We used to share a lot of book recommendations here on the blog, and recently Jenn and I were like, why did we stop doing that? So I looked through a lot of our past posts, and we had lists for the best coffee table books, aesthetic design books, and books on creativity. All of the lists were quite dated at this point, and of course, any new releases were missing. That’s when we decided to make a definitive guide so you could find it all in one place, and it would be fully updated for 2025 and 2026. Some books were cut, many were added, and more than a few remain in their rightful place on display in our homes. From art to interior decorating to crafts and culture, these truly are the best books to display and to gift (at least that’s what we think). See for yourself!
best coffee table books 2025
interior decorating books
Let’s begin with a big batch of beautiful decor and interior design books, some of which we personally own and love. Row 1:
On pre-order to ship in November, Cottagecore: New Countryside Living is the latest decor book from the brilliant editors at Gestalten. While the term cottagecore may just feel like a passing trend, this book is more of a modern, grown-up take on the aesthetic. Highlighting rural area homes that defy expectations with a clever mix of modern + rustic that honors their natural surroundings, Cottagecore is countryside living like you’ve never seen before.
Making Space: Interior Design by Women by Jane Hall from Phaidon not only makes a great coffee table book with its vibrant cover, but with profiles of 250 creative women of interior design from the 20th century to now, it’s one guests will love flipping through.
Vivid: Style in Colour by Julia Green with photos by Armelle Habib is a study in color as it shapes our home and travels. Trust me, it’s even more beautiful in person!
House of Joy: Playful Homes and Cheerful Living, also from from gestalten, is a collection of vibrant spaces that make dwelling an overwhelming joyful experience. Not only do the places photographed evoke joy themselves, the colorful pages of the book make it a mood-booster to flip through!
The House Romantic by Haskell Harris is one of my very favorite interior decorating books to display on my shelves and look through when I need a creative pick me up. Not only does the book’s bold striped cover draw any art or color lover right in, but the spaces that grace its pages will inspire you to create a meaningful home with carefully curated objects that feel special and tell your story.
The Life Eclectic: Highly Unique Interior Designs from Around the World by Alexander Breeze tours 15 highly curated, creative interiors to show readers how to craft a home that expresses your individual style and taste. If you love maximalist design, vintage finds and collected interiors, and lots of color, this book is for you.
New English Interiors: At Home with Today’s Creatives by Elizabeth Metcalf is a timeless, yet on-trend decor book for lovers of British interiors and design. From whimsical wallpaper to charming treasures, the book celebrates 22 English homes by creatives across the country.
Love How You Live: Adventures in Interior Design by Rodman Primack and Rudy Weissenberg highlights its designer authors’ most creative projects, including their own homes, around the world. The book encourages readers to create highly personal homes by utilizing their local communities when it comes to sourcing treasures that bring your space to life.
Timeless Paris: Ateliers, Emporiums, Savoir Faire by Marin Montagut features the interiors of quintessentially Parisian locations as photographed by Pierre Musellec and Ludovic Balay. From coveted boutiques to artisan studios, the book highlights art, travel, and history at once.
fashion + photography
Another book I own (and we loved it so much we now offer it in the shop), Our Own Selves by Nadine Ijewere is a beautiful pictorial monograph by London fashion photographer Nadine Ijewere—the first Black woman photographer to land a cover of Vogue in the magazine’s 125-year history. Featuring 192 pages of Ijewere’s photos in between a linen bound cover, this is more than a coffee table book… It’s a brilliant expression of beauty and identity that photography, design, and fashion lovers a like will cherish.
One of the reasons I love coffee table books in general is because I am a big photography lover. Whether it’s nature, interiors, art, or fashion, I love seeing my favorite subjects through a photographer’s eye. Chinatown Pretty by Valerie Luu & Andria Lo is one of those books that stuns from both a fashion and photographer point of view. The book features portraits and heartwarming stories of trend-setting seniors across six Chinatowns.
Phaidon’s Mix + Match: Fashion Photography Meets Contemporary Art book by Nicola Erni, Birgit Filzmaier, and Max Hollein brings art and fashion photography together. Broken into twelve parts, it features 400 artworks from Erni’s collection, from the 1930s on.
coffee table books for flower lovers (couldn’t help myself!)
Flowers are my all-time favorite subjects, so it’s no wonder I’ve amassed my own collection of floral coffee table books over the years.
Flora Photographica: The Flower in Contemporary Photography by William A. Ewing and Danaé Panchaud features the floral work of over 120 contemporary photographers from the past 30 years.
Petal: The World of Flowers Through an Artist’s Eye by Adriana Picker is the ultimate art book for floral lovers, featuring lush illustrations of intriguing botanicals (I have the version pictured above, but there’s now an alternative cover that’s just as pretty! See that here.)
Another gorgeous floral book, not pictured here, is Foraged Flora, a book I was gifted long ago and have treasured ever since!
The Contemporary Garden would also made a perfect gift for flower and garden lovers who want to stay inspired during those rainy months indoors. It is an A-to-Z survey of over 300 gardens from 40+ countries at once!
Craft, DIY, and Art books
Piece by Piece from Lauren MacDonald takes readers through 20 modern patchwork and quilting projects to make from preloved fabrics, including those gorgeous quilt jackets we all go crazy for. If you love to quilt or know anyone who does, these quilt patterns will inspire plenty of colorful new creations.
Modern Upholstery by Micaela Sharp is a really stunning coffee table book from a design perspective—the deep blue cover with lavender type and pattern is perfect for the top of your stack. But its contents are equally intriguing, especially for that creative friend who loves a unique challenge (I’ve already gifted it more than once).
Like some of the books above, Artists in Residence features the homes of creatives around the globe, but this time their spaces are illustrated, not photographed. Artist Kate Lewis paints the spaces of both legendary and contemporary artists in this book, while Melissa Wyse writes their bios.
Because we love creative spaces and the creatives who design them, clearly, The Makers also *makes* our list. In this book, the team behind Bed Threads takes us on 50+ inspiring home and studio tours.
At The Artisan’s Table by event designers Jane Schulak and David Stark features contemporary tabletop designs inspired by historical decorative objects from the world’s great museums. Gift this book to your favorite hostess!
Rizzoli’s The Artistry of Flowers: Floral Design by La Musa de las Flores features stunning florals crafted by María Gabriela Salazar and beautifully photographed by Ngoc Minh Ngo. In this book, painter and floral designer Salazar invites us to look at nature as art, and shows us how to do so.
Culture and travel
Chic Dogs from Assouline (take a peek at the inside here) treats readers to 256 pages on the style and culture of canines and their owners throughout history and today. The book is authored by Paris-based Robert Williams, editor at The Business of Fashion, an expert on all things luxury lifestyle and fashion.
If you think in color, Fashion in Color: A Journey Through Every Hue is the perfect design book to display within a chic, luxe interior. Each chapter journeys through a different color, sharing fashion facts in connection with each hue as well as illustrations by Megan Hess.
Mahjong: House Rules from Across the Asian Diaspora by Nicole Wong, writer and creator of The Mahjong Project, takes us through the history, strategy, and culture behind the addicting game.
Charming France by Heide Christiansen guides travelers through the most picturesque cafes, bistros, bookstores, and boutiques all over France.
A coffee table book that can easily stand on its own without accessory, Wine & Travel Italy is a luxurious and exciting linen-bound travel guide for wine lovers.
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