Coffee table books are great for elevating your style. They serve many purposes. From providing height as a base or platform to displaying gorgeous home accessories. They also look fabulous as standalone art pieces, and they tell beautiful visual stories.

But they do so much more; they reflect a part of who we are. They tell a story about our personalities. The things we value. And things that interest us. 

For me, the purchase of a coffee table book goes beyond decor. It gives my guest a peek into who I am, the things I value, and the things I enjoy. But it has also been the initiation of many wonderful and exciting conversations in my home. 

We often see our favorite interior designers on or off Instagram showcasing beautiful coffee table books. Some we may find attractive. Others we believe may add an elevated element to our decor. But I urge you to go beyond what looks pretty.  And instead select one based on your interests, values, passions, and the things you love and enjoy. Make a statement tell a story about who you are.

I have several coffee table books that are stand-alone art pieces, a few that are purely decorative, others about organizing, fabric, and wine. My collection is as extensive and diverse as my interests.

Today we are focusing our list on Black authored or featured Coffee Table Books:

While writing this article, I googled coffee table books for fun, and the likes of Tom Ford, Louis Vuitton, Peter Lindgren, etc., were the first to show up. And I must say I own several of these books. They are all lovely books to have as part of your collection.  They do add to your decor very nicely and elevate your living room. But the books listed here were selected to add diversity to anyone’s collection. 

Here are 29 Fabulous Coffee Table Books to choose from when you make your next purchase.

Kahran and Regis Bethencourt: GLORY: Magical Visions of Black Beauty

darryl carter: the collected home: Room with Style, Grace, and History

Barkley L. Hendricks: Birth of the Cool

Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah: The Sex Lives of African Women: Self-Discovery, Freedom, and Healing

Raphaela Platow: Art and Race Matters: The Career of Robert Colescott

Middleton A. Harris and Toni Morrison: The Black Book

Unseen: Unpublished Black History from the New York Times Photo Archives

Rebecca Peabody: Consuming Stories: Kara Walker and the Imagining of American Race

Shantrelle P. Lewis: Dandy Lion: The Black Dandy and Street Style

Dawoud Bey: Class Pictures

Kwame Brathwaite: Black Is Beautiful

Tina M. Campt: A Black Gaze: Artists Changing How We See

Connie H. Cho: Black Refractions: Highlights from The Studio Museum in Harlem

Bryant Terry: Black Food: Stories, Art, and Recipes from Across the African Diaspora

Peter Kunhardt: Gordon Parks: The New Tide: Early Work 1940–1950

Mickalene Thomas: Muse: Mickalene Thomas: Photographs

Carol Beckwith: Faces of Africa: Thirty Years of Photography (National Geographic Collectors Series)

Hilton Carter: Wild Interiors: Beautiful plants in beautiful spaces

Kimberly Drew: Black Futures

William H. Grier and Price M. Cobbs: Black Rage

Ian Alteveer: Kerry James Marshall: Mastry

Michael Henry Adams: Style and Grace: African Americans at Home

Vanessa Core Vernon: Brown Bohemians: Honoring the Light and Magic of Our Creative Community

Lynette Yiadom-Boakye: Fly In League With The Night

Arthur Mitchell and Karel Shook: Dance Theatre of Harlem

Kehinde Wiley: Black Light

Monica Ahanonu: Icons: 50 Heroines Who Shaped Contemporary Culture (Inspirational Book about Strong Women, Empowering Book for Girls, Teens, and Women)

Sheila Bridges: Furnishing Forward: A Practical Guide to Furnishing for a Lifetime

Antwaun Sargent: The New Black Vanguard: Photography Between Art and Fashion

Save this list for your next coffee table purchase.