Large beautiful coffee table books are my love language... just kidding, but I do love having big books all over the house. You can find them in our bedroom, living room, office, bookcases, and coffee tables and console tables. I believe you can never have too many books.
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It is no secret that coffee table books are some of my favorite things. I definitely break the old adage and judge these books by their cover 😏 But I also love stacking and styling with books that share our family's interests. You can find books about homesteading, Texas, horses and cowboys and women's empowerment all over my home.
Books allow you to show your personality even more than your general décor aesthetic and home style. Style bookshelves and tables with books (or even magazines) that are interesting to you or remind you of something or somewhere you love. Then guests and other family members can learn and be inspired by your taste in these gorgeous oversized books. One thing Clay and I have started doing is collecting books from special places in our lives if they are available. They did not have one where we stayed on our honeymoon, so we brought home a magazine and it is stacked on our living room built-ins. (Fun Fact: We also collect Christmas tree ornaments from trips and vacations).
WHERE TO FIND THE BEST COFFEE TABLE BOOKS
Pottery Barn has a fantastic selection of curated neutral oversized books. West Elm is great for food-oriented and cookbook collections. And Anthropology is a go-to if you are searching for bright and colorful coffee table books.
Amazon and Barnes & Noble are also easy places to find table books (and regular books!). You can even find used oversized books from Amazon if you are on a budget.
I also love rifling through lifestyle and cookbook sections at second hand bookstores or Half Priced Books to search through previously-loved books to find some gorgeous winners for less.
Check out my eight simple steps to styling your coffee table. And if you are interested in how I style the rest of my modern farmhouse, follow me in the LIKEtoKNOW.it app! 🤍 Shop my favorite white and neutral coffee table below.
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MASTERING THE BOOK STACK
There are so many gorgeous coffee table books out there that you can always find the perfect size and color that you are looking for. I personally love neutrals and whites for the majority of my stacked books, but a good rule of thumb is to stick to a similar color palette for each stack.
I always stack according to size, largest on the bottom, and make sure they are similar dimensions so they fit nicely together. I have a minimum of 3 books per stack, more if they are have thinner spines (like magazines). If I am styling my coffee table or console table, I don't place an object on top of the stack so it shows off the beautiful cover of the top table book. If I am styling a bookshelf or bookcase, I like to place a decorative object or bowl on top of the stack to add more height. Large wooden or ceramic bowls, small vases and candles make for perfect objects to add to the top of stacked books.
Magazines are a great way to get "the stack" on a budget, but make sure they are similar sizes and colors so it doesn't come off too cluttered or junky.
HIDDEN GEMS OF TABLE BOOKS
When you are searching for oversized books and table books to add beauty and a bit of personality to your home, the hidden gems of the table book world are cookbooks and encyclopedias or other reference book series. I have most of my cookbooks in the kitchen, but the extra beautiful ones get a special place in the living room. 🤍
If you are looking to fill a shelf, an encyclopedia set or other special book series make for a beautiful, clean and consistent shelf. My favorites that I have are the World Book Encyclopedia Set and The Old West Time-Life series.
Check out more of my home styling tips in my Home & Lifestyle blog section.
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What is your favorite coffee table book? Tell me in the comments!