NEW FAVORITE COFFEE TABLE BOOKS

Thank you for all the enthusiasm on yesterday’s post about a new organization series on Design Darling! I was surprised at how many of you have read the same book and are interested in seeing me attempt to apply the KonMari method to tidying our house. Like I said I’ve already donated five bags (52 pounds!) of clothing and shoes but I still have a ways to go before I feel like I’ve pared down my closet to only the items that bring me true joy and I’ll do my best to document as I go.

I do want to say that I totally hear those of you who find Marie Kondo’s method a little too extreme. I’m optimistic that there’s a way to follow the pieces of advice that resonate most with me without emptying out my handbag every single day, throwing out old photographs, dividing all our drawers with recycled shoeboxes, etc. ? Some of her advice just isn’t practical, feesl too ruthless, or offers a solution that even feels a little janky (tell me I’m not the only one who wants to store jewelry in something more sophisticated than a shoebox lid?!). I’m willing to admit at the outset that, while her book is a great starting point, I know I won’t be following her method to a T.

One of the pieces of advice I imagine I’ll be taking some liberties with is her approach to decluttering your book collection. While I know there are novels I’ll never reread and I’m dying to dispose of Will’s high school textbooks (unclear how those made the cut on the move from New York…), I also know there’s zero chance we’re going to whittle our book collection down to a “hall of fame” featuring only 20 or 30 favorite reads. And if we’re going by the method of owning only items that spark joy, I can honestly say that most of my coffee table books truly do make me happy, especially because they can be displayed throughout our home and easily accessed when I need a little inspiration.

Unsurprisingly our coffee table is where I display many of my current favorites and I like that it’s a rotating assortment of what’s inspiring me at any given time. Especially because I do often work from home, I love having design or travel inspiration right at my fingertips. I recently added a few new favorites to my collection and rearranged the books in our living room — it’s amazing what a difference a few small tweaks can make! For instance, I love seeing two stacks of all blue books on the media console because the photograph above it is so vibrant that I felt like the previous colorful stacks were competing for attention with the artwork. You can see a little of that action in the background of these photos but what I’m most excited about are the most recent additions to our actual coffee table!

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acrylic coffee table  //  jute rug  //  Greek key tray (on sale) //  tortoiseshell candle  //  tube matches

  1. In the Spirit of Capri — a perfect memento after our trip to the Amalfi Coast last spring!
  2. Slim Aarons: Women — a brand new book of Slim Aarons photography by a freelance writer who worked with Aarons for more than two decades.
  3. A House by the Sea — basically my #lifegoals.
  4. Beautiful — not on our coffee table but on the aforementioned media console, this book is the ultimate interior inspiration from design genius Mark D. Sikes.
  5. Beaches — also not on our coffee table (currently at my office) but a must-have for any fan of Gray Malin’s stunning aerial photography.
  6. Hardly new favorites but forever in my rotation are A Place in the Sun, La Dolce Vita, Once Upon A Time, and Poolside with Slim Aarons.
  7. Also dying to get my hands on the forthcoming Domino book called Your Guide to a Stylish Home, which is being released on November 15!

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P.S. See more of my favorite coffee table books here and here.