Top Coffee Table Books of 2017

 Coffee Table Books You Need In 2017

A concept first discussed by the French philosopher Michel de Montaigne in 1581, the coffee table book has endured for good reason. Here are the inspiring hardcovers that your coffee table needs in 2017.

Les Dîners De Gala by Salvador Dalí

The 1970s cookbook that surrealist painter Salvador Dalí created with his wife Gala is unsurprisingly bonkers, featuring 136 recipes with dreamlike illustrations by the artist, and including a chapter specifically dedicated to aphrodisiacs. Reissued by Taschen late last year, this rare book is certain to make great dinner party conversation in 2017.

Dalí: Les Dîners de Gala Hardcover – November 24, 2016 by Salvador Dalí (Artist) (Taschen)

Les Dîners de Gala by Salvador Dalí | Courtesy of Taschen
Watercolors by Finn Juhl by Anne-Louise Sommer

A must-have for lovers of Danish design, this newly released volume showcases the painstakingly rendered watercolour sketches of mid-century architect, interior and furniture designer Finn Juhl, of his pieces and spaces during the concept stage.

Watercolors by Finn Juhl Hardcover – January 24, 2017 by Finn Juhl  (Hatje Cantz )

Watercolours by Finn Juhl | Courtesy of Hatje Cantz
In the Company of Women by Grace Bonney

Design*Sponge founder Grace Bonney’s In the Company of Women features profiles of a broad cross-section of more than 100 inspiring, creative, successful women – from Rookie editor Tavi Gevinson to Thelma Golden, director and chief curator of New York’s The Studio Museum. As well as actionable advice for realising your dreams, it is filled with frame-worthy photographs of the women in question.

In the Company of Women: Inspiration and Advice from over 100 Makers, Artists, and Entrepreneurs Hardcover – October 4, 2016 by Grace Bonney (Artisan)

In the Company of Women by Grace Bonney | Courtesy of Artisan
Overview: A New Perspective of Earth by Benjamin Grant

Benjamin Grant’s best-selling book Overview consists of 200 photographs of various locations on earth, all taken from above. Having begun on Instagram, his satellite imagery project is an attempt to replicate the sense of detachment felt by astronauts when looking down on the planet, which can help us all to better appreciate its many wonders – and the impact humans have on them.

Overview Hardcover – October 25, 2016 by Benjamin Grant  (Amphoto Books)

Overview: A New Perspective of Earth by Benjamin Grant | Courtesy of Amphoto Books
Wall to Wall: Carpets by Artists by Cornelia Lauf

Following on from a popular exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland, Cornelia’s Lauf’s Wall to Wall: Carpets by Artists – coming in February 2017 – showcases collaborations between well-known artists and weavers. Included are giants of the contemporary art world such as Chuck Close and Andy Warhol.

Wall to Wall: Carpets by Artists  by Cornelia Lauf ,Walther König



Wall to Wall: Carpets by Artists by Cornelia Lauf | Courtesy of Walther König, Köln
Grace: The American Vogue Years by Grace Coddington

A follow-up to 2015’s Grace: Thirty Years of Fashion at Vogue, Grace Coddington’snewest book concentrates on the work she brought forth during her tenure as creative director of Vogue US. As well as demonstrating the passion that went into every shoot she created, it features stunning images by people like Annie Leibovitzand Mario Testino.


Grace: The American Vogue Years Hardcover – September 5, 2016 by Grace Coddington (Phaidon Press)



Grace: The American Vogue Years | Courtesy of Phaidon Press
Frank Lloyd Wright: Unpacking the Archive edited by Barry Bergdoll

Printed as part of the current MoMa exhibition marking the 150th anniversary of his birth, Frank Lloyd Wright: Unpacking the Archive celebrates every aspect of the architect and designer’s remarkably productive career. Throughout, key objects made by Lloyd Wright are ‘unpacked’ by an invited author, from art historians to architects he influenced.

Frank Lloyd Wright: Unpacking the Archive Hardcover – June 27, 2017
by Barry Bergdoll (Editor), Jennifer Gray (Editor), Frank Lloyd Wright (Artist), John Desmond (Contributor), Carole Fabian (Contributor), Elizabeth Hawley (Contributor), Juliet Kinchin (Contributor), Neil Levine (Contributor), Ellen Moody (Contributor), Therese O'Malley (Contributor), Ken Oshima (Contributor), Michael Osman (Contributor), Spyros Papapetros (Contributor), Janet Parks (Contributor), Matthew Skjonsberg (Contributor), David Smiley (Contributor), Mabel Wilson (Contributor) (MOMA / The Museum of Modern Art)




Frank Lloyd Wright: Unpacking the Archive edited by Barry Bergdoll | Courtesy of The Museum of Modern Art
Havana by Bernhard Hartmann

In Havana, Bernhard Hartmann shares his richly hued, beautifully considered photographs of the Cuban capital. After the death of Fidel Castro, and with the country significantly improving relations with the US in recent years – pre-Donald Trump at least – this book represents a precious collection of images of a historic city quite possibly on the verge of irreversible change.

Havana Hardcover – September 15, 2016 by Bernhard Hartmann (Photographer) , teNeues


 

Havana by Bernhard Hartmann | Courtesy of teNeues
A Bigger Book by David Hockney

The hefty A Bigger Book monograph spans David Hockney’s impressive 60-year career, featuring more than 450 works by the British artist, accompanied by a handwritten statement by the man himself. A limited collectors edition of over 600 pages, it’s an aspirational rather than a realistic buy. Each one comes with a tripod bookstand by Australian industrial designer Marc Newson, and costs a mind-boggling €2,000.

A Bigger Book by David Hockey , Taschen




A Bigger Book by David Hockey | Courtesy of Taschen
Women in Trees by Jochen Raiss

Another slightly odd, definitely intriguing choice, Women in Trees is edited by a woman named Jochen Raiss, who has been collecting amateur photographs of women in trees from flea markets for around a quarter of a century. Weird and wonderful, this strangely touching book has captured moments of pure happiness enjoyed by unknown women from the 1920s to the 1950s.

Women in Trees Hardcover – September 27, 2016 by Jochen Raiss,Hatje Cantz



Women in Trees by Jochen Raiss | Courtesy of Hatje Cantz
Nasty Galaxy by Sophia Amoruso

Nasty Gal founder and #GIRLBOSS author Sophia Amoruso’s new book Nasty Galaxyis a scrapbook on steroids, giving the owner a colourful insight into the businesswoman’s psyche. Combining essays, photographs and illustrations, this has plenty to keep her fans occupied until the Netflix version of #GIRLBOSS starts streaming in April.

Nasty Galaxy Hardcover – October 4, 2016 by Sophia Amoruso, G.P. Putnam's Sons

 

Nasty Galaxy by Sophia Amoruso | Courtesy of G.P. Putnam's Sons
Going Once: 250 Years of Culture, Taste and Collecting at Christie’s by Christie’s

Released in October 2016, this volume mark 250 years of the world’s most important auction house. It shines a light 250 of the remarkable objects sold at Christie’sthroughout its more than two centuries in business, from jewellery owned by Elizabeth Taylor to paintings by Picasso.

Going Once: 250 Years of Culture, Taste and Collecting at Christie's Hardcover – October 24, 2016
by Christie's (Phaidon Press)




Going Once: 250 Years of Culture, Taste and Collecting at Christie’s | Courtesy of Phaidon Press
The Kinfolk Home: Interiors for Slow Living by Nathan Williams

Though this book has been around since 2015, it is only becoming more relevant. Slow living, minimalism and the cultivation of more conscious lifestyles are all big trends for 2017, and this beautifully photographed Kinfolk bible serves as an excellent motivator for doing just that.

The Kinfolk Home: Interiors for Slow Living Hardcover – October 20, 2015
by Nathan Williams (Artisan)



The Kinfolk Home: Interiors for Slow Living by Nathan Williams | Courtesy of Artisan
Diane Arbus: Portrait of a Photographer

Arthur Lubow’s biography of Diane Arbus – the New York photographer known for quitting the fashion world in order to document the experiences of people living on the fringes of society, by choice or otherwise – is a worthy tribute to an immutable talent, and illuminates her best work.

Diane Arbus: Portrait of a Photographer Hardcover – June 7, 2016 by Arthur Lubow  (Ecco)




Diane Arbus: Portrait of a Photographer | Courtesy of Ecco
Visionaries: Creating a Modern Guggenheim edited by Megan Fontanella

Due for release in March 2017, Visionaries: Creating a Modern Guggenheim will mark another milestone in the art world. The book accompanies an exhibition of the same name opening at the landmark New York Museum in February, to commemorate the eightieth anniversary of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. It features an assemblage of the permanent collection’s most intriguing pieces.

Visionaries: Creating a Modern Guggenheim Hardcover – March 28, 2017
by Megan Fontanella (Editor), Tracey Bashkoff (Contributor), Susan Davidson (Contributor), Vivien Greene (Contributor), Lauren Hinkson (Contributor), Susan Thompson (Contributor),Guggenheim Museum Publications




Visionaries: Creating A Modern Guggenheim edited by Megan Fontanella | Courtesy of Guggenheim Museum Publications
Living With Pattern: Color, Texture, and Print at Home by Rebecca Atwood

Brooklyn-based artist and designer Rebecca Atwood’s study of pattern and how to use it was one of the most highly anticipated design books of 2016. Part-helpful guide to pepping up your living space, part-gorgeous photo collection of patterns in place, this is a home décor book worth investing in for 2017.

Living with Pattern: Color, Texture, and Prin… (Hardcover)by Rebecca Atwood,Clarkson Potter



Living With Pattern: Color, Texture, and Print at Home by Rebecca Atwood | Courtesy of Clarkson Potter
DASH: From Dwelling to Dwelling by Dick van Gameren

Being released in April 2017, DASH: From Dwelling to Dwelling highlights the need to find ways to use existing structures over building new housing, championing more sustainable models for building and urban planning.

DASH 14: From Dwelling to Dwelling: Radical Housing Transformation
by Dick van Gameren (nai010 publishers)



DASH: From Dwelling to Dwelling by Dick van Gameren | Courtesy of NAi010 Publishers