How to Style a Coffee Table Like Nancy Meyers
One of my goals with our house is to channel a moody version of Nancy Meyers. I love the cozy and traditional feel of her set designs, and everything about her movies brings me so much joy.
I already put together some tips and tricks for how to style your home like Nancy Meyers, so if you want some general tips you can head over there. But last week, I found myself needing to style my coffee table for the first time in our new house, and I felt stuck. Where did I get started? What would Nancy do?!
So, I did what anyone would do and started obsessively googling Nancy Meyers sets, studying the coffee tables, and taking extensive notes to help me get started. Then, I went shopping because nothing in my house was good enough. What? That’s not a totally normal and rational approach?!
Here’s what I learned.
How to Style Your Coffee Table Like Nancy Meyers
1. Use Lots of Books
If you look at pretty much any Nancy Meyers room you’ll see books everywhere. But, I looked at the coffee tables in nearly every one of her movies and you know what was scattered all over every one of them? Stacks of books.
I already have quite a few photo albums on the second tier of our coffee table, so I gave myself a big ol’ check for that one.
It’s Complicated
2. Use Trays to Corral
This is a trick I pretty much always use on my coffee tables, but it’s nice to see it’s Nancy-approved. We regularly need to clear off the coffee table for games or snacks or anything else, so I want it to be easy to remove anything I put on there. A pretty tray is a great way to do that!
To keep things aligned with the Nancy Meyers vibe, I recommend sticking with a tray that has a more traditional material or traditional lines to it. I tried to accomplish the look with a round, sleek brass tray and it just didn’t work! Stick to natural textures and traditional lines and you should be good.
Something’s Gotta Give
3. Greenery is a Must
Another thing that was present on every single Nancy Meyers coffee table I looked at was something that brought life to the arrangement. Most of the time it was a low vase with some fluffy flowers. Sometimes it was a bowl of fruit. But, something that brings some texture and color to the look is non-negotiable here!
4. Add Some Candlesticks or an Empty Bowl
This one isn’t a must-have, as I didn’t see it on all of the coffee tables in my research, but I saw them enough that it’s worth mentioning. I thought it was interesting to see that several of the styling arrangements had tall candlesticks or tall tealight holders. Never a short pillar candle. It was always something with presence and elegance.
It makes a lot of sense, because a nice, tall candlestick adds some height to your arrangement and can really bring the look together. This isn’t something I’m going to do because I have children and goodness knows the candles would stay standing for about 5 minutes. But, if your home is a little calmer than mine, it’s a great look!
Nancy Meyer’s Home – via Architectural Digest
Another thing I saw really frequently in the homes was a really pretty, empty bowl. Sometimes it was filled with fruit or something pretty, but often it was just a little catchall bowl. This is really easy if you’ve got kids, and you could fill it with mini Polaroid photos, fake fruit, or just let your kids fill it up with their tiny treasures.
5. Keep The Styling Casual!
The Holiday
Finally, and most importantly, anything you style with Nancy Meyers vibes is going to need to be styled very casually! The last thing you want is fussy or formal. It should feel lived-in, like no one is going to care if you move something around a bit. This is a really hard balance to strike – the “casually undone” look isn’t easy! But, remember that the best thing you can do here is not overthink things.
So, Here’s How I Did
After all that research and planning, I did a bit of shopping. I had a lot of fun browsing and gathering inspiration that fit what I was looking for and grabbed a few things that would fit the bill.
Here’s where I landed:
Nancy-Meyers Inspired Coffee Table Styling Sources
- Coffee Table
- Rattan Tray
- Rustic Vase
- Faux Chrysanthemums
- Faux Book Boxes
- The stone pumpkin is from the Dollar Store (seriously!)
- The candle is a few years old from the Hearth and Hand line at Target
I kept it simple enough that it’s really easy to clear off the coffee table, but layered enough to capture that cozy, Nancy Meyers mood. If you want to shop all of my inspiration, just click here to see a ton of coffee table styling ideas to get you started.