What’s the allure?

Why have we, as a culture, decided that coffee table books are the showstopper of our homes? Don’t get me wrong; I am not disagreeing, I am just asking the question. Maybe it’s because these books capture what we find beautiful and allow us to display it? Or maybe it’s an attractive conversation starter? Or maybe it’s the portal that shows how well-traveled you are? Whatever the reason, let’s take a journey down the road of styling your home with these mysterious creatures we call coffee table books.

The first step in styling your coffee table is deciding on your style. This will set the tone and should agree with the overall style of your home; traditional, modern, maximalist, minimalist, etc. There is also a plethora of categories and genres for these types of books, so they don’t just have to be about architecture and interior design. Some other categories could include fashion, cars, animals, nature, art, and so much more. It can be anything and everything! And this is why this is such a fun way to decorate your home, because you can have fun expressing your personal interests.

Okay, so now that we have decided on a theme/style, we can move on to the actual arrangement of the table. There are multiple ways you can approach the layout of your books, and I would consider two main factors: how you use the table and, once again, your style.

One way to approach this is arranging your table with multiple stacks of books. Start by deciding on how many books each stack will contain and replicate that in all of the stacks; adding a smaller book on top of the stack periodically. I would recommend sticking to a grid pattern to instill balance in your layout. You can alternate the direction of the stacks to give visual variation. This type of layout does not allow for a lot of activity, so its main purpose would be to display many books. This is also a great way to have guests, your family, or even yourself interact with your books. Instead of just putting these beautiful books on the shelf (which is a category of decorating we will get to eventually), laying them out creates an interactive experience for a part of your home, bringing a lot of energy to that space. I would say this is also a lot more of a maximalist type of approach to decorating, so it may look a little off-balance in a minimally decorated home.

Another approach to laying out books on your coffee table is having a stack of three books. I say three because I like to follow the rule of three in design, which basically believes that arranging things in groups of three creates harmony and balance, which is more appealing to the eye. You are more than welcome to do a stack of two or even four, but I wouldn’t go over four because it may start to look too heavy for such a concentrated stack. Here you could experiment with diagonal and perpendicular lines in layout, as well as, the center of where your books will live. Don’t feel that you have to place your stack in the dead center of the table and align it with the edges (if you have a square table). Have fun with it and let the location further express your personality! I personally like to place them off-center, at a little bit of a diagonal to give visual interest. I would say this is a great middle ground for any style and allows for more activity at your coffee table.

And then we have the concept of one open book on your coffee table. This is definitely a more minimalistic approach and invites a lot of activity that can be done around the table. It can also be fun to switch out this book from time to time and flip through the pages of the same book to display new imagery. I also think that this allows for the most use out of your book when on still display. I would apply the same rules for the placement of this book as for the stack discussed above. Play with the lines of axis on your table and see what fits best with your taste.

Adding other, smaller decorative items like candles, crystals, and trinkets is a great way to pull together the arrangement. So there you have it! There are so many ways to display your favorite coffee table books and make your space that much more beautiful.

Coffee Table Books

What’s the allure?

San Diego Interiors

Table Arrangements