coffee table books 2022

The Chicest Coffee Table Books to Wrap Up This Year

Refresh their library with the latest crop of stylish tomes

Some people are just too stylish to buy for (almost). It’s your hairstylist who only wears Gucci, your sister-in-law who always knows what’s trending on next season’s runways. The solution to this gifting dilemma is simple: coffee table books. Everybody, no matter how ample their wardrobe, appreciates a glossy new tome to flick through and set up in pride of place on their equally glossy side table. Do include a gift receipt (because they also know what the hottest books are), but if you stick to this year’s hottest new releases, you should be in the clear.

Read on for the most stylish coffee table books to gift this year.

Louis Vuitton: Virgil Abloh by Anders Christian Madsen (Assouline)
Louis Vuitton: Virgil Abloh by Anders Christian Madsen (Assouline), $160, assouline.com. Photo: Assouline

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When the founder of Off-White, creative director of Louis Vuitton and major force of culture, creativity and inclusivity in fashion, Virgil Abloh, died of cancer at 41 last year, the fashion world reeled. Now, this silk-bound tribute to his work at the French house shines a light on Abloh’s many moments of design genius as well as his MO, in his words, to “unlock the door for future generations.” It’s a hot-ticket item (Sasha Exeter recommended it when we asked for her top gift picks, too) and is already sold out at many retailers, but its publisher, Assouline, still has it in stock and ships to Canada via FedEx.

 

Bob Willoughby: A Cinematic Life By Bob Willoughby (Chronicle Chroma)
Bob Willoughby: A Cinematic Life By Bob Willoughby (Chronicle Chroma), $72, amazon.ca. Photo: Chronicle Chroma

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Bob Willougby was the first photographer to be hired by film studios of the 1950s to come and shoot behind the scenes images of the stars. He did so for the better part of 20 years, and many of the results are collected here: A pensive, smoking James Dean reviewing his script on the set of Rebel Without a Cause; Jean Seberg reading the International Herald Tribune in bed for Bonjour Tristesse; Marilyn Monroe beaming a megawatt, fuchsia-lipsticked smile between takes of Hollywood Party. Iconic.

 

Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting Edge Kicks by Elizabeth Semmelhack (The Bata Shoe Museum/Rizzoli)
Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting Edge Kicks by Elizabeth Semmelhack (The Bata Shoe Museum/Rizzoli), $68, amazon.ca. Photo: Rizzoli

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Sneakers have felt like the future since the 19th century, when they were made possible by innovations in manufacturing and materials. They still do, as Bata Shoe Museum curator Elizabeth Semmelhack shows through interviews with designers (Salehe Bembury, Iris Van Herpen) and descriptions of ongoing innovations from “sneakers created to address issues related to sustainability and inclusion, to shoes that blur the line between the real world and the metaverse.”

 

St. Barth’s Freedom by Vassi Chamberlain (Assouline)
St. Barths Freedom by Vassi Chamberlain (Assouline), $130, net-a-porter.com. Photo: Assouline

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A longtime playground for the rich (Rockefeller, Bezos) and famous (Garbo, Kardashian) the mostly French-speaking Caribbean island St. Barths is known for super yachts, sparkling islets and a short, treacherous landing strip for only the bravest pilots. This linen-covered book leans into the glamour and excess, taking us where visitors spend their Euros: Eden Rock, Le Toiny Beach Club and the Cheval Blanc on Isle de France. Bon voyage!

 

Hay By Rolf Ad Mette Hay (Phaidon)
Hay by Rolf and Mette Hay (Phaidon), $71, amazon.ca. Photo: Phaidon

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To step into the Hay flagship in Copenhagen is to be immediately inspired to make every aspect of your life more efficient, functional and most of all attractive. Nesting hex-shaped powder-coated-metal trays for knick-knacks; candy-coloured notebooks and sticky notes; curving furniture that holds a room together. Twenty years since Hay began, the ongoing legacy of founders Rolf and Mette Hay is summed up in this vibrant book sure to delight every design nerd.

The Five-Bottle Bar: A Simple Guide to Stylish Cocktails by Jessica Schacht (TouchWood Editions)
The Five-Bottle Bar: A Simple Guide to Stylish Cocktails by Jessica Schacht (TouchWood Editions), $28, amazon.ca. Photo: TouchWood Editions

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Proof that simplicity is best (and that the dusty bottle of crème de menthe at the back of the shelf really has to go), this guide to building a dependable roster of cocktail offerings zeroes in on just five bottles: gin, whiskey, sweet and dry vermouth and Campari. (Plus bubbly.) From the B.C.-based founder of Ampersand Distilling Company, it’s useful, straightforward and will take your cinq à sept to new heights.

 

An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield (Random House of Canada), $28, indigo.ca. Photo: Indigo

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Chris Hadfield’s bestselling book needs no introduction, but its new outfit does: Montreal artist Dan Climan was tasked with designing a special edition cover for it, guided by images from space that Hadfield shared, for Indigo’s 25th anniversary. The result is just as striking as the anecdotes (like the time he broke into a space station with an army knife) and wisdom (always prepare for the worst) contained within.

 

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