6. The Home Edit 7. Down to Earth 8. The Intangible 9. Creating Home 10. Homebody
11. This is Home 12. Eat, Drink, Nap 13. Pacific Natural 14. Habitat 15. Dream Spaces
It’s probably pretty clear by now that I have a passion for interior design, and hands down my favorite part of design is styling. Give me a good set of shelves and I can spend hours playing around and styling them fifty different ways. And with my love of styling has come a love of coffee table books. I’m a sucker for functional decor, and coffee table books are just that. They’re great for anchoring smaller decorative objects and creating a cohesive look, but they’re also perfect to thumb through while re-watching The Office for the 17th time. Since I’m always finding new ways to use coffee table books in my home, I thought I’d put together a list of some of my favorites. Keep reading for a list of the best coffee table books for styling your home!
Disclaimer: I own several of the books in this roundup, but not all of them. I’m not made of money! However, I’ve curated this list over several months and they all come highly recommended. If you want a preview of any of these books, I encourage you to check them out on Amazon – you can see a 10 page preview of most of them which should give you a sense of whether you’ll enjoy them. And if you’re looking for a guide on how to style coffee table books, check out my tips for styling a coffee table!
For the Love of White by Chrissie Rucker
I got this coffee table book for Christmas and it might just be my favorite of the bunch. It’s filled with stunning photographs of beautiful neutral homes. The gorgeous cover makes it an even better find! I recently saw a tip on one of the blogs I read regularly that most hardcover books look even better without their covers and WOW, it is a game-changer. This book is no exception – the cover underneath the jacket is such a pretty fabric and makes it a great styling piece.
The Kinfolk Home by Nathan Williams
This book has been recommended by countless designers I follow and has lots of cool little features on designers’ homes and styles. The spine is simple and understated, which makes it perfect for styling on a coffee table or some shelves.
Live Beautiful by Athena Calderone
I was sold on this one by the cover image alone – I’m seriously drooling over that kitchen (the windows! the counters! the gorgeous cabinet fixtures! I could go on). The designs in this book are modern with a European feel and flow together beautifully.
Travel Home by Caitlin Flemming
This book reads like a home magazine, but better. I love that the homes featured are so different from my personal style – they’re bold and high contrast and make for some stunning pictures. The added element of the influence of travel on our homes makes it a great addition to any home.
Abode: Thoughtful Living with Less by Sierra Mitnik-Miller
There’s no denying that minimalism is more popular than ever right now. There’s a reason that everyone flipped for Marie Kondo’s Netflix show – “living with less” is the trendy thing to do, and it’s not the worst thing. Abode provides readers with a thoughtful guide to paring down belongings and getting rid of the things in your home that aren’t serving you. As an added bonus, check out the Amazon customer photos – underneath the jacket you’ll find a gorgeous and simple cover perfect for styling.
The Home Edit by Clea Shearer & Joanna Teplin
The Home Edit is the most useful coffee table book of all time. While other coffee table books are mostly made up of pretty photographs, this book is full of helpful tips for creating a more organized home. Clea & Joanna are hilarious and have the best organizing ideas. This one is a must read!
Down to Earth: Laid-back Interiors for Modern Living by Lauren Liess
Down to Earth is basically a look inside my dream mountain home. The designs are heavily nature-inspired and cozy – they make me feel like I’m spending the weekend at a lakeside cabin. The multitude of earth tones and greenery isn’t what I’d normally use in my decor, but the designs are gorgeous and make this book a great quick read. Take a look at the customer photos, too – the neutral and pretty spine makes this a solid pick for styling.
The Intangible by Kerry Joyce
If I’m being honest, the outside of this book is what sold me on it. I LOVE the textured cover and the neutral pattern makes it a decorative object all on its own. It’s definitely the priciest book on this list, but the photographs are amazing and the designs look like they belong in a museum.
Creating Home: Designing for a Living by Keith Summerour
Focused on design and architecture, this book features classic Southern interiors and comes highly recommended. The exterior photos in particular are incredible and the photos in general throughout are top notch.
Homebody by Joanna Gaines
Probably the most popular book on this list, Homebody is a great book chock-full of inspiring home photos and vignettes. Like most people, I really love Joanna’s laid-back style and this book has tons of tips for finding your personal style and making your home a place you love.
This is Home: The Art of Simple Living by Natalie Walton
This is Home proves that minimalism and neutral decor don’t have to be boring. The clutter-free and thoughtful decor is beautiful and I love that it emphasizes the idea of creating a home you love without spending a fortune.
Eat, Drink, Nap by Soho House
I follow a lot of bloggers in the Chicago area, so I couldn’t leave a book by Soho House off of this list. If you haven’t seen photos of the Soho House location in Chicago, look it up now – it’s stunning. This book from Soho House is the perfect coffee table book – it combines recipes, cocktail ideas, tips, and home decor into a well-rounded lifestyle guide.
Pacific Natural by Jenni Kayne
Pacific Natural is definitely at the top of my wish list. It’s basically like my creative inspiration Pinterest board came to life. The photography is so incredible and it’s filled with helpful entertaining tips, with everything from how to make the perfect cheese board to floral arranging tips. None of us can exactly entertain right now so this book is a welcome escape!
Habitat: The Field Guide to Decorating by Lauren Liess
Lauren Liess nailed it with this one. Habitat has everything I’m looking for in a design book: crisp photos of beautiful homes, concrete tips and ideas for how to create a home you love, and a classic linen cover that makes it look like a piece of art. The spaces in this book don’t just look like houses – they look like homes that I’d actually like to live in.
Dream Spaces by Victoria Hagan
I’ve been obsessing over this book for months, but the cost is a little more than I wanted to spend on a coffee table book. So I was thrilled to say the least when I spotted a copy in great condition at a used bookstore when visiting my friend in Richmond last month. I’m so happy I ended up buying it! It’s HUGE and the pages are filled with inspiring designs in a variety of styles.
I’m always on the hunt for some pretty new coffee table books. If I missed any of your favorites, give me your recommendations in the comments!
