My husband and I are definitely “book people.” We love reading books.  Never do we not have a stack of books next to our bed ready and waiting to be read.  We’re a bit picky however, in that we like to actually have the physical copy of the book.  Neither of us have e-readers or read any sort of books on our phones.  To us, there’s something about holding books in our hands and turning the actual pages that brings us joy.  As a decorator, I’ve developed a habit of buying not just good reads, but books that are pretty on the outside, and I can use to stage or style a home. Below are a few different places in your home it is good to have books, especially pretty ones.

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Coffee table books

Coffee table books are like the magazines of yesterday.  They are placed on your coffee table or end tables for you or your guests to flip through, not necessarily read cover-to-cover (even though I have). They should have beautiful pictures in them, since people are just flipping through as they wait for you to pour them some wine or finish making dinner. They should have attractive covers and book spines and book spines as well.  I know, I know.  It goes against the whole Don’t judge a book by its cover lesson, but what can I say, this is an interior design blog.

Below are a few of my favorite coffee table books, both because of their content and how great they look.  If you are using books like these to style your bookshelf or coffee table, I just recommend sticking to the same color pallet so your books create a cohesive look rather than just look cluttered and mismatched.

1.Elements of Style  2. Styled   3. domino  4. Apartment Therapy Complete and Happy Home  5. Surf Shack: Laid-Back Living by the Water  6. Habitat: The Field Guide to Decorating  7. The Year of Cozy: 125 Recipes, Crafts, and Other Homemade Adventures 8. Absolutely Beautiful Things: Decorating inspiration for a bright and colourful life

Cookbooks for your Kitchen Bookshelf

Usually when trying to meal plan for the week, I turn to my cell phone and Pinterest. It’s always nice, however, to have some trusty cookbooks with practical recipes that you’ll actually use.  Also, with today’s open shelving trend, it helps that these cookbooks are also beautiful on the outside.

1.Date Night In  2.  The Love and Lemons Cookbook   3. The Newlywed Cookbook  4. Food52 A New Way to Dinner   5. Beach Cocktails   6. Farm-to-Table Desserts

Children’s Books

The more books your child can get their hands on, the better.  No one needs to be convinced of that.  The cool thing is that some of these classic children’s books are also extremely beautiful on the outside.  Investing in these books not only builds a great library for your little one, but you can display these in your baby’s nursery or children’s room for practical yet stylish decor.

1. The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne (2016-03-07)   2. The Secret Garden   3. Flora and the Flamingo   4. All Aboard! London: A Travel Primer  5. Alice in Wonderland  6. Hansel and Gretel

What are your favorite books to display in your home?  I can personally vouch for these 20 if you are debating the investment.  They are all lovely additions to your home and are great reads as well.  Comment below to add to our list! I am ALWAYS looking for great new books to read! Bonus points for you if they’re pretty! Hope you enjoy these books as much as I have.