At the heart of any beautiful home, you’ll find the iconic coffee table stacked up with aesthetically pleasing books. Whether your passion is travel, fashion, cookery, or simple useful knowledge about the world, there’s a coffee table book out there for you. There are so many books on niches that will make an interesting addition to any home. Of course, all the best coffee table books will have beautiful covers that make you want to open the books and read. They’re perfect for decorating your home, or simply as a great gift for a friend or family member as the perfect keepsake. Whatever your aesthetic, here’s my guide to the best coffee table books to buy for your home.
Interiors: The Greatest Rooms of the Century (Phaidon Editors)
Finished with an elegant grey velvet colour that’s as opulent as its contents, Interiors: The Greatest Rooms of the Century is one of the best coffee table books for you to buy. It’s a beautiful collection of interiors designed and directed by the world’s most influential designers. There are 400 stunning rooms, which incorporate the homes of architects, fashion designers, icons, and celebrities. Personal favourites include Frida Khalo’s home and Christan Dior’s incredible drawing room in his French chateaux. You can explore gorgeous townhouses, penthouses, and beach houses among others from across the world. It’s the perfect coffee table book for anyone who lives interior design and making homes beautiful.
The Bucket List: 1000 Adventures Big and Small (Kath Stathers)
No matter what your age, there’s an adventure out there for everyone in this awesome coffee table book. Get all the inspiration you need for a lifetime of adventures, all over the world. Whether you’re into sports, the great outdoors, cooking, or travelling, there’s an adventure for you. Each of the bucket list activities in the book are based around a specific location in the world. This means your inspiration could stretch from flying in Sri Lanka to sketching a beautiful Kenyan sunset. One of the best coffee table books for all jet setters out there, it also covers ticking off some smaller adventures. Try your hand at crafting pottery, cooking, or even learning a new language. It’s a great way for anyone to enrich their life.
Living in Provence (Barbara & Rene Stoeltie)
We’re not all lucky enough to live in the glamorous region of Provence, but perhaps this gorgeous book is as close as we’ll get. One of the best coffee table books for any Francophile or travel lover, it’s an intimate guide to life in southern France. Living in Provence is a guide to the beautiful interiors and lifestyle of Provence through photography. Whether you want to explore the expansive lavender fields, the delicious food, or the landscape of Provence, this book reveals it all. Live vicariously through this book as you discover the artistic history of Provence, its stunning villages, and the truth behind life in this region of France.
Andy Warhol: The Impossible Collection (Eric Shiner)
For any fan of pop art, Andy Warhol: The Impossible Collection is undoubtedly one of the best coffee table books. With such an iconic plethora of artwork under his belt, the book reveals Warhol’s political thoughts on a commercial and celebrity level. Shiner has compiled 100 works of art that epitomise Warhol, including some classics like the Campbell’s Soup Cans and the Marilyn Diptych. It’s the perfect gift for any Warhol fan, and the kind of book people will want to open when visiting your home. Discover some of Andy Warhol’s lesser known works of art, as well as the deeper meaning behind his incredible collection.
The Monocle Guide to Drinking and Dining (Monocle)
For any appreciator of the finer things in life, this is the coffee table book for you. Enjoy discovering the top places for drinking and eating thanks to this exquisite guide by Monocle. Learn how to host, where to buy the best ingredients for cooking, and all the best tools you need to prepare dishes. The guide also provides a bucket list of the best restaurants from across the world to give you all the travel inspiration you need. You’ll also find a curated selection of delicious recipes to try making at home. The coffee table book is also packed with fun reads like icons’ last ever meal selections, and tips on hosting a winning dinner party.
Pink: The History of a Punk, Pretty, Powerful Color (Valerie Steele)
Pink has never had more of a moment than since the arrival of millennial pink. The best coffee table book for any lovers of the colour, this is a guide to the different meanings and representations of pink and all its shades. Steele, a renowned fashion historian, talks through the importance and symbolism of the colour right from the 1700s through to today. The book explores topics like the gender role of pink to its connotations across the world. In this guide, you’ll discover how pink is interpreted through photography, adverts, and art. It’s the perfect book for anyone who lives fashion, popular culture, and of course, pink.
All-American Ads of the 90s (Stephen Heller)
From the digital boom to grunge music to the rise of nudity in magazines, America pretty much saw it all in the 1990s. This was reflected in its products, and therefore also within its advertising. From games and toys to luxury designer labels, cars, and airlines, this coffee table book covers the best of American ads. With consumption growing more than it ever had before, the book offers insight into American pop culture through advertising. One of the best coffee table books on advertising, it features iconic ads on food, entertainment, and cars from 1990s consumerism.
Leaf Supply: A Guide to Keeping Happy House Plants (Lauren Camilleri)
This is a beautiful book that offers great advice for anyone who loves having plants in their home, but perhaps aren’t so good at keeping them alive. There’s plenty of advice for looking after more than a hundred houseplants to ensure they’re healthy and looking their best. The perfect coffee table book for all plant lovers, all of the guidance is simple to follow and will truly leave you with green fingers. As well as ensuring plant health, Leaf Supply offers tips on matching each plant with appropriate pots. It offers interior decor advice on how to use the most of the space in your home, and ensuring plants are pet friendly too.
The White Company, For the Love of White: The White & Neutral Home (Chrissie Rucker)
No matter what the size of your home, this is the one of the best coffee table books for anyone in love with neutral interiors. For the Love of White covers how to transform your house into a beautiful white and neutral home. Split into three separate sections, the book talks through country, town, and coast. The coffee table book is just as beautiful as its contents, with stunning photography akin to The White Company brand. Explore inspiring homes to get style ideas, and learn how to apply them practically within your very own house.
Nothing Fancy: Unfussy Food for Having People Over (Alison Roman)
Hosting dinner for others can be extremely intimidating, let alone introducing the concept of ‘entertaining’ them. In this wonderful coffee table book, Alison Roman of the New York Times educates us all on how to have people over. She does this beautifully by introducing simple recipes and simple tips that make it seem easy. The photography within the book is almost as beautiful as the recipes themselves. Enjoy over 150 tasty recipes, all of which are relatively simple to source and prepare. No matter whether it’s a couple of friends or a full-on dinner party, it’s the perfect book to help you get ready.
Cereal City Guide: London (Rosa Park; Rich Stapleton)
Anyone familiar with the independent travel magazine, Cereal, will naturally expect some of the best coffee table books. Cereal‘s London guide perfectly depicts the capital city as well as covering the best things to see and do. Inside, you’ll discover beautiful photography of London and gorgeous illustrated maps. There are also dozens of recommendations of shops, attractions, and restaurants to discover. One of the best features of the book is its itinerary for a perfect day of exploring London. The book also has a number of interviews with famous Londoners, from architects to fashion designers from the city.
Pantone: The Twentieth Century in Color (Leatrice Eiseman)
Anyone who loves colour and design will agree this is one of the best coffee table books out there. Pantone, the global authority on colour, takes a bright look through the past hundred years of colour. It explores trends of colour through its usage in art, consumerism, and fashion. One of the best coffee table books on colour, Pantone reveals the trends of the colour palette through the years. Who knew each and every year of the last hundred years has its very own unique shade? Discover how through the years the paler colours took prevalence before an explosion of bright colours closer to the millennium. It’s undoubtedly one of the most colourful books to add to your home.
1000 Record Covers (Michael Ochs)
There’s nothing more rock and roll than an iconic record cover. They symbolise so much for each and every one of us – nostalgia, key issues from love to death, and memories of a particular point in our lives. The perfect coffee table book for all music lovers, this is a beautiful collection of the thousand most iconic record covers. From the artistic covers by Andy Warhol to the most controversial pieces of artwork, this book covers them all. Take a look over the best covers from the 1960s through to the 1990s, across different genres of music. Record covers are a great way to experience hot topics of different times in the world, and this book is a great way to explore that.
Hair (John Barrett)
No matter how stylish or trendy your own hair do, Hair is a wonderful celebration of the various styles and cuts over the years. As well as delivering a fashion statement, hair styles have often been used to communicate identity, rebellion, and glamour. The coffee table book covers some of the world’s most famous hairstyles – from Marilyn Monroe’s curls to the bowl cuts of the Beatles, and beyond. Follow the most iconic hairstyles through the years, from the perruques of the 1700s through to the punk mohawks of the 1980s. The book takes you on a fascinating journey through the hairstyles that have become a prominent part of the world.
Poolside with Slim Aarons (William Norwich)
A pool is perhaps the place most of us wish we would rather be, most of the time. That’s why Poolside with Slim Aarons is one of the best coffee table books to buy. As you can expect, the book is packed with gorgeous photography of the rich and famous enjoying life by the pool. From the most beautiful bodies to the chicest swimwear, to the most glamorous destinations, this book has it all. It’s a great way to peek into the lives of ‘anyone who’s anyone’ across the last few decades. What’s more, you’ll get to enjoy seeing some of the most wonderful destinations in the world, from Mexico to Monaco and beyond. Enjoy your own slice of luxury and glam from the comfort of your very own living room.
That’s my guide to the best coffee table books to buy for your home. Are there any you’d add to the list? Let me know in the comments below.
