13 COFFEE TABLE BOOKS
BY EMILY FARAONE
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As we are spending more time at home, I’m noticing the things around me a little deeper. We recently bought an additional bookshelf for our home and have been shifting books around and restyling our shelving. We have SO many books! Styling our shelves takes longer and longer as I stop to flip through our book collection, especially our coffee table books. I am challenged to somehow display all our coffee table books to ensure they are seen and getting appreciated… way trickier than you think! This got me thinking… what makes a book a “coffee table book?”

Well, according to Oxford, a coffee table book is “a large, expensive, lavishly illustrated book, intended especially for casual reading.” I have to say this definition made me smile a bit… a little over the top?
I frequently return to my coffee table books and flip through them with a fresh eye. I’m inspired by aspects I hadn’t noticed before. One of my favorites that are currently featured in our home is Surf Shack: Laid-Back Living by the Water. We don’t exactly live by the water, but I love adding elements of that “laid-back” lifestyle into our city apartment. There is a freshness, but also a lived-in feel that is balanced perfectly in those spaces.

It is important to surround ourselves with elements of inspiration and coffee table books are one of my favorite ways to do so. These books have become my go-to presents as they give knowledge, beauty, decor, and sentiment. Challenge yourself to surround yourself more with these books— in a variety of subjects. Surprisingly, as a designer, I try to limit the amount of interior design-focused coffee table books. There is something more analytical about finding inspiration from different fields and bringing them into your own.
We have compiled some coffee table books to inspire you. Maybe a gift for someone? Mother’s Day is near…
- Surf Shack: Laid-Back Living by the Water by Nina Freudenberger
- In the Company of Women by Grace Bonney
- Homebody: A Guide to Creating Spaces You Never Want to Leave by Joanna Gaines
- Gray Malin: Italy by Gray Malin I have given this one to my mom as a gift!
- The Stylish Life: Skiing by Gabrielle le Breton
- Wanderlust: A Hiker’s Companion by Gestalten and Cam Honan
- The Wes Anderson Collection: The Grand Budapest Hotel by Matt Zoller Seitz
- Animal Kingdom: A Collection of Portraits by Randal Ford
- Dreamscapes: Inspiration and Beauty in Gardens Near and Far by Claire Takacs
- Prada Catwalk: The Complete Collections by Susannah Frankel
- Botanical Baking: Contemporary Baking and Cake Decorating with Edible Flowers and Herbs by Juliet Sear
- Slim Aarons: Women by Slim Aarons and Laura Hawk
- The Man Behind the Maps by Ben Farrow, Jason Blevins, and Todd Bennett
Dreamscapes The Wes Anderson Collection: The Grand Budapest Hotel Homebody: A Guide to Creating Spaces You Never Want to Leave The Man Behind the Maps Animal Kingdom: A Collection of Portraits Prada Catwalk: The Complete Collections Slim Aarons: Women

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