My Favourite Coffee Table Books

While I loved sharing what I was reading every month last year, I admit that my selection of borrowed books is often less than glamourous. (It’s a pandemic. I will, and always have, read anything in print. Needs must.) More than that, so much of what I read doesn’t make it anywhere near my list of favourite books. It isn’t as much fun as you might imagine to write about things that you find boring or insipid. (Things you hate, on the other hand? That can be enjoyable. It’s a rare book that inspires that kind of passionate loathing, though.) But books are such a significant part of my life that I truly don’t feel I can write without writing about them in some format.

…that line of thinking led me here, rounding up a list of my five favourite coffee table books. Just last week, I saw someone describe coffee table books as dust collectors. The description surprised me because, frankly, it was just so apt, but it had never crossed my mind before. Beautiful books, bought for display purposes as much as for their content, do indeed collect dust. They also take up space on your coffee table that you might need for, you know, your coffee cup (or, if you’re like me, your feet at the end of a long day.) So when it comes to buying them, I recommend choosing just a few favourites that look beautiful and feel special to display.

Five Favourite Coffee Table Books

Cereal City Guide – Paris
The original version of Cereal’s guide to Paris was essentially an extended magazine, but the new one truly is a book – thick and luscious, full of minimal and elegant photos of the City of Light. The images come paired with recommendations for the coolest, if not always most authentically French, places to visit in the French capital. While more petite than a traditional coffee table book, this volume is both beautiful on display and worthy of a casual peruse when you’re relaxing with a cup coffee at home for the nth day in a row, wishing you could be anywhere else.

Dior by Mats Gustafson
Less book, more bound art project, Mats Gustafson’s watercolour hommages to Dior collections past and present are stunning in their simplicity. I’ve never seen someone do more with less – a single colour is all Gustafson needs to evoke the same feeling that only a beautifully designed dress could previously stir in me. I love flipping through this book almost as much as I love seeing real runway collections. If you love fashion, this is a coffee table book collection essential. And it really does double as a piece of art.

In Vogue – Norberto Angeletti and Alberto Oliva
Even if you’ve never read Vogue, it would be hard to argue that the magazine isn’t an arbiter of style – and hasn’t been since its debut in 1892. The definition of arbiter of style has changed significantly in the past century, though. Angeletti and Oliva dive into the history of the world’s foremost fashion magazine in exquisite detail in this enormous tome. Personally, I love being able to look at so many beautiful Vogue photos in one book, but there is so much more to this book than pictures. Coffee table books often go unread, I know. And I understand. They are long. This one is especially so, but it’s worth both a full read and regular casual browsing.

Chanel (Assouline)
This is actually three books, not just one, sold together in a black and white, quintessentially CHANEL slip cover. Dense without being heavy, I received this set as a gift. It’s become, in turn, my favourite set of books to recommend as a gift. Each of the three books covers a different aspect of the history of the house of CHANEL – fashion, beauty and bijoux. They are quick reads, but full of interesting facts and lovely photos. As a set, the books look stunning on display. My living room decor wouldn’t be complete without them.

Love x Style x Life – Garance Dore
Celebrity books – even fashion celebrity books – rarely rank high on any list for me. This one is an exception. Maybe it’s the fact that Garance is so eminently ordinary and likeable, despite her fabulous taste. Maybe it’s the format of the book, which is simple and digestable, but compelling enough that you won’t put it down. It could just be the beautiful pictures, the hallmark of a coffee table book. I don’t suppose the reason matters. What I know is this book, bought impulsively, became a firm favourite when I brought it home. That was four years ago, and little has changed since. If this beauty isn’t part of your coffee table book collection, it should be.

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