Coffee table books are an item that you might think would be simply decorative, but our choices of these tomes add an additional way to showcase who we are through decor. They are a fun way to express our style in a functional and fashionable way, and can be informative while provoking inspirational conversation. These six books, hand-picked by local librarian Mary Wallace Moore, make beautiful coffee table books while providing a handy resource to improve, organize, or decorate your home.
1. Home Therapy: Interior Design for Increasing Happiness, Boosting Confidence, and Creating Calm by Anita Yokota
The right lighting, furniture arrangement, and paint colors have a direct effect on your well-being. Whether you're looking for better work/life balance or design solutions for your family, licensed therapist turned interior designer Anita Yokota walks you through her signature method for setting up your home to boost your mind, body, and spirit.
2. Remodelista: The Low-Impact Home: A Sourcebook for Stylish, Eco-conscious Living
by Margot Guralnick & Fan Winston
Low-impact living is about making thoughtful, eco-friendly choices in your home. But being sustainable doesn't have to mean sacrificing style. In this comprehensive guide, the authors decode the secrets to creating a home that's good for the planet – and totally livable.
3. AphroChic: Celebrating the Legacy of the Black Family Home by Bryan Mason and Jeanine Hays
Owning a home might represent the American dream, but it's long been out of reach for a large portion of Americans. AphroChic includes tours that feature striking interiors filled with art and cherished heirlooms; stories that explore memories about family and community; and historical sidebars that touch on the obstacles to homeownership many Black Americans face today.
4. House Beautiful Live Colorfully by Joanna Saltz
Highlights a wide range of colorful homes, each with their own personality, as well as tips for both the novice and expert interior designer, including smart paint parings, how to read a room's light before committing to a color, and how to stencil paint onto a wall.
5. Good Housekeeping Home Skills: Master Your Domain with Practical Solutions to Everyday Challenges
With chapters on the kitchen, organizing and cleaning, decorating, home maintenance, outdoor living, and entertaining and celebrating, this go-to resource offers step-by-step illustrated instructions, inspiring photos and sometimes surprising but always practical guidance to get things done.
6. Family Handyman Whole House Storage & Organizing
Whether you’re looking to build a storage shed or to take advantage of unused space in your closet, this volume will help you tidy up all around the house—from the bathroom to the backyard and everywhere in-between.
These titles are curated by Mary Wallace Moore, the director of Smyrna Public Library in Smyrna, Georgia, and the author of Smyrna, Georgia: "The Jonquil City,” Celebrating 150 Years (2022).
