The one kind of book we always judge by its cover is the coffee table book! You can tell a lot about a person based on what books they have on their coffee tables. We don’t want you to get judged, just envied!
Coffee table books are all the rage. Whether you’re getting one for a housewarming gift, a wedding gift, or even a light read for yourself — we have you covered! With hundreds of beautiful titles to choose from, coffee table books are one of the best ways to dress up a room and give any guest something to browse through as they lounge in your living room.
Here are the best coffee table books to add to your home!
Books About Botany
On Flowers
This book is a wonderful way to add a pop of bold color into any room. The book shares the secrets of flower arranging — something that many people want to learn about. But this book is also wonderful if you want to keep it open on the table. The pages contain an exquisite blend of professionally photographed flowers and charming illustrations. On Flowers is the perfect addition to your coffee table and your botanist mind!
Wild Interiors: Beautiful Plants in Beautiful Spaces
Calling all plant lovers! This book is your new best friend. Hilton Carter is a plant stylist and a plant father himself. In his book, he not only teaches his readers how to grow and cultivate their plants, but also how to style them. Carter discusses all the ways one can elevate their home with plants, whether it be a tiny cottage in Italy, a loft apartment in New York, or a townhome in Connecticut. This is the perfect book for any coffee table.
The Kinfolk Garden
John Burns, the editor of Kinfolk Magazine, writes a beautiful book about the ideas of nature as nourishment. This coffee table book discusses all you need to know about a garden, from how to keep it alive to how gardening can benefit the people around us. It’s peppered with practical tips on how to grow your own garden and create life all around you. This book is wonderful for you or your gardening friends!
Books About Travel
Ibiza Bohemia
This book might be one of the most uniquely designed travel books. Ibiza Bohemia showcases the beautiful island of Ibiza. The book shows off the many activities people can do on the island as well as the peaceful yoga retreats that the island hosts. This book is wonderful for all the world travelers who visit your home and will love flipping through this.
Los Angeles, Portrait of a City
For those of us who adore all things LA, this book has you covered. The book showcases photos of the well-known city, from the first picture ever taken of the city to the most recent photographs snapped on its streets. You can follow LA as it grew from the early days of Hollywood to now. The book showcases momentous events like the Olympics, Bobby Kennedy’s assassination, riots, and more. It also documents the millions of celebrities, artists, gangs, food, and other phenomena unique to Los Angeles.
Wabi-Sabi Welcome
Wabi-Sabi is the new (or old) Hygge. Wabi-Sabi is all about making everyone who enters your home feel welcomed and taken care of. The idea is perfectly executed in this coffee table book that exudes coziness. Author Julie Pointer Adams showcases beautiful Wabi-Sabi-inspired homes all across the globe. From Denmark to California, Germany, and Japan, this book will scratch your travel and home decor itch all in one! It does a wonderful job of explaining different cultures, gathering recipes from around the world, giving global traveling tips, and teaching you how to maintain a welcoming environment in everything you do.
Palm Beach by Assouline
If you’ve never heard of Assouline books, get ready. This brand makes the most beautiful books that you have to start your own collection of. The company sells millions of books, but Palm Beach stood out most to me. The book is told through longtime resident of Palm Beach, Aerin Lauder’s perspective. It goes through the town and visits the best restaurants, houses, shopping, and scenery. You’ll be ready to move there after you flip through these pages.
Books About Home Decor
Design the Home You Love: Practical Styling Advice to Make the Most of Your Space
Rachel Zoe to Bobby Berk adore this book for all their styling needs. The book is written by Havenly founders Lee Mayer and Emily Motayed, who work together to discuss all the unique ways one can design and decorate their home. It takes you step by step and room by room, all while giving you wonderful visuals and color palettes on every single page. We would suggest this book to anyone who is constantly rearranging their furniture or those who might need some inspiration.
Monochrome Home
Hilary Roberston is a highly sought-after interior stylist who shares all her secrets in this book. The book features one of today’s trendiest decor color schemes — the monochrome. Robertson shows how decorating in black and white can transform your home into an eclectic and dramatic scene. The book explores the many different ways one can experiment with a limited but dynamic color palette.
The Finer Things: Timeless Furniture, Textiles, and Details
Christiane Lemieux delves into all the details of a home that are often overlooked in this book. One of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs, Parsons School of Design and Queen’s University in Canada alum, Lemieux is no stranger to infusing the home with quality and the impact that can have on the home’s ambience and guests. The power of the finer things in life is showcased on every page of this book. Lemieux goes beyond her expertise and calls on experts in every field to help craft a brilliant and informative book.
Architectural Digest at 100: A Century of Style
Are you ready for some real house envy? Architectural Digest has you covered. This book covers the classiest and grandest houses of centuries past and present. Architectural Digest brings its readers into celebrities’ living spaces to give inspiration and styling tips for everyone. The book focuses on the homes of celebrities like David Bowie, the Obamas, Michael Kors, and many more. A stunning addition to your designer collection!
Live Beautiful
Athena Calderone, creator of EyeSwoon, encourages her readers to Live Beautiful. Living a life surrounded by beauty and excellence can only improve and add to your life, and she wants that for all of her readers. This book visits different homes and explores the inspiration behind the homes’ layouts and designs. Calderone then breaks down decor in a way that makes it easy for the reader to recreate in their own homes. This book is perfect to cultivate some design inspiration.
Books About History And Art
Pantone: The Twentieth Century in Color
This book is the perfect blend for the artist and the historian. Pantone looks back on the last 100 years and categorizes the decades by colors. The book is a written collaboration of longtime Pantone color gurus Leatrice Eiseman and Keith Recker. The two have artfully gone through history and matched 80 different Pantone colors to works of art, products, decor, and fashion. This book will literally add some color and beauty into your life!
Slim Aarons: Women
Slim Aarons is one of the most influential photographers of his time (1916-2006) and this book proves it. His photos have been published in many magazines including Town & Country, Life, and Holiday and he has photographed countless stars in his time. This book focuses on the women most influential to his career. It contains over 200 images that showcase powerful women like Jackie Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, and more.
Books About Fashion
Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty
This stunning book talks about one of the most well-known and groundbreaking fashion designers of his generation. Alexander McQueen’s journey is shown from beginning to end throughout these artfully-styled pages that are as immaculate and intricate as his designs. But don’t worry, this book isn’t just about the clothes. It also explores ideas of race, class, sexuality, religion, and the environment. This book is a perfect celebration of Alexander McQueen and his climb to fame through fashion.
Chanel 3-Book Slipcase
This book shows Chanel in three parts because the brilliance of this designer simply cannot be captured in one book. The first book is labeled Chanel Fashion and describes Gabrielle Chanel at the beginning of her fame. The book follows her as she revamps and reinvents the fashion of her time. Chanel Jewelry and Watches follows her journey as she moves onto creating the Chanel Jewelry Creation Studio and specializes in watchmaking. The final book, Chanel Fragrance and Beauty, tells Chanel’s story as she creates her signature fragrance, makeup, and skincare lines. This book is wonderful for all the fashion and beauty lovers in your life and for you!
Little Guide to Style: The Story of Four Iconic Fashion Houses
These books are the perfect little additions to your coffee table! Who says coffee table books need to be big and bulky? These stylish, sleek publications tell the stories of iconic designers Chanel, Dior, Gucci, and Prada. The books capture each designer’s life and the art that they made. This is the perfect book set that any fashion lover would swoon over!
Yves Saint Laurent: Haute Couture Catwalk
This coffee table book tells the beautiful story of Yves Saint Laurent and partner Pierre Berge’s fashion house. The house has seen everything: From the very first tuxedo suit for women, le smoking, to the Van Gogh-inspired embroidery, to the Ballets Russes collection and this book sums it all up in a beautiful “fashion.” The collections are accompanied by short text that explains Yves Saint Laurent’s inspiration and highlights of his fashion career. A perfect companion for the fashion lover!
Books About Food And Drinks
Booze & Vinyl: A Spirited Guide to Great Music and Mixed Drinks
Get ready to mix, drink, and be merry with this new addition to your coffee table! Booze & Vinyl is a perfectly categorized book that allows you to pick a drink based on the mood music you want to vibe to. The cocktails suggested perfectly complement the mood and the songs complement the cocktails through their imagery, lyrics, or colors of albums. The book features 70 classic albums and wonderful cocktails to pair them with! It’s perfect for you and your music-loving, booze-drinking friend!
The Breakfast Bible: 100+ Favorite Recipes to Start the Day
Never neglect the most important meal of the day again! Whether you strictly drink black coffee or make homemade pancakes every morning, this book will inspire you to wake up to the best meal ever. The recipes are accompanied by beautiful pictures of each dish — they look so good, you won’t want to wait to taste them!
Books About Artists
Monet by Christoph Heinrich
If you’re looking to add to your art collection, this book is perfect for you. Monet’s stylized paintings are flawless captured between the pages of this book. The book is an introduction to Monet’s work and his growth as an artist throughout all of his paintings. The color palette of the book is beautiful, elevated, and calming, just like much of the artist’s work.
Caravaggio. The Complete Works
This book is worth getting just for Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio’s name. The well-known murderer from Italy produced enchantingly beautiful artwork. While his story might not be one to tell to your kids, Caravaggio is considered one of the greatest influences in all of art history. All of his paintings are photographed with the highest quality to capture the vivid colors of the canvases. This book is perfect for art and history lovers alike.
My cart is full and my coffee table is ready to be stocked up! How about you? What book are you adding to your collection? Comment below!
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