Having cute coffee table books gives your home personality and character, and they are SO FUN to flip through. My favorite coffee table books are usually about art, cooking, food, and culture. This list is full of cute coffee table books that have beautiful covers and contents so that you love having them in your home.
Everyone loves a pretty coffee table book, and this list is full of them. Some are bright, some are neutral, some are funny, some are serious, but every single one will bring personality to your home.
Personally, I believe that any book can be made into a cute coffee table book. But this post will focus on larger books with really pretty covers since I know that is what most people are looking for when they look for a coffee table book that they can leave out all of the time.
This post is all about cute coffee table books. Let’s get right into it.
1. SPIKE by Spike Lee
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Spike Lee is a cultural icon, and this book deserves way more hype. I mean, look at that cover?? Are you kidding? It’s so good. Learn something new about Spike Lee, film, and life from this stunning book that belongs front and center on your coffee table.
2. Cook this Book by Molly Baz
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This book has so many fun recipes and the best part is that every recipe is meant to help you learn something new, so that you can become an at home chef. Um, YES! Molly Baz has so much spunk and personality, and this book is so fun.
3. Black Food by Bryant Terry
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This is about to be your HOLY GRAIL, your EVERYTHING. Black Food is so much more than a cookbook. it reminds me more of a Wellesley College history class โ it’s filled with stories, poetry, recipes, photos, art, and so much more, all painting the picture and telling the story of the African Diaspora and the importance of food. Please note that this description probably didn’t give this book the credit it deserves because it is truly a work of art.
4. Live Beautiful by Athena Calderone
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If you love a neutral, this book cover is for you. If you love design, you’ll love what’s inside. Athena Calderone shares photos from her Brooklyn apartment that is glamorous, rustic, interesting, and so well designed. I love getting inspiration from these photos!
5. Banksy You Are An Acceptable Level of Threat and if You Were Not You Would Know About it by Patrick Potter
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This book is a collection of photographs of Banksy’s street art, which is really awesome because Banksy doesn’t leave his art up for long, so if you missed it, you can still see it (kind of). He has so much interesting work, this is sure to keep you glued to the couch for a few hours flipping through it.
6. Dessert Person by Claire Saffitz
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If you’re anything like me, you’ve spent hours watching Claire Saffitz on YouTube. No? Well, you’ll still love this book. It has a fun twist on some classic desserts as well as recipes I’m sure you’ve never tried but that will become your new favorites. And also, duh. Everybody loves dessert.
7. Art in the Streets by Jeffrey Deitch
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This book is all about graffiti. It’s so cool because it walks you through the history of graffiti and how it took ahold of the art world. I think that the cover is gripping and if you love contemporary art, it’s a must to have this book.
8. Young Gifted and Black: A New Generation of Artists by Antwaun Sargent
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Let’s normalize celebrating Blackness like this book does so well. It’s an interesting book because it is all about emerging Black artists. It does a deep dive into these artists’ work and provides stunning images of their art and insight into their process.
9. Leaf Supply by Lauren Camilleri
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Calling all plant people, green thumb wannabes, and… well actually that’s all I could come up with. This is such a cute book all about caring for house plants! So pretty. If this converts you to become a plant parent who has their sh*t together, please let me know. I need help.
10. The Boba Book by The Boba Guys (Andrew Chau and Bin Chen)
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Sorry, because you’re going to constantly crave boba if you get this book. From the depths of quarantine during 2020, one of my best friends got this book and shared the recipes with me so that we could have fun trying to make our own boba in our respective homes.
I was blown away by the utter deliciousness of these boba recipes, and even more shocked that something so yummy could be made at home. Flipping through these pages sends me straight into a beautiful boba daydream.
11. Wine Simple: A Totally Approachable Guide from a World Class Sommelier by Aldo Sohm and Christine Muhlke
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Speaking of drinks, Wine Simple does what I have been WAITING for โ it simplifies wine and makes it approachable for thus of us who have no idea what they’re doing when it comes to wine (ME!).
Whether you’re already a wine aficionado or simply are holding onto the hope that maybe one day your tastebuds will evolve and love this sophisticated, fancy drink like I am, this book is for you! Such a beautiful cover, too.
12. Jean-Michel Basquiat (40th Ed.) by Eleanor Nairne
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Jean-Michel Basquiat became a cultural icon in New York City during the 1980’s, and he is still one of the most influential artists of all time. This book gives in depth information and insight about his art. I love coffee table books about art, and this one is sure to teach you something new and look good doing it.
13. Art: The Definitive Visual Guide by Andrew Graham Dixon
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This one’s pretty straightforward โ it’s a book about art. Really, it’s a book about art history. This would be interesting to flip through and see what is included as some of the “world’s greatest works of art” and what isn’t. Think critically about what is included and what’s not! That’s a really important part of art history.
14. Jungalow: Decorate Wild by Justina Blakeney
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Justina Blakeney is a trendsetter, tastemaker, and overall SUCH an inspiring person! I love her phrase “decorate wild” that encourages you to embrace your style in all of its forms and enjoy the freedom of self expression.
15. Architectural Digest at 100: A Century of Style by Architectural Digest
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Okay, this is the coffee table book that everyone has. EVERYONE. But it’s interesting and it’s a historical reference, so why not? Make sure you pair this with another book that’s a little more interesting, though. I would hate for you to come across as bland (joking, joking!!! ๐).
16. Bill Cunningham: On The Street: Five Decades of Iconic Photography by New York Times
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Bill Cunningham was a photographer who captured street style and the evolution of fashion from the everyday in New York City and Paris. This book is a New York Times Bestseller and people love it because it’s filled with beautiful photography that highlights fashion trends and how they evolved in some of the most fashionable cities in the world.
17. Cereal City Guide: Paris by Rosa Park
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Getting familiar with a city is such a joyful part of life. This guide helps you do that, and Paris is such a remarkable city filled with different delicious foods and also lots of snobby people (sorry, but it’s true!). It’s fun to learn about, and if you’ve never been to Paris but you’ve seen Emily in Paris on Netflix, you’re still allowed to love this book (kidding though, anyone can love this book!).
This book is one within a series among other major cities in the United States and Europe, like New York, London, and Los Angeles.
18. My Shanghai: Recipes and Stories from a City on the Water by Betty Liu
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Get to know Shanghai on a personal level through the amazing photographs, stories, and recipes in this book. You can experience generations of family recipes through this book, it is such a gift!
19. Supreme Models: Iconic Black Women Who Revolutionized Fashion by Marcellas Reynolds
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Fashion has been shaped by Black women so much more than they receive credit for, so I loved that this book focuses entirely on iconic Black women in fashion. I’m sure you would learn something new from this book, and it has a beautiful cover, too.
20. Platters and Boards by Shelly Westerhausen
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Hiiii charcuterie lovers! This book is for US. It is filled to the brim with beautiful photos and tips for making the best charcuterie boards so that yours are the envy of every single one of your guests. Oops, I mean so that every one of your guests loves them. Same thing.
21. From Crook to Cook by Snoop Dogg
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Had to end with a bang. Snoop Dogg’s cookbook. YES, you read that correctly! Snoop Dogg has a cookbook. What can’t he do? It has amazing reviews on Amazon, so I have a feeling that these recipes will actually be really, really good. I want this for myself! It’s fun, funny, and useful!
This post was all about coffee table books.
I hope that this helped you find the cute coffee table books of your dreams. As I broaden my own collection of coffee table books, more and more of these start coming my way. I love them!
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Thanks so much for reading along!
