when I took a friend’s advice to keep tooth floss at the coffee table. Also, nail clippers, cards (I like to practice card tricks while watching tv), really good hand cream, eye glass wipes, & lip balm. When else do you have time to just sit and let ointments soak into your ragged cuticles?

F. God I love coasters. Cork! Glass! Felt! Wood! Keep them out so people don't put their drinks on your books, and start a collection- rotate them with your different coffee table outfits.

Balls made of materials that don’t bounce – metal, straw, porcelain… these are all stupid.
No matter how impressive, books you aren’t interested in have no place on your coffee table.
Don’t put drinks or plants on top of books. Books are special things. They are not giant coasters.

A blue ceiling is the gateway drug to bold decorating decisions. It's going to feel crazy at first, and then you'll shake your head 4 years later when your daughter looks up and says "Oh my gosh, our ceiling is blue".

3 good reasons to do it, and 1 questionable reason:

Without calling attention to itself, it gives the room an airy feel. Really- people don't even notice it. They only feel it, and it feels fancy in a way you can't put your finger on!
Blue is a receding color - so it will give the ceiling plane an automatic lift.
It really goes with any color scheme. White/ Light furniture and finishes with a blue ceiling? Heaven! Oranges, yellows and reds will look even more orange, yellow, or red. Pair your blue ceiling with green rugs and yellowish curtains and you are outside!
I've also heard that the color repels bugs, and I've heard that it repels evil spirits. I don't know about evil spirits, but there are currently 3 spiders smeared across my blue ceiling, and a giant fly is about to meet the same fate, which brings me to ceiling finish...

Usually the answer is matte. BUT- If you live a life that requires you to occasionally wipe stuff off your ceiling (like you have a 5 year old with a good arm or a lot of spiders), the answer is eggshell. It's wipeable, but not too shiny. It's going to show more imperfections, and your contractor isn't going to like it - but it's your blue ceiling, and it's your right to be a little bit crazy.

Coffee Table Outfits

Paint Your Ceiling Blue!