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12 of the best coffee table books to style your living space

Carina Rossi

Updated October 17, 2024 - 5.13am

9PR: Darren Palmer recommends coffee table books — 9Product Reviews

Good luck finding someone more skilled in the art of styling a space than interior designer, and The Block judge, Darren Palmer. His ability to transform a space with considered pieces knows no bounds so when we had the chance to peep his shoppable list on Amazon we had to ask him all about his favourite coffee table books.

If you're looking to instantly update your living and dining space, enjoy Darren's aesthetically pleasing and affordable list of coffee table books and his tips on how to make them work for your space.

9PR — According to Darren, judging a book by its cover is only OK when styling coffee table books. Supplied

When it comes to styling your living and dining area you need to understand what your style is, what the mood is, what the brief is and then how to choose those things so that they will mesh together. There's a standard list – rugs, occasional chairs, art, candles, lamps, cushions, throws, and coffee table books it's as simple as that.

But when you're making these decisions, how do you choose books that look good?

To help I've got a whole bunch of coffee table book recommendations, all aesthetically pleasing.

Basically these are all a similar size, they are hardbacks, they are a variation of light and neutrals with some pops of colour, the covers are aesthetically pleasing, and they feature something that either looks like a room or is engaging as a sculptural element in the room. And I think they're quite like art for a coffee table, so you need to think of them as an extension of the art and decor in your space.

Your coffee table books are mostly about the cover, they are very rarely opened and they're maybe going to be looked at by guests here and there once in a while, but they look great on coffee tables. They look great in photoshoots. They look great styled into homes and you are definitely judging a book by its cover.

Here are 12 of the best coffee table books to style your living/dining space:

Here are 12 of the best coffee table books to style your living/dining space:

Kelly Wearstler: Synchronicity: Obsessions, $67.25

The Finer Things: Timeless Furniture, Textiles, and Details, $47.46

Architectural Digest at 100: A Century of Style, $110.25

Tom Ford 002, $150.98

The Kinfolk Home: Interiors for Slow Living, $49.99

Alyssa Kapito: Interiors, $87.38

Kelly Wearstler: Evocative Style: Evocative Style, $98.14

Axel Vervoordt: Wabi Inspirations, $56.50

Pacific Natural at Home, $53.63

Arranging Things, by Colin King, $72.99

This Is Home: The Art of Simple Living, $55

Live Natural: A Relaxed Approach to Creating Healthy Homes, $55.05