All in the Details: Coffee Table Edition

The other Friday, I had extra time in my schedule in the afternoon. SO, I *finally*A redid my coffee table in my living area – something that I had been meaning to do! I get extremely inspired by Pinterest for ideas on how to decorate my own coffee table as well as some of my favorite fellow influencers and figured: why not give these design ideas that I’ve LOVED a whirl?!

I have recently been watching A LOT of Chelsea Fagan’s The Financial Diet (TFD) and it has become a FAVORITE of mine (!!) on YouTube and one of the quotes that really stood out to me when she interviewed a well-known interior designer was on the lines of the fact that designers get inspired by those around them – they don’t just whip things up on a whim. As someone who LOVES interior design and prefers to design my own space herself, this interior designer’s quote REALLY stood out to me and rang true to myself. At the same time, I find SO MUCH inspiration from simply ordinary, everyday people on my social media feeds, rather than my favorite celebrities (but, yes, there is something VERY inspiring about the interior design done by Martha Stewart, Rae Drummond aka The Pioneer Woman, and a Washington, DC classic The White House done by United States First Ladies). Not to mention, there is ALWAYS inspiration to be found in stunning hotels such as The Greenbrier in Sulphur Springs, West Virginia (which I aspire to stay at/visit someday!); The Willard Intercontinental Hotel in Washington, DC; The Colony in West Palm Beach, Florida (which I also aspire to stay at/visit someday!); and many other iconically designed hotels/resorts. BUT, I find everyday lifestyle and home decor to be the most aspirational and attainable both financially and practically speaking to myself and most other people, which is why I find it to be super inspirational and applicable to my lifestyle and home. For example, I dog sit for my Mom’s friend Ms. Gwyn who has a beautiful preppy and coastal, New England-inspired style home nearby my own. Ms. Gwyn has DIY-ed a lot of her home’s aspects and discovered many charming thrifted antique pieces and/or pieces from her own travels, including many summers to Cape Cod in Massachusetts. Ms. Gwyn’s home interiors are super inspirational to me and fits the mold of what makes her her in a gorgeous, unique way beautifully. At the same time, Ms. Gwyn’s home’s interior design is much more attainable and affordable to others.

One of the key things to do when redecorating your home is to simply use what you have, as opposed to buying brand-new things. At the same time, shopping secondhand is ALSO a unique way to find some charming, high-quality pieces that can be used in your home for years to come. I chose to do both of these things when redoing my coffee table. Monthly, I go on a thrift store run, as thrifting is one of my newfound favorite hobbies. I mean, who doesn’t LOVE finding Lilly Pulitzer or J Crew or practically any other name brand item for under $15?! And, on my June thrift store run, I came across two gorgeous petal platters for $7 each from Arhaus – a name brand home store – along with some new books that I found of interest for under $10 when combined. I ended up falling in love with these two bowls, and, $14 later, I had a basis for a fresh and new coffee table redo! So, books and platters in-hand, using the basket tray and wooden-inspired balls that were originally on the tray, I grabbed a few pieces that I had laying around my home without a place to calls its own for more memories to be made.

Besides the books and platters from my most recent thrift store haul, the items that I used in my coffee table were all already at my home. They include: a woven round tray with handles and the wooden/beaded decoration balls that were in the tray, a woven turkey that I had thrifted earlier this year, Thompson family crystal from my Dad’s side, a coaster that I was gifted from my Aunt Bell from her family’s trip to Israel when they went in 2010, a Kate Spade Home deco-dotted tea plate, a Dollar Tray heart platter, and *of course* A LOT of books! Needless to say, it only costed me $20 to put together a redo of my coffee table, making it unique, accessible, and welcoming to others and myself.

While I am only sharing the up and close details of this coffee table update of mine, I did have a lot of fun taking 30 minutes to make it happen. I don’t know about y’all, but I LOVE and always feel more fresh and ready to conquer the world or sleep while watching Jeopardy when I have an updated space!

XOXO – Katie <3

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How I Save on Coffee Table Books!

A quick search on Amazon will show that most coffee table books cost around $20 upwards of $100 or even more. While pretty and excellent for decoration, coffee table books come at a hefty price tag. On my Instagram (follow me @_thepinkchickadee!), I recently shared photos of my coffee table, which includes several gorgeous books. The best part?! It did not cost me even a mere $50 to top off my coffee table!

*Disclaimer: Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase through one of my links, then I will receive a small commission. This commission is at no extra cost to you. Additionally, this post is not sponsored, and all opinions are my own.*

Back in October, I purchased a few new furniture items, including my gorgeous gold and clear glass coffee table. As a recent college graduate, it is hard to buy new furniture when initially starting out. SO, it was finally about time that I get a new and gorgeous coffee table which I can have for years to come. I knew that when I purchased my coffee table that I wanted to add some beautiful coffee table books to deck it out. Pinterest has inspired me to deck it out gorgeously, too!! Shop my coffee table here: https://rstyle.me/+6UqQUnBia1u2H_Ax-E29mg

Thrift stores – This is the NUMBER 1 place that I have looked for coffee table books! While it is hit or miss as to what you will find on any given day (I like to see it as a treasure hunt!!), the prices of any given book at a thrift store can be as cheap as a couple of coins. There are so many unique finds and gems, too. In addition to a few books, I also got a gorgeous straw weave lidded basket and a rattan tray (both for under $5 each!) to add some more gorgeous decorations to my coffee table. My biggest piece of advice with thrifting is to be as open as possible when going, as you NEVER KNOW what you will find.

Use old books and magazines – We ALL probably have a few books or magazines that we saved from year’s past. Whether it be in storage, a childhood bedroom, or just sitting on a book shelf, some of those old books and magazines can look gorgeous on a coffee table whatever the vibe of it may be that you’re going for. Case in point: I had an old book on late fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld that is currently on my coffee table, the same goes for an old copy of Vogue magazine. Additionally, I used a scrapbook of mine from Kate Spade that looks like a book to top my coffee table off, too!

Travel souvenirs – Surprisingly so, I had found that little books on big places that I have visited come at a rather tiny price tag and bring special memories to any coffee table. I have a magazine which I purchased for 1 Euro at the Gucci Garden in Florence sitting on mine. The same exact stack as the Gucci Garden magazine also contains a program from when I saw Wicked at London’s West End. I also have a mini book from my trip Paris sitting on my rattan shelf in my living area. Needless to say, books, programs, and magazines from our travels can bring SO MUCH memories and an even more special meaning to a coffee table at no cost to you.

The Dollar Tree – Surprisingly so, I have seen some pretty great books for only $1.25 at *none other than* The Dollar Tree! The books that The Dollar Tree sells, just like the thrift store are hit or miss, but it’s the luck of the draw. I have found SO MANY cute books at The Dollar Tree and ALWAYS strive to check out the book section when I go. One of my coffee table books on New York Fashion Week is from there! While some books may not be super well-known or mainstream, they can also be super cute and make for a great coffee table addition (or two!).

Browse sites like Target, Amazon, and Walmart or go to Home Goods for deals! – Although Amazon and Target and Walmart carry coffee table books at a rather hefty cost when you add it all up, they can sometimes mark down some adorable books! I usually recommend that purchases be made on these sites ONLY when looking for specific books or when seeing a cute book of interest at a great price. One day, I looked up Reese Witherspoon’s Whiskey in a Teacup *ONLY* to find it on clearance on Target’s website. I’ve also found some super cute Kate Spade books at Home Goods, too, and *just maybe* added one to my coffee table!

I’ve linked some of my coffee table items (that I could find!) below to both give you some inspiration to thrift/search your stash of old books, magazines, and souvenirs and for your shopping pleasure!

XOXO – Katie <3

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