Kaixo everyone,
Once again, my 5-minute determination to blog consistently faded into oblivion. Life got in the middle for the umpteenth time. As a 27-year-old grad student, it is nothing new. However, as I get closer to the end of my PhD program (say what??), I start thinking about my future more and more (and more and oh my goodness Jesus take the wheel I'm hyperventilating). As much as I wanted to when I got to the US for the first time, I have come to terms with the fact that there is no place like home, and I want to move back to the Basque Country as soon as possible.
One of my future projects is to buy an apartment in my hometown, and start a life. It has been low-key terrifying to see how I have gone from exclusively browsing fashion stores to *gasp* decor shops...!? Exactly. Now, I know that there are more important things to an apartment than decor (like, erm, a bed? A toilet?), but right now, in a moment of my life where I have 0 capital to buy an apartment and I'm still paying rent in the US, all I can think of is how to spruce up my temporary home.
One of my favorite things to make myself at home is books. Lots of them. Most books serve the purpose of well, entertaining me to no end, but are not considered "decor" per se. Enter coffee table books. I had never paid attention to these books until my mom got me a coffee table book about Barbie's history (if I ever post consistently, I will talk about my love of Barbie), and I got hooked. Ever since, I have slowly started collecting coffee table books that I hope to take to the apartment of my dreams. Here are my favorites:
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All in Good Taste: Kate Spade's darling coffee table book was an impulse buy because a) it was pink and b) it was the least expensive thing in store. It is the perfect book to be the hostess with the mostest, and while I kind of forgot about it (I bought it in the US, brought it to Spain and left it there), now that I live alone and have entertained guests I would say, successfully, this book is a great reference. Bonus: It has recipes and literary references. This former English literature major approves.
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Style: Raise your hand if Lauren Conrad was (or still is) your first fashion crush. I read all her L.A. Candy books (I still have them!), loved how she was the normal one in
Laguna Beach, the fact that she interned at Teen Vogue, and of course, all her cute outfits! I gotta admit that when I got this book I was a little disappointed. What was with all the text and few images? Why is she talking about make-up? Mind you, I was 18 and had virtually 0.5% of the idea about make-up that I have now, and it's not a lot, believe me. However, revisiting it throughout the years has proved me wrong. It is honestly one of the most useful books when I'm thinking of my own style and what fits and suits me.
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Tory Burch In Color: It is no secret that Tory Burch is one of my favorite brands. I love my Millers, I have a beautiful bright orange camera bag that I couldn't live without, and I swear by their fragrances. Apart from that, the decoration in their stores is probably my favorite. Touches of orange, dark green, gold... It evokes LUXE. I like to go to the store by the Magnificent Mile in Chicago and have an explosion of style and decoration ideas in my mind. However, when I leave, I always forget, and I go back to Pinterest like everyone else. Well, this book is the fixed continuation of that explosion that never goes away. The pictures that inspire her, the brand's history, and how each chapter is organized by color is A+ worthy.
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| Tory Burch In Color by Tory Burch (50$, 100$ for the special edition) |
- Whiskey in a Teacup: Boy, did this book deliver. Elle Woods, Melanie Smoother, Madeline Martha Mackenzie are some names that she has taken as an actress, but let's not forget fashion designer, and my favorite, executive producer of movies for women with women and about women. Reese Witherspoon is the GOAT. So when she published this book, I ordered without blinking. As an avid reader, I loved the stories about her family. As a hungry person, I loved her recipes. As a LINGUIST, I loooooved the chapter on Southern pronunciation. I don't have much time for recipes, but I definitely wanna try making biscuits with her recipe!
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Lilly Pulitzer x ASSOULINE: When Lilly announced they were releasing a 60th anniversary coffee table book, I gasped. Some fans in Lilly Facebook groups were like "not worth it", and I was like "wha...?". Considering they shill thousands on clothes with
super similar prints with decreasing quality, they would not get it? Their loss. Assouline is a fantastic brand for art and design books amongst others, and when I got my Lilly book, I stopped everything and went through all the pages. While this book is more picture-heavy, I loved seeing pics throughout the years of the brand! While I go through times when I love Lilly and times when I hate it, this book is fabulous.
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| Lilly Pulitzer x ASSOULINE by Lilly Pulitzer (85$, 195$ for the special edition) |
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Louis Vuitton City Guides: Last but not least, I have been loving Louis Vuitton City Guides! When I travel, I usually go low-key and budget-friendly, but whenever I feel boujee, I wanna know where to head to! This is where these books come into play. There are tons of city guides in English, French and Chinese of different cities around the world, and each of them is written or edited by a local figure/celebrity/it girl. So far, I've got the Chicago, London, Madrid and Sydney ones. I'm going to Australia in August, so I can't wait to get there and go to all the cool spots! :)
So there you have it! I'm a coffee table book hoarder and
I need help and I'm proud of it! In fact, I've also recently gotten
Classic Style by Kate Schelter, so I will give it a read and let you all know. Which are your favorite coffee table books? Sound off in the barren land known as the comments section!
Love,
- Ane
