A holiday guide to coffee table books
Some excellent options for stocking on your desk, shelf, or, well, your coffee table.
Don’t be the Santal 33 guy
Look, no one wants to be referred to as the “Santal 33 guy.” It’s a wonderful scent, but it can put you in a box that you don’t want to be in.
You want to be free, unpredictable, and mature.
And that’s what Fulton & Roark fragrances give you — maturity with playfulness. I have to say the Sterling is a nice aromatic tobacco base with notes of leather and vanilla, and it’s so, so good. Also love the Blue Ridge and Ramble too.
Check ‘em out to test their scents (and use SPREZZA5 at checkout for a discount on their discovery kit).
Great books worthy of copping
I collect table books and magazines like a madman, and I have no regrets about that. Books make me happy, books inspire me, and books give me a surge of creative energy to think differently about life.
So, I’m compiling a curated list of great books you should buy (last minute, albeit) for the holidays. For yourself or someone you appreciate.
I’m making this guide free because I want everyone to have access to it. But if you want access to past and future paywalled content, sub here.
I also tapped the homie Garrett Colton—my friend and partner in crime on the Dirty Ivy vintage drops I’ve done the last few years—to help me with selects. Garrett is a sourcing master of great vintage clothing, books, home goods, and more.
I asked Garrett to share a few books he’d recommend to have in your home, and he went crazy with it.
ALSO, subscribe to his newsletter, Art Stuff, an awesome series of interviews with great folks in the art world.
Looking At Trees // Hoxton Mini Press
A book that is quite literally about trees. And it’s fantastic. It’s a curational book that pulls from photographers and their work photographing trees of all shapes and sizes. And on a deeper level, it’s about restoring our relationship with nature.
Juggling Is Easy // Peggy Nolan
I have so much respect for Peggy as a photographer–a single mother of 7 kids who decided to go all in on being a photographer. That struggle resonates with me on a personal level. Here’s an interview I did with Peggy one time.
Playboys // Robert Yager
An incredible photographer who visited LA during its most dangerous period and shot the notorious street gang The WestSide Playboys 13, starting in the early 90s.
Other Stuff // Ed Ruscha
My favorite artist of all time, Ed Ruscha. He is a fellow Oklahoman and revered as the quintessential of Los Angeles. I like that this book is more about all the ephemera which I am a big fan of, the gallery invites/posters/books etc.
Garden Futures, Designing with Nature
For those who are trying to step up their gardening game.
Willy Guhl // Thinking With Your Hands
I came across Willy’s work when I was managing a design gallery in 2012, and what I always knew Guh’s work for was the ceramic planters and outdoor chairs. It was nice to see his entire body of work and learn more about the designer.
Warhol on Basquiat // Taschen
There’s something about New York from the 80s and 90s. It’s a window of time I’ll forever be enamored with. The movement around music, art, fashion, and the scene downtown… this book is the perfect deep dive into Warhol and Basquiat’s lives, the people they ran with, how they dressed, and more. Highly recommend.
Football: Designing the Beautiful Game
An incredible research project that digs into every aspect of the sport from its origins in the UK, and unpacks how it’s evolved since then. They look at the sport holistically, which is something I love.