WORDS BY SOPHIE HENDERSON
If there’s one part of your living area that should never be overlooked, it’s the humble coffee table. Standing in the centre of your space, this piece of décor is key to setting the character of your home — and to be filled with your favourite things, of course.
See the world through the pages of Assouline, where everything is beautiful. Married couple, Prosper and Martine, and their sons, Alexandre and Sébastien, are the world’s leading librarians of luxury. Dedicating their lives to Assouline coffee table books, the family speaks volumes (quite literally) on behalf of international fashion.
Assouline understands that an oversized coffee table book is there to inspire conversation. It understands that everyone has their own style. But most importantly, it understands that 99% of the time a book is closed in your home. Whether it’s a gift for your art-loving friend who enjoys strolling around city galleries, or your parents who enjoy the occasional trip to faraway places — if it’s ugly, it’s a problem.
Accessing the pages of Assouline means access to over 1,700 objects of art. From high fashion to travel, interiors to beauty, our range of the best Assouline books is as diverse as your dinner party chatter. We’ve brought together the best coffee table books to start (or add to) your collection. You’ll be as cool as a Scandi Instagram influencer overnight, and our ultimate choices make great gifts, too.
Travel
Whisk yourself away with Uzbekistan: The Road to Samarkand by Yaffa Assouline, with stunning original photography by Laziz Hamani. Turn pages to the heart of Central Asia, where colossal mountains and sweeping valleys sleep under a blanket of lush greenery. Photography, travel and culture enthusiasts alike will cherish this silk hardcover, which includes around 220 illustrations, winding through the cities of the Silk Road and the lands of Alexander The Great. This is one to pass onto to the grandkids.
Uzbekistan: The Road to Samarkand by Assouline
Culture
Reference this elegant hideaway in your own home with St. Moritz Chic. Nestled in Switzerland’s Alpine Engadin Valley, St. Moritz stands on its own amidst a sea of celebrated ski resorts. Creatives and royals share ski wassers slope-side, pause to sip champagne on long strolls around the crystalline lake, and enjoy coffee at the centuries old Hanselmann.
Writer and Art Director Dora Lardelli brings you along on a majestic tour of its special events — from the Winter Olympics to the annual Snow Polo World Cup, as well as the summertime Jazz Festival and the British Classic Car Meeting.
St. Moritz Chic by Assouline
Design
We’ve taken a page out of Assouline’s catalogue. Discover the collaboration between Assouline and Farfetch, with Farfetch Curates Design covering everything from new design-focused hotels in Chicago to the emerging design capitals of the world like Taipei, Prague and Jakarta. We keep our fashion-trained eye focused throughout.
Don’t dust over our other two titles — we’ve got Farfetch Curates Art and Farfetch Curates Food too. The uniformity of the covers means they look great arranged as a stack of coffee table books.
Farfetch Curates Design by Assouline
Fashion
Celebrating the 90-year rise of family, artistry and craftsmanship, Fendi Roma traces the storied history of a label that was founded in 1925 as a proudly Roman house by Edoardo and Adele Fendi — and one that was eventually helmed by their five daughters.
Look out for archival photographs, editorials and illustrations that pay homage to their 50-year collaboration with Karl Lagerfeld. This is one for any fashion fan.
Fendi Roma by Assouline
Beauty
From Roaring Twenties bobs to punk mohawks, treasure Assouline’s tribute to Hair. Renowned stylist John Barrett curates a portfolio of the most symbolic and iconic images that have defined our cultural world.
Twiggy’s pixie cut epitomises mod sixties youth, Farah Fawcett’s tousled waves vividly call to mind the decadent disco era, and Grace Jones’ flattop symbolises her pioneering androgyny. Tap here for inspiration.
Hair by Assouline
Looking for more? We’ve also got a range of self-published titles fit for the coffee table, including streetwear picks
Streetwear
Crafted in Italy, a streetwear fanatic won’t want to miss out on this ode to Off-White. Deck out your coffee table with the label’s photographic Perforated Book, inspired by themes behind the SS20 runway show.
The leather book consists of photographs taken by Ivan Ruberto in Paris. Ruberto scouted the streets and chose 15 Parisian women based on their unique aesthetics, each styling their own look with the Meteor Bag. Find creative, visual characters of all ages
Perforated Book by Off-White