Tag: Coffee Tables
A List of Top 10 Coffee Table Books
Wednesday, December 1, 2021 at 2:57pm
While our bookshelves are likely full of half-read novels or others to be read someday, coffee table books are unique in that they also serve as personal statements. They are the PERFECT solution for those looking to spice up their space while stimulating intellectual curiosity. It’s important to remember that these books aren’t for “display only.” They are meant to be read beyond the cover for the purposes of leading conversation, so be sure to choose options and subjects that really excite you. 🤩
Here’s a roundup of the most stylish, interesting (and the most giftable!) coffee table books:
1. New York by New York
New York is a city whose DNA comes from all over the world, a fantastic and unique place belonging to America yet not completely American. Such a strong cultural personality deserves a book, and Martine Assouline introduces this brand new title as “a little tribute to the New York I love.”
Travel through the most important periods of this great city and into all its boroughs, from Manhattan and Brooklyn to the Bronx and Queens to Staten Island with glimpses into its history and the development of its world-renowned skyline. Discover stories from immigration in the early twentieth century to Prohibition in the 1920s to the youth revolution in the sixties. Remember the best moments in Broadway and the discos at Studio 54; dream with F. Scott Fitzgerald, Truman Capote, and Audrey Hepburn or Madonna and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
This volume reveals New York through the expert eyes and iconic images of leading photographers from Edward Steichen to Peter Lindbergh, together with texts and quotes from top writers including E.B. White, Edith Wharton, Tom Wolfe, and Jay Mcinerney. With a slipcase and typography created especially for the occasion, New York by New York provides ration and will be treasured by lovers of this great City for decades to come.
2. The Big Book of Chic
Internationally acclaimed interior design sensation Miles Redd is known for his quirky brand of cozy glamour. His unique aesthetic vision is characterized by playful mélanges of high and low, invigorated with whimsical splashes of color and modern gestures.
Drawing on inspirations ranging from Richard Avedon fashion photographs to Rene Gruau illustrations, Redd has crafted interiors for a wide array of venues.
His trademark approach to design has brought to life rooms infused with boldness, fantasy, and sophistication.
This lavishly illustrated volume will be an inspiration to anyone interested in spirited, eclectic design.
3. Chanel: The Impossible Collection
More than any other designer of her era, Gabrielle Chanel had the ability to predict the evolution of contemporary fashion. Self-inventor extraordinaire, Chanel revolutionized the lifestyle of her time by inventing a modern concept of luxe minimalism, elevating humble fabrics such as jersey and tweed to couture status, giving birth to a new silhouette both sophisticated and discreet, setting her stamp on the twentieth century with her modern spirit of understated luxury.
The house of Chanel represents modern fashion. Under its founder, the style of the modern woman was invented, through the image of Gabrielle Chanel herself. She dressed women to be free, and her emancipated clothes reflected the shifting landscape of society. Her designs fundamentally affected what we wear, and how we wear them. The work of the house under her successor Karl Lagerfeld has transformed fashion anew: He drew the template for a fashion designer reviving a moribund house with elements from its own history. Just as Chanel created modern fashion, Lagerfeld in turn established the blueprint of the modern fashion house. She reshaped the clothes women wear, he reshaped the industry that makes them.
This book is a literary museum exhibition, a curated selection of 100 iconic and signature looks of the house of Chanel, from the timeless Little Black Dress to the impeccably simple tweed suit, the apothecary-style perfume bottle, two-tone pumps, abundant strands of faux pearls, and stones, and diamond-quilted leather handbag, from Mademoiselle’s revolutionary designs to Karl Lagerfeld’s unexpected and even irreverent variations on her original codes.
4. Travel By Design
Showcasing travel photographs by more than 150 of America’s top architects and designers, Travel by Design is an inspiring guide to the power of travel to shape and expand our world. Travel by Design reminds us of the beauty and importance of travel, with images of more than 100 locations in 60 countries, from exotic destinations and global cities to adventure travels and all-American escapes.
More than 350 photographs take readers on a global journey through cityscapes, ancient civilizations, luxurious resorts, and stunning natural wonders, all seen through the discerning and artistic eyes of today’s leading creative talents. The images are sure to inspire dreams of escape, and the 40 pages of insider resources—from favorite hotels and restaurants to secret shopping sources and must-see monuments—will make planning future trips reassuring and easy. An inspirational and informative resource, this volume highlights the preeminence of outstanding design and its importance for every civilization.
5. Equus
No animal has captured the human imagination quite like the horse, depicted in media from cave drawings thousands of years ago through countless renderings in paint, clay, ink, even film.
Award-winning photographer Tim Flach’s quest to document the horse has resulted in Equus, an intensely moving look at an animal—as solitary subject and en masse, from the air and from underwater—whose history is so powerfully linked to our own. From exquisite Arabians in the Royal Yards of the United Arab Emirates to purebred Icelandic horses in their glacial habitat; from the soulful gaze of a single horse’s lash-lined eye to the thundering majesty of thousands of Mustangs racing across the plains of Utah, Equus provides an amazing and unique insight into the physical dynamics and spirit of the horse.
6. 1,000 Places To See Before You Die Coffee Table Book
Patricia Schultz curates the world. When she published the original 1,000 Places to See Before You Die, she created not only a new kind of travel book but also a new way of thinking about our experiences and interests.
Now Schultz captivates our hearts in the same compelling way her original book spoke to our minds. Moving from eloquent word to breathtaking image, she takes us on a visual journey of the best the world has to offer, and as we turn the pages and pore over these images, we feel it all: joy, curiosity, awe, passion, nostalgia (if we’ve been there), inspiration (because we want to go), and a profound and transforming sense of how lucky we are to live in a world filled with such beauty and wonder—to see tributaries of mist curling over the Great Wall, elephants grazing on the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater, the sun setting on the wild coast of Donegal, masked whirling dancers at a festival in Bhutan.
The book itself is a thing of beauty, an oversize feast of more than 1,000 all-new photographs and 544 pages, every spread and page designed to showcase these mesmerizing photographs and hold just enough of Schultz’s lively text that we know why it is we’re looking at them. It is a perfect gift for every traveler, every fan of the original, every dreamer whose Instagram feed is filled with pictures of places near and far.
7. The Finer Things
Quality matters. Just as a home’s foundation should be built to stand the test of time, so, too, should the furniture, objects, and elements of our rooms speak to an enduring sense of beauty and comfort. They should outlast trends and our loving day-to-day use. But how does one recognize quality and judge whether something is well made?
Christiane Lemieux set out to answer this question by interviewing the world’s greatest experts. Weaving together the insights and guidance of dozens of wallpaper and paint specialists, textile fabricators, accessories artisans, and interior designers, Lemieux has curated an unparalleled education in recognizing the hallmarks of timeless, heirloom-quality pieces. Hundreds of elegant home interiors—both iconic examples from the past and stunning residences today–represent the range of luxurious and customized environments that can be created with fine décor.
8. Architectural Digest: A Century of Style
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.
Ranging freely between present and past, the book features the personal spaces of dozens of private celebrities like Barack and Michelle Obama, David Bowie, Truman Capote, David Hockney, Michael Kors, and Diana Vreeland, and includes the work of top designers and architects like Frank Gehry, David Hicks, India Mahdavi, Peter Marino, John Fowler, Renzo Mongiardino, Oscar Niemeyer, Axel Vervoordt, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Elsie de Wolfe. Also included are stunning images from the magazine’s history by photographers such as Bill Cunningham, Horst P. Horst, Simon Upton, Francois Dischinger, Francois Halard, Julius Shulman, and Oberto Gili.
9. The Art Book
The Art Book is beloved throughout the world and has been translated into 20 languages, introducing millions of readers to great art and artists. Each of the more than 600 artists included, dating from medieval to modern times, is represented by a key work and an informative, explanatory text on the piece and its creator.
Breaking with traditional classifications, The Art Book is organized by artist name, throwing together brilliant examples from all periods, schools, visions, and techniques in a vibrant A-Z sequence to create an unparalleled visual sourcebook and a celebration of our rich, multifaceted culture.
This latest revised and updated edition includes 40 works new to this book and includes many overlooked historical and cutting-edge contemporary artists, including Berenice Abbott, Hilma af Klint, El Anatsui, Romare Bearden, Mark Bradford, Cao Fei, Cecily Brown, Judy Chicago, John Currin, Guerrilla Girls, Lee Krasner, Jacob Lawrence, Kerry James Marshall, Joan Mitchell, Zanele Muholi, Takashi Murakami, Louise Nevelson, Clara Peeters, Jenny Saville, Wolfgang Tillmans, and more.
10. Great Escapes Europe: The Hotel Book
Dreaming of your next escape? Let this book be your guide. From ancient wonders to tiny places with big personalities, Europe’s diverse cultures and abundant charms beckon to travelers all around the globe.
Immerse yourself in this curated collection of unique hotels and guesthouses throughout the European continent chosen for their breathtaking locations and awe-inspiring interiors.
Such gems include Der Seehof, an idyllic site on an Austrian lake where guests can fish for their dinner, and Budsjord, situated at the edge of the Dovrefjell National Park in Norway, the last stop on one of the loneliest pilgrimage routes in the world.
There you have it! Coffee table books give you the opportunity to beautifully integrate your interests and passions into your home. Which of the top ten books will be gracing your coffee table? Let us know in the comments! 😉
