Coffee Table Books on Gardens
Any well-dressed living room should have coffee table books as a point of interest and to spark conversation among guests. I began my own coffee table book collection while working for Town & Country magazine. At Town & Country, the editorial staff were constantly sent samples and products from different brands hoping for coverage in the magazine. Naturally, they kept the good stuff and discarded the old or undesirable items on the “free” table. As a recent college grad, making $33,000 a year as Sales Assistant on the publishing side, I made sure to keep a close eye on the “free” table. This was easy because the “free” table happened to be located in the same room as the printer, which I visited approximately 20 times per day because one of the woman whom I assisted refused to learn how to press “print” on her own computer.
Anyway, coffee table books were constantly being discarded onto the “free” table, having been judged unworthy by the cultivated editorial staff. I began snatching up the books with colorful colors or interesting themes and stacking them beneath my cubicle until I had curated my own miniature library. At the time, I was living with my parents on Long Island and commuting an hour and a half each way into Manhattan for work (not ideal for lugging heavy coffee table books and where would I have to display them?). And so the library stayed beneath my desk until my last day at Town & Country. I packed all my books up into shipping boxes and sent them directly to my new home in King of Prussia, PA.
That was three years ago, and although my days at Town & Country have long passed, I maintain the same appreciation for coffee table books and now have them prominently displayed around our living room. Naturally, my favorite coffee table books are garden-themed. As Alex is a gardener by profession, and I am a gardener by association, the coffee table books are a great source of inspiration for us. As I mentioned earlier, they are also a wonderful conversation starter when we entertain and they certainly add to the coziness of the room.
My three favorite coffee table books were all gifts from my mom. She has picked up on my taste! They are: “Gardens At First Light” by Stacy Bass and Judy Ostrow (link here), “Nantucket Cottages & Gardens: Charming Spaces on the Faraway Isle” by Leslie Linsley (link here) and “The Art of the Garden: Landscapes, Interiors, Arrangements, and Recipes Inspired by Horticultural Splendors” by Relais & Chateaux and David Engelhardt (link here).
These books are my favorite because of their ability to transport me to a different place entirely. I feel like I can practically dive right into the photograph and experience the beauty of the surroundings. Each time I pick one of these books up, I feel completely inspired to transform our own property into something as timeless and breathtaking as these images.
I plan to add a narrow ottoman in front of this love seat. It’s important to have somewhere to put your feet up while reading!
Photograph from “Gardens at First Light” by Stacy Bass.
Equally important as having coffee table books on hand is to have comfortable vignettes where one might enjoy their reading. A love seat or pair of arm chairs works well. Be sure to have a side table nearby where one might rest a cup of coffee or a cocktail.
I recently moved a few travel guides from my office into the living room and have been pleased with the amount of conversation they have sparked! We enjoy telling stories and sharing photos of our past travels and are always looking for recommendations on where to travel next. These guides are an attractive and functional addition to the living room! They look beautiful between two elegant, carved book ends that Alex gifted to me one Christmas.
