1. TOO SMALL/LARGE DECORATIVE ITEMS
Curating a balanced coffee table is all about finding well-proportioned items that don't look underwhelming or overwhelming on your coffee table. Items displayed on your coffee table that are too small, such as petite tea lights on a larger table, can look out of place, whereas items that are too large will leave little room for any negative space.
2. MAIL
It's easy to absent-mindedly leave mail on your coffee table or to think that having it in such a visible spot will force you to get around to sorting through it, but this is almost as bad as leaving trash lying around on your coffee table.
Although your coffee table can be used to keep certain items, these should be decorative and contribute to the overall atmosphere of your living room, which your mail undoubtedly will not do.
3. REMOTE CONTROLS
Although it may be tempting to keep your remote controls on your coffee table, since it is practically the most convenient place to keep them and prevents them from getting lost in the abyss that is your couch cushions, they are an unattractive item that will make your coffee table look disorganized, especially if you have more than one remote control.
4. RANDOM BOOKS AND MAGAZINES
For many, living rooms are the perfect place to curl up with their favorite book or magazine, making coffee tables the default place to store books and magazines, but this should only be done with those that enhance your coffee table display.
Decorating with books and magazines can bring character to your coffee table and is one of the latest coffee table display trends that designers love, but you should be very selective about what makes the cut.
5. EVERYDAY ITEMS
Items that are used on a regular basis, such as office supplies, makeup, cleaning products, glasses, kids' toys, laptops, and earphones, should not be stored on your coffee table.
6. VALUABLE ITEMS
As the center of all living room traffic and a place that is sometimes used as a footrest, it's a safe idea to avoid putting your most valued and delicate items on your coffee table. This doesn't mean you shouldn't display your favorite candle holders and vases on your coffee table, but keep in mind the potential risks of keeping something you feel you could never risk losing on your coffee table.
7. COFFEE MUGS
Despite what the name might suggest, a coffee table should not be used to keep coffee mugs, except when they are currently in use. Again, your coffee table shouldn't be an area of your home where you allow yourself to leave items such as glasses and mugs on until you do a big cleanup at the end of the week. You should only allow the dedicated decorations to remain on your coffee table for longer than a day.