Coffee table styling fails for one of two reasons: too much symmetry, or too little intention. The trick is to build in layers, then take one thing away.
1. Start with the largest surface
Lay the biggest book flat as your base. A linen-textured book box works well here because the surface has enough texture to read as an object rather than a rectangle.
2. Stack in odd numbers
Two or three pieces, largest at the bottom, spines alternating direction. Colour should step down gently rather than jump.
3. Add one thing with height
A small vase, a taper, a sculptural object. Height breaks the flatness and gives the eye somewhere to travel.
4. Let colour do the work
One saturated spine is often enough in a neutral room. Sunny against oatmeal linen, or Oceanic against pale oak, gives a room its accent without a repaint.
5. Leave room to live
Keep a third of the table clear. A styled surface that cannot hold a coffee cup is a display, not a home.