Every coffee table deserves a coffee table book, or four.

What makes a great coffee table book? It’s a subjective one, but for me it’s easy – huge books with stunning cover-to-cover photography, most often on my cherished subject of furniture and wood, with the odd art or design book thrown in too. So here’s a selection of well-thumbed tomes from my coffee table:

Art Deco Furniture: The French Designers by Alastair Duncan
(Thames & Hudson)

This is an indispensable guide and frame of reference to the French designers of the Art Deco movement, which swept through Europe and the United States in the early twentieth century. A distinctive style, with its emphasis on individuality, combined with fine materials and exquisite workmanship, it created new standards in furniture design, architecture, and the decorative arts.

Edward Bawden by Caroline & James McGregor
(Cecil Higgins Art Gallery)

A beautiful selection of work from the long and illustrious career of Edward Bawden, the English painter, illustrator and graphic artist. Showing his skills on Fortnum & Mason advertising and promo materials for Ealing Studios, as well as his lithographs of London’s markets.

Pleasant Hill Shaker Furniture by Kerry Pierce
(Popular Woodworking Books)

I’m a great fan of the Shakers, and this book brings their wood-rich world to life for me, detailing the furniture created in the village of Pleasant Hill, Kentucky. It’s a fascinating look at the Shakers’ intriguing story, with their roots in England and eventually crossing to America in the 1800s. A timeless style which has endured for centuries and still continues to influence designers and homeowners today.

The Way We Live: Making Homes / Creating Lifestyles by Stafford Cliff
(Thames & Hudson)

An excellent and practical book, stunning photographs. This is a world tour of interior design elements, revealing patterns and global connections in home decoration. Described as much more than a decorating guide – more a design for living, it’s a great source of inspiration for homeowners.

Now it stands to reason that every coffee table book deserves a great coffee table in return. But what makes a great coffee table?

I do! Take a look at the elegant, solid wood Chantry rectangular coffee table with its unique converging X frame. As with all of my furniture pieces, you choose the wood, I handcraft each one to order, and I email you updates on your piece as it progresses. However, if you have any special requirements on the length of your coffee table, please talk to me.

Once it’s delivered, I’d love to see images of your Chantry with your own coffee table books in place. Do get in touch.