The Easy Coffee Table Styling Trick I Learned from Sarah Sherman Samuel

Design by Emily Henderson Design ; Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp

It was clear that interior designer Sarah Sherman Samuel and I were both nervous, but we were nevertheless trying to smile through it. We were at an event space in Los Angeles to celebrate the launch of her newest collection, and it was about an hour before the party was about to start. I was asked to interview her for a reel about the work that went into the project, and we were apprehensively waiting to be filmed in front of a production team. 

So, as they set up, I asked her if she wanted to shake off our shared jitters with a quick stroll around the event space — maybe tinkering with where things were placed would help us. We talked about the party we met at a couple of years before, how her move to Michigan was going, and who was planning on showing up that day. Then, as we pushed a stack of books and a vase of flowers around a coffee table in a cozy area resembling a living room, she looked down and slightly shook her head. “No, that’s not quite right,” she said. “Here, let’s do this.”

She took the biggest book on the table and just…opened it. Suddenly the stack of books, the vase of flowers, and the opened pages formed a complete set, and it looked instantly inviting. “I always like to open a book on a coffee table, to make it look more casual,” Sarah said. “Just in case someone is more comfortable sitting down to read for a bit.”

It’s a simple yet transformative styling trick, and also happens to be a saving grace for more reserved partygoers. Of course, it’s no wonder that Sarah would have a stylish tip to share on the fly.

Which coffee table books do you have displayed in your home? Let me know in the comments!