Are you familiar with the glass-topped genre of coffee table? Oh, it's a fun one. Fingerprints and smudges galore, plus the added thrill of never knowing if an enthusiastic preschooler is going to smash the whole thing to bits during a block project.

Possibly the easiest update ever: revamping a glass-topped coffee table with pretty paper.

Ah. There she is. When we first moved in to this furnished space, I was pondering whether there was a way to cover or redo the blond(e?) wood desk that also lives in this room. While I wondered if it was worth it to cut a piece of plexi to cover the top, I was staring at the dark, empty expanse of the coffee table before me. And then, as they say, it hit me.

I've been playing around with different options under the glass just for fun, to see how it changes the look of the rest of the room, and to see which hides the aforementioned fingerprints best. Wanna peek?

1. Gold Faux Bois Coffee Table

The first look we went with was a strip of white and gold wood patterned wrapping paper. The paper is a longtime favorite - I used it to cover all the file boxes in my dad's office and to back an entertainment center in my parents' living room (pictures soon!) before snagging some for myself. That was months ago, but I've seen it recently at HomeGoods for about $3 per roll. Though I thought the gold ended up feeling a bit more formal than what I was going for, the lighter surface instantly brightened the room.

2. Faux Marble-Topped Coffee Table

Marble contact paper to spruce up a glass-topped coffee table.

Marble is all the rage. I've seen people use marbleized contact paper in cool ways, including on, wait for it, coffee tables. So when I spied a roll of faux marble contact paper for $1.19 at the dollar store, I scooped it up. I think it looks neat - a bit cooler and more masculine than is my wont, but neat nonetheless. And though this mini roll didn't quite cover the whole table, I still like the effect. There are lots of marble contact paper and marbleized paper options out there -- I think it could be really fun to experiment. Plus, I think it's weirdly believable -- you're not at all surprised to see a marble swath here, which is maybe different from the next look: Stripes.

3. Striped Coffee Table

Striped wrapping paper livens up a coffee table.

I wasn't as crazy about the stripes as I thought I'd be (what else is new), but I still prefer them to the naked table. The lighter surface is still a win, and I love stripes. This is some unabashed stripey-ness, and looking at it now, it reads sort of cozy chic library to me. No, I have no idea where I come up with this stuff. The stripes are from a $3 roll of wrapping paper from TJ Maxx.

5. Map Coffee Table

Line a glass-topped coffee table with a map.

You may remember this $20 Kate's Paperie map of New Jersey from the Pottery Barn-Inspired bedroom look we tried out in our master bedroom. It's been looking for a new home, and I think it finds one as a coffee table. I would like it to be perfectly sized, but life doesn't usually work that way. I like the mellow but still high-contrast black and cream of this print, but I am wondering what a more colorful map might look like. Or colorful print at all, for that matter - I seem to have stuck to a pretty neutral pallet throughout this process. But this was easy and fun, and I have an almost limitless supply of paper and fabric, so I'm likely to keep it up. I'll let you know if I land on some good'uns.

Have you done anything unexpected with a table near you? Do share. And thanks as always for reading!