I am preparing my holiday gifting list and checking it twice and thrice. Champagne is a favorite (it’s Veuve or bust, baby) as are citrus-scented candles from London’s Fortnum & Mason. CDs, too. Think everything from the Blow Monkeys to Bryan Ferry and maybe a dash of The Cult and Lady Gaga for good measure. But what else? Frankly, I love nothing more than bestowing delicious coffee table books upon my friends and talented co-workers, so here are a few far-flung favorites that channel a global go-to sensibility.
And since there are SO many fabulous coffee tables out there right now, count this installment as Part One. Part Two will feature my other favorite titillating tomes, so come back, and look me over. Again and again.
LA Stories
Hue
Los Angeles-based interiors whiz Kelly Wearstler returns with another gorgeous design book, this time about the power of color. Packed with glorious images of La Wearstler’s various projects (her sensibility has segued from Hollywood Regency to '70s-era eclectic) and zero text, Hue would be the perfect present for the design junkie in your life who likes some good eye candy. $49.95
New Orleans, Right Now
Dam Good Sweet: Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth, New Orleans Style
I am smitten with New Orleans-raised pastry chef David Guas’ colorful pastry creations (chocolate bread pudding with salted bourbon caramel sauce—yum!) as well as his ice creams, jams and sweet sendoffs. Scattered among the colorful recipes and rich images are terrific tidbits about the Crescent City. Dam Good Sweet is the perfect present for the lover of all things sweet. $25
Meet Me In Manhattan
Indochine: Stories, Shaken and Stirred
My most favorite restaurant in Manhattan is Lafayette Street’s long-running Indochine, a favorite of celebrities, style gurus and tastemakers. The service kicks and the pan-Asian cooking epitomizes simple-chic sublime. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, this bastion of perennial cool shines in Indochine: Stories, Shaken and Stirred, a coffee table tome that mixes original stories by the likes of Salman Rushdie and Fran Lebowitz with images from shutterbug Patrick McMullan and artwork by Helmut Lang and Julian Schnabel, among others. $50
London Calling
David Hicks: A Life of Design
The late Brit wit designer David Hicks brought a wildly contemporary spin to the once-staid world of English interiors, piling on geometric patterns with jewel-like colors to stunning effect. David Hicks: A Life of Design traces Hicks’ life and works paired with heady images that will leave you panting. And author Ashley Hicks, the designer’s son, brings an exceptional personal, touching viewpoint to the tome. $65
Viva Venezia!
Secret Gardens in Venice
Tucked away down dark alleys and sheltered behind the many canals, the gardens of Venice offer paradisiacal escapes that only the lucky have the chance to visit. Secret Gardens in Venice opens the garden gates to these verdant retreats and tell the rich stories behind the spaces. The boxwood . . . the statues . . . the ivy-draped walls. It’s all ga-ga glory in green. $50