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Back when I used to decorate, one of my clients said, “I'd like my coffee table to show off my stylish taste”. So guess where I started? With books! In this story, I share what I believe are 10 great coffee table book ideas that show off your stylish taste AND ones you can actually enjoy reading.
Coffee Table Book Ideas
Humans of New York – $18
Now an instant #1 New York Times bestseller, Humans of New York began in the summer of 2010 when photographer Brandon Stanton set out to create a photographic census of New York City. Armed with his camera, he began crisscrossing the city, covering thousands of miles on foot, all in an attempt to capture New Yorkers and their stories. Click here to order.
Chanel: The Vocabulary of Style – $65
Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chanel (1883-1971) was undoubtedly the most influential fashion designer of the 20th century. Her clothes and accessories have remained perennially chic, and her legendary fashion house continues to exert a powerful sway over today's designers. Click here to order.
In the Company of Women: Inspiration and Advice From over 100 Makers, Artists, and Entrepreneurs – $18
Across the globe, women are embracing the entrepreneurial spirit and starting creative businesses. In the Company of Women profiles over 100 of these influential and creative women from all ages, races, backgrounds, and industries. Chock-full of practical, inspirational advice for those looking to forge their own paths, these interviews detail the keys to success (for example, going with your gut; maintaining meaningful and lasting relationships), highlight the importance of everyday rituals (meditating; creating a daily to-do list), and dispense advice for the next generation of women entrepreneurs and makers (stay true to what you believe in; have patience). Click here to order.
TOM FORD – $97
Tom Ford has become one of fashion's great icons. In the past decade, he transformed Gucci from a moribund accessories label into one of the sexiest fashion brands in the world. His designs have increased sales at Gucci tenfold and have helped build the Gucci brand into the luxury goods conglomerate that it is today. Click here to order.
Styled: Secrets for Arranging Rooms, from Tabletops to Bookshelves – $23
It’s easy to find your own style confidence once you know this secret: While decorating can take months and tons of money, styling often takes just minutes. Even a few little tweaks can transform the way your room feels. At the heart of Styled are Emily Henderson’s ten easy steps to styling any space.
Click here to order.
Louis Vuitton: The Birth of Modern Luxury – $97
When Louis Vuitton: The Birth of Modern Luxury was published in 2004, the book was the first to describe the dramatic rise of the world’s finest luxury company. Written with full access to the company’s archives, it demonstrates Louis Vuitton’s passion for fine design with a stunning array of archival art, product designs, and cutting-edge advertising. Click here to order.
Bad Girls Throughout History: 100 Remarkable Women Who Changed the World – $16
Aphra Behn, first female professional writer. Sojourner Truth, activist, and abolitionist. Ada Lovelace, first computer programmer. Marie Curie, the first woman to win the Nobel Prize. Joan Jett, godmother of punk. The 100 revolutionary women highlighted in this gorgeously illustrated book were bad in the best sense of the word: they challenged the status quo and changed the rules for all who followed. From pirates to artists, warriors, daredevils, scientists, activists, and spies, the accomplishments of these incredible women vary as much as the eras and places in which they affected change.
Click here to order.
Paris In Color – $12
Take a journey through the world's most romantic city, traveling from color to magnificent color with this beguiling book. An orange café chair, bright blue bicycles against a fence, a weathered white door—Nichole Robertson's sumptuous photographs of the distinctive details of Paris, all arranged by color, evoke a sense of serendipitous discovery and celebrate the city as never before. Click here to order.
Living with Pattern: Color, Texture, and Print at Home – $22
Pattern is the strongest element in any room. In Living with Pattern, Rebecca Atwood demystifies how to use that element, a design concept that often confounds and confuses, demonstrating how to seamlessly mix and layer prints throughout a house. She covers pattern usage you probably already have, such as on your duvet cover or in the living room rug, and she also reveals the unexpected places you might not have thought to add it: bathroom tiles, an arrangement of book spines in a reading nook, or windowpane gridding in your entryway. Click here to order.
Simplicity – $37
Interior designer Nancy Braithwaite’s long-awaited first book is a striking tutorial in the power of simplicity in design. In the world of interior design, Nancy Braithwaite is known for her single-minded devotion to the principle that has guided her work for more than forty years: simplicity. Braithwaite’s work is luxuriously minimalist, its beauty inextricably tied to its Shaker-like purity. Click here to order.
Black and White (and a Bit in Between): Timeless Interiors, Dramatic Accents, and Stylish Collections – $36
In Black and White (and a Bit in Between), acclaimed interior designer Celerie Kemble trades in her signature vivid palette for this iconic aesthetic, highlighting the black and white work of design stars and peers, including Bunny Williams, Thomas O’Brien, Mary McDonald, Victoria Hagan, Mark Hampton, Delphine Krakoff, Brad Ford, Philip Gorrivan, Carrier and Co., and Miles Redd, and welcoming you into more than 100 spaces in every imaginable aesthetic. Click here to order.
You may also like: Large Wall Art Ideas Under $100
I hope this blog post about coffee table book ideas gave you a good place to start. Which table book are you drawn to? Let us know in the comments below.
Be Well,
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