In addition to using the standard formatting tools, Word provides a style gallery that will allow you to apply pre-selected formats and colour schemes to a table. Using the Design tab, you can apply an existing style to a table, and customise it to suit your needs. 

Once you have constructed a table, you may apply Table Style Options to change the appearance of your table. Header Row enables or disables formatting options for the first row in the table. This is helpful if you want your column headings to stand out from the other cells in your table. Total Row enables or disables special formatting for the last row in a table. If your table includes numbers or calculations, you may find this option useful. Banded Rows applies alternating background shadings to even and odd rows in the table. This is helpful if your table is large or contains mostly numbers.

First Column enables or disables special formatting options for the first column in a table. This is helpful if you want to make your row headings stand out.  Last Column enables or disables special formatting options for the last column in a table. This is helpful if you have line totals that you want to emphasize.  Banded Columns applies alternating formatting styles to even and odd columns. This is helpful if you want to create visual separations between your columns.

Use the Table Styles pane to locate a style you want to apply to your table. Once you have chosen a style, select the tables you want to format and choose Design > Shading to select a background colour for the table cells.

By default, Word applies 1-point plain borders to each cell in the table using the default colour, usually black. You may select a different border style using the Design > Borders option.

Using a combination of design styles, you can customise any table and give it a clean, professional look.