There is no happier moment for me in spring than when all the fruit trees in our yard start blooming!! I love snipping branches to bring into the house, rearranging everything in sight to feature these beauties. While we tend to place larger branches like these on dining tables, kitchen counters and mantels, I thought I’d show you how to style them into your coffee table this year.
Let’s start with the main feature: the branches. Here’s a quick tip: I like to snip branches that have a bit more of an interesting shape to them. See how the one on the left curves a bit? It adds some nice organic flow to the shape of the arrangement. Using a lower, wide vase or pitcher, start arranging, the branches one by one. It’s all about keeping things imperfect, so don’t fuss with it too much! Just leave space for other objects to live under the arrangement. If you have trouble keeping the branches in place, I recommend a large flower frog for the bottom of your pitcher.
Next, we add a few elements – always in an odd number! If you have a smaller coffee table, you could do three of these, rather than five! A round marble tray, and stack of books are always a winning combo! When mixing objects, you want to be conscious of shape (square angles vs round), height (always good to have a variety!), and flow (do the objects invite your eye to move through them all?).
Here, I started with the marble tray as the largest elements. I added pillar candles for a bit of height which helps connect the eye from the tall branches to the lower elements on the table. To balance this ‘heavier’ element on the right, a nice stack of books on the left. Notice how we introduced a new shape here in the rectangles!
Once I had those larger elements, I hunted around the house for some pieces that would work with the palette and style I had started. One of my favorite tricks is to fill a vintage wood bowl with glass beads. (Side note: I have a whole post dedicated to why I love beads as a styling tool!) Here, I chose white with a soft pink to bring out the color of the blossoms! Beads bring such a nice organic movement to the setting.
Lastly, I added the single book. This element took me a few tries (even seasoned stylists have to play around to find the perfect fit!). I wanted another square element here, and didn’t necessarily want another tray. But it looked silly on its own. Considering the book as its own styling surface I added three (always odd!) simple elements to give it its own moment. A tiny vase filled with more blossoms, a matchbook (makes sense with the candles!) and a favorite rock (yes that’s a thing!) in a soft green.
Lastly, I went around and did some final layering. I added more rocks in with the candles, to fill in the tray a bit and also to tie in to the other rock. I topped the stack of books with a vintage brass dish containing seashells and another matchbook. You could also use coasters, or other practical elements here! I like to find boxes or trays that perfectly fit my TV remote, for example.
What do you think about these pieces all together? I can’t wait to recreate another setting like this one as soon as our blossoms pop!
