Eight Types of Custom Coffee Table Books to Inspire Your Next Creation

There are various reasons that coffee table books are so popular. Not only do they offer curated, high-quality content that’s visually striking and enjoyable to browse; they also serve as conversation starters and eye-catching home decor. Plus, coffee table books make excellent gifts.

All those benefits are even greater when you create your own DIY coffee table books. Mixbook’s platform for custom photo books is ideal for a coffee table book project using your own photos and any imaginable concept. There are zero limitations on the types of coffee table books you could make, whether it’s your own take on a classic idea like a travel photo book, a personal memory keeper, or something totally unique.

Creating the best coffee table books

When you’re creating a DIY coffee table book, the best books are those that meet your own expectations. However, there are some common characteristics of coffee table books to keep in mind as you create your own:

• Striking visuals: Coffee table books typically feature large picture sizes, stunning photography, and professional-looking compositions with ample white space.
• Cohesive content: The contents of coffee table books all fits a single clear and cohesive concept.
• Minimal text: Most coffee table books feature minimal amounts of text, ranging from brief captions to a few paragraphs on select pages.
• Large scale: As display items, coffee table books tend to be larger in scale than most photo books.
• Hardcover: A high-quality hardcover makes coffee table books sturdy and long-lasting.

Starting with a coffee table book theme and choosing the best size, cover, and paper types makes it easy to achieve the same characteristics for your own creation.

For more help with the process, check out our guide: How to Make a Coffee Table Book for Beginners

Types of coffee table books

Browse the selections of coffee table books at a local or online book store and you’ll see many and varied themes. Some of the most popular coffee table books showcase travel destinations, art, history, fashion, design, architecture, and nature. These visually appealing subjects might inspire your own ideas for DIY coffee table books.

You might also notice that your own field of interest is missing from bookstores – even greater inspiration to make your own coffee table book! And, naturally, your own personal photographs are nowhere to be found, making a DIY project essential for a totally custom creation.

Here are some general themes for coffee table books to spark your own ideas.

Travel coffee table books

Travel photo books are among the most popular of all custom photo books, and for good reason. We tend to take tons of photos when we travel, and vacation destinations offer beautiful landscapes and inspiring scenes.

For your travel coffee table book, come up with a clear concept, rather than just a collection of vacation photos. Examples include:

• Specific countries, states, regions, or cities
• Thematic groupings of destinations e.g. “villages of England,” “Florida beaches,” or “wine country”
• National or state parks
• Four seasons in (destination)
• Natural wonders

Consider the full photo travel theme with its edge-to-edge photo spreads and bold typographic accents on select pages. For a livelier look, check out the bright colors and fun retro accents of the trendy coffee table travel book.

Related: Travel Photography for Hobbyists and Professionals

Photography showcase

Whether you’re a professional photographer or it’s a hobby, it will be incredibly satisfying to showcase your best images in a custom coffee table book. Your book can also double as a portfolio. We suggest the modern portfolio theme with chic, gallery-inspired layouts and crisp text for captions.

Your photography coffee table book should include only your best photos, but think beyond that criteria to develop a concept. If you specialize in a particular type of photography, such as portraits, landscapes, architecture, or wildlife, make that the theme of your book. If you have broader interests, organize your book around thematic chapters.

Here are a few suggestions:

• City streets, neon at night, cafe culture, and street style.
• Weather patterns: wind, sunshine, rain, and ice.
• Smiling faces, flowing fabrics, framed figures, and people at play.
• Landscapes: countryside, coast, prairies, mountains.
• Color palettes: greens, reds, blues, black and white.

Artful coffee table books

Celebrate your artistic and creative skills – or create a gift for a talented loved one – with an art-themed coffee table book. Any visual arts are excellent candidates for such a showcase, including all types of painting, drawing, graphic art, illustration, collages, and textile arts like embroidery and quilting. Your child’s artwork might inspire a fun coffee table book as well.

Photograph or scan works of art that need to be digitized, and include captions with details like the names of the pieces, dates they were created, and media used. Longer pieces of text can be included to tell the stories behind works of art. You might also include an artist’s profile page, some shots of your studio space or equipment, and photos of the artist at work.

Food-themed coffee table books

For anyone who loves food and cooking, browsing a food-themed coffee table book is a real treat. Create your own using one of our cookbook themes or a coffee table book theme. A food-themed coffee table book has a focus on photography, but you can certainly include recipes, stories, and written features about ingredients, techniques, or culinary heritage.

Here are a few ideas:

• Foods of the (your culture) diaspora
• From Grandma’s Kitchen
• An encyclopedia of herbs and spices
• Springfield Garden Club’s home-grown fruits and vegetables
• Campfire cooking

Collection coffee table book

Any avid collector has ample inspiration for a custom coffee table book. Whether it’s Pez dispensers, playing cards, matchbooks, vintage cookware, or musical instruments, any collection readily translates to a theme for a book. Photographing every item in a collection is a great way to catalog and celebrate your special interest and efforts. It will also give you amazing content for a DIY coffee table book. Add caption text to record details about each item as well as any interesting anecdotes.

How about making an adorable coffee table book full of portraits of your kid’s stuffed animals? Stage each one for fun photoshoots and include their names, where you got them, and any stories. For a child, this type of coffee table book will become a lifelong treasure.

Coffee table books for hobbies and niche interests

For anyone with a deep interest in a niche subject, coffee table books with that theme probably don’t exist yet. This is a chance to create the first-ever coffee table book or hobby photo book about your unique field of interest. Here are some examples:

• Local history of your small town
• Your own upcycling and upholstery projects
• Botanical gardens of your home state

Punk rock shows at (venue)

Miniature furniture made from toothpicks

Think of your coffee table book as a refined version of an old-fashioned scrapbook and enhance it with memorabilia.

Coffee table book for your business

Creative professionals including designers, artists, stylists, hairdressers, architects, influencers, and many others might make a DIY coffee table book to use as a promotional tool. Use it to showcase your best work to potential customers, and give copies to big clients for holiday gifts. It’s also a great item to place in a waiting room.

For business coffee table books, pick a sophisticated theme such as black multi-photo layout or white minimalist portfolio.

Personal coffee table books

Personal subjects can be very inspiring for a DIY coffee table book, with potential to become treasured memory keepers and family heirlooms. Use the coffee table book format for personal themes like a family history book, a career retrospective for a retirement gift, an anniversary photo book, or a pet photo book starring your beloved four-legged friend.

Tell us about your DIY coffee table book

Coffee table books are some of the most spectacular of all photo books, often becoming a beautiful statement piece in the home. We’d love to hear all about your own creative and unique coffee table book projects. Send your customer story to hello@Mixbook.com.