Beyond The Coffee Table Book

What is the purpose of the coffee table book? It can’t merely be there solely as a decoration. Books provide so much more than decor, they can serve as a form of inspiration and conversation. Similar to artwork, your books say so much about your personality. The coffee table book is a brilliant ice breaker, a great way to start a conversation with your guests. They are a way to share ideas and discover common interests. They also make great affordable collectibles for any home decor. Sadly because of online resources they sometimes get forgotten.

Our design team wanted to share our own favourite books. Whether you have a passing interest in design, or are a diehard enthusiast, these books are sure to inspire your creativity.

For the Interior Design & Home Decor Lover

1. Make Life Beautiful. Confidence in your craft is built by learning from one experience at a time. Now you can sharpen your skills, focus on your goals, and achieve your dreams with the inspirational, behind-the-scenes story of Syd and Shea McGee, the stars of the new Netflix series Dream Home Makeover. 
2. In Homebody: A Guide to Creating Spaces You Never Want to Leave, Joanna Gaines walks you through how to create a home that reflects the personalities and stories of the people who live there. Using examples from her own farmhouse as well as a range of other homes, this comprehensive guide will help you assess your priorities and instincts, as well as your likes and dislikes, with practical steps for navigating and embracing your authentic design style.
3. 100 Interiors Around the World. Making stops in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia, this edition rounds up some of today’s most exceptional and inspiring interiors across six continents. 

For the Home Organizer

1. Joshua Becker, author of The Minimalist Home, is one of today’s most influential minimalist advocates takes us on a decluttering tour of our own houses and apartments, showing us how to decide what to get rid of, and what to keep. He both offers practical guidelines for simplifying our lifestyle at home, and addresses underlying issues that contribute to over-accumulation in the first place.
2. From the home organizers who made their orderly eye candy the method that everyone swears by, comes Joanna and Clea’s signature approach to decluttering. The Home Edit walks you through paring down your belongings in every room, arranging them in a stunning and easy-to-find way (hello, labels!), and maintaining the system so you don’t need another do-over in six months. 
3. In Beautifully Organized: A Guide to Function and Style in Your Home, Nikki Boyd shares her best advice for how to create an organized, beautiful, and welcoming home. Nikki teaches you to: Assess, Declutter, Clean, Organize, and Beautify.

For the House Plant Lover

1. In Wild at Home, take a tour through Hilton’s own apartment and other lush spaces filled with a huge array of thriving plants, and learn all you need to know to create your own urban jungle.
2. In Decorating with Plants, Baylor Chapman walks readers through everything they need to know to bring houseplants into their home, Plant Care 101, her favourite specimens, and a guide through the home.
3. In Wild Interiors, bestselling author Hilton Carter brings his unique eye and love of plants to show you how to create luscious interiors that not only look amazing but are good for your well-being.

For the Architecture Enthusiast

1. Zaha Hadid was firmly established among architecture’s finest elite, working on projects in Europe, China, the Middle East, and the United States. She was the first female architect to win both the Pritzker Prize for architecture, and the prestigious RIBA Royal Gold Medal with her long-time Partner Patrik Schumacher, now the leader of Zaha Hadid Architects and in charge of many new projects.
2. Architectural Digest at 100 celebrates the best from the pages of the international design authority. The editors have delved into the archives and culled years of rich material covering a range of subjects.
3. Homes for our Time. Across small cottages and lavish villas, beach houses and forest refuges, discover the world’s finest crop of new homes. This cutting-edge global digest features such talents as Shigeru Ban and Marcio Kogan alongside up-and-coming names like Aires Mateus, Xu Fu-Min, Vo Trong Nghia, Desai Chia, and Shunri Nishizawa.

Styling Tips

Once you have added to your collection, you can use the following tips to style those coffee table books.

• When incorporating books to your coffee table stack 2-3 books. This is a great way to break up all your decor and avoid it looking crowded. When stacking, be sure to stack them by size with the largest book at the bottom.
• For large tables use multiple stacks of books and put different accessories on top of each to give it a unified look.
• Take colour cues from the rest of the decor in your space. Pull a colour from your pillows or rug and use the same shade or something richer to make the colours pop more.
• Add some fresh flowers, or greenery such as cactus, succulents, or branches. It relaxes the harsh lines of the books and makes the space feel more organic and less staged.
• Add decorative objects such as vases, candle holders, or sculptural objects on top of your stack of books for a personal touch. This will allow your surface a more dynamic and interesting feel but also create height.

Share with us some of your favourite coffee table books by leaving a comment below.