Best Coffee Table Books for Decor and How To Style Them

Looking for a great way to make your living room look high end, on a budget? This post is all about the best coffee table books to use as home decor, including travel, photography, and interior design books.

Stacks of books are a staple in interior decorating. They add visual interest in any space and can be dressed up with small decorative objects. In addition, you can choose books that reflect your personal style and act as great conversation starters.

Whether you prefer neutrals or a more bold color scheme, there are so many pretty options to choose from! So, scroll down for a curated collection of beautiful coffee table books to help you decorate your living space.

Related: You may also like Best Round Coffee Table Styling Ideas and Affordable Coffee Table Roundup.

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How to Style Coffee Table Books Like a Designer

Want to arrange coffee table books like a pro? Here are some easy tips!

1. Choose a Color Scheme

The first step to styling coffee table books is to choose a color palette. Many people opt for neutral books because they blend well with any design style, and help create a cohesive look.

However, don’t be afraid to include muted tones or even bright colors if that matches the style of your home! I recommend choosing a color scheme of 2-3 colors to focus on, with some neutrals thrown in as well.

You will notice that many of my books are neutral, but I did experiment with a color palette of olive green, yellow gold, and rust red in our living room for fall and love the look!

Related: Best Fall Decor Ideas for a Cozy Neutral Home

2. Consider Different Sizes

Secondly, it is important to check the size of a coffee table book, especially when ordering online. Most sellers will include the book measurements in the product description.

For smaller spaces such as a nightstand or bookshelf, smaller books (around 8×10 inches) can work. However, in other cases you will want to choose medium to large coffee table books to match the scale of your table.

Looking at my collection of interior design books, the average size is 9×11 inches. But I like to include oversized books (more like 11×14 inches) on coffee tables to make a statement!

3. Create a Stack of Books

When creating your coffee table book stack, be sure to put the largest book on the bottom. It is okay to use books that are about the same size, or books with different sizes, as long as you follow this simple rule! 

4. Top with Small Decorative Objects

Finally, style decorative accessories on top of stacks of books to finish the look. Here are some of my favorite items to use:

1. Brass tray
2. Wooden bowl
3. Bead garland
4. Fluted canisters
5. Wood chain link
6. Trinket dish
7. Amber candle
8. Match cloche
9. Asterisk object
10. Candle holders

Coffee Table Books Around the Home

If you would like to see some examples of coffee table books styled in a living room, entryway, or bedroom, here are some photos from our home!

1. Living Room

The obvious place to arrange coffee table books is on a coffee table.

For a round coffee table, try two or three books topped with a small decorative object. Then, create two other groupings. In the photo below, I used stacked boxes (similar) and a wooden bowl (similar). The completed look has three groupings, which is perfect for most coffee tables!

For a rectangular coffee table, try several stacks of coffee table books in a grid for timeless style.

If you prefer a more minimalist look, you can corral some books on a woven tray for one large grouping that is easy to move.

Pro tip: You can even display your favorite pages by propping the coffee table book open with a book stand!

2. Console Table

Secondly, coffee table books are some of my favorite things to style on entry tables. A small stack of books is perfect for adding visual interest and coziness.

Here are several examples from our home. I love to redecorate this console table in our foyer, so the look is always changing!

As you can probably tell, Travel Home is one of my favorites. The warm brown color fits our home perfectly!

And here is a different design with two neutral colored books.

Related: Check out Console Table Decor Ideas for Any Design Style for more decor finds.

3. Bookshelves

Stacks of coffee table books are perfect for filling out built in bookshelves and bookcases.

Choose neutral books as a base before styling other decorative objects such as vases, bowls, and plants. Or, arrange your favorite books by color or topic for a more functional bookshelf.

In either case, it is helpful to break up the books (whether they are vertical or horizontal stacks) with small decorative objects to keep the shelves from looking too visually heavy.

4. End Table

Another great place to style coffee table books is on end tables or nightstands. For some reason I always find these smaller spaces the most difficult to decorate, but maybe that’s just me!

An easy solution is to use a few books along with a candle or jewelry dish. Cute yet minimal, so that you still have space for a drink coaster or current read.

Here is a view of our guest room where I used coffee table books and a decorative object (similar) on the bedside table.

And, some simple nightstand styling with two books and seasonal decor.

5. Kitchen Counter

Finally, try styling books on your kitchen counters to add coziness! Of course, it is fitting to use cookbooks in the kitchen, but any books will work.

Here are some ideas. You can lean a few books vertically against the wall, or create a book stack under a wooden bowl or salt and pepper mills.

In the photo below, I placed a few cookbooks in a basket to hide an unused electrical outlet!

Best Coffee Table Books for a Neutral Home

Now that we have covered how to style coffee table books and where to put them, it’s time for the curated roundups.

First up, here are my favorite coffee table books for a neutral color palette. I have many of these in my own collection, and I also including a few that I have been eyeing recently.

Pro tip: You can order used books from either Amazon or another online shop like Thrift Books to get the look on a budget!

1. AD at 100
2. Gilles and Boissier
3. Pacific Natural At Home
4. Still
5. Call It Home
6. Sense of Place
7. Houses Atelier AM
8. Arranging Things
9. Portraits of Home
10. Houses That We Dreamt Of
11. The Kinfolk Home
12. Minimalista
13. At Home
14. Made for Living
15. The Art of Home
16. Sunday Suppers

Best Coffee Table Books with Beautiful Covers

Secondly, here are some good coffee table books in a range of different colors. If you have a particular color that you are looking for, let me know in the comments below and I can share some more options!

1. Monet
2. Charm School
3. The Grand Budapest Hotel
4. Accidentally Wes Anderson
5. The Finer Things
6. Living Wild
7. 1000 Record Covers
8. Home Therapy
9. Living With Pattern
10. De Gournay
11. Joie
12. Suzanne Rheinstein
13. Living With Color
14. Iconic Home
15. Great Escapes USA
16. Escape

70+ Best Coffee Table Books for Decorating

Need even more ideas? Here are additional coffee table books you may like for your home.

In conclusion, I hope you found these simple tips helpful if you want to decorate your coffee table like a designer! If you have any favorite books for decorating that I did not include, drop a comment below.

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