From the best lifestyle reads, interior guides to cookbooks, I have collected a selection of beautiful Nordic coffee table books which are not just pretty to look at but also very inspirational.
>> THE NORDIC BAKING BOOK BY MAGNUS NILSSON
Magnus Nilsson explores the rich baking tradition of the Nordic region, with 450 tempting recipes for home bakers. Nordic culture is renowned for its love of baking and baked goods: hot coffee is paired with cinnamon buns spiced with cardamom, and cold winter nights are made cozier with the warmth of the oven. No one is better equipped to explore this subject than acclaimed chef. In The Nordic Baking Book, Nilsson delves into all aspects of Nordic home baking – modern and traditional, sweet and savory – with recipes for everything from breads and pastries to cakes, cookies, and holiday treats.
Purchase it here.
>> HYGGE & WEST HOME: DESIGN FOR A COZY LIFE
This book is a peek into 20 inspiring homes across the US that have been designed around the hygge ideals of coziness, companionship, and comfort. With 240 pages of aspirational interiors, engaging homeowner interviews, and tips for recreating their cozy style in any space, this book explores what makes a home a truly personal space and offers readers the tools and inspiration to bring their own vision of hygge to life.
Purchase it here.
>> NEW NORDIC DESIGN BY DOROTHEA GUNTOFT
This stylish publication celebrates the wide-reaching impact Nordic design has had on the world scene, and heralds the arrival of a new generation of designers – as well as the magazine editors and bloggers chronicling their every move. The book features over 70 designers and commentators from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland – and beyond – both established and up and coming. Whether they work in interiors or product design, or comment on both in magazines or blogs, they all share a passionate commitment to a design style that still carries huge international appeal.
Purchase it here.
>> THE NORDIC THEORY OF EVERYTHING: IN SEARCH OF A BETTER LIFE BY ANU PARTANEN
In The Nordic Theory of Everything, Partanen compares life in the United States with life in the Nordic region, focusing on four key relationships—parents and children, men and women, employees and employers, and government and citizens. Partanen wants to open Americans’ eyes to how much better things can be—to show her beloved new country what it can learn from her homeland to reinvigorate and fulfill the promise of the American dream—to provide the opportunity to live a healthy, safe, economically secure, upwardly mobile life for everyone. Offering insights, advice, and solutions, The Nordic Theory of Everything makes a convincing argument that we can rebuild our society, rekindle our optimism, and restore true freedom to our relationships and lives.
Purchase it here.
>> THE RED THREAD: NORDIC DESIGN BY OAK – THE NORDIC JOURNAL
An elegant exploration of the hugely influential simplicity, beauty, and functionality of Nordic design – timeless, yet on trend. From literature to food, lifestyle to fashion, cinema to architecture, Nordic influence is evident throughout contemporary culture. The Red Thread: Nordic Design celebrates this deep-rooted aesthetic, showcasing the diversity of design from Scandinavia and Finland via more than 200 objects – from everyday items to exquisitely produced decorative glassware, and from traditional handmade textiles to mass-produced products found in homes across the globe. The title is taken from a metaphor, common in the Nordic countries, of a shared and highlighted characteristic (like a long connecting thread in woven material), that runs through and connects themes, ideas, stories, and, in this case, design.
Purchase it here.
>> NORTH: HOW TO LIVE SCANDINAVIAN BY BRONTË AURELL
Full of inspiration and ideas, how-tos and recipes to help you experience the very best of Scandinavian design, philosophy, cookery and culture, this honest behind-the-scenes look at the culture provides an invaluable insight into the wonderful and visually stunning world of Scandinavia. Like her viking ancestors before her, Brontë Aurell left Denmark to explore the world beyond home shores and in her travels has come to understand the fascination with her kinfolk, as well as seeing the idiosyncrasies of the Scandinavian lifestyle that locals take for granted.
Purchase it here.
>> THE NORDIC GUIDE TO LIVING 10 YEARS LONGER: 10 EASY TIPS TO LIVE A HEALTHIER, HAPPIER LIFE BY DR BERTIL MARKLUND
This compact guide provides wisdom from the Nordics, a region long known for its healthy and progressive lifestyle. It debunks myths on things we have been told are not good for us but actually can be: did you know drinking coffee will promote your health? Or that more people die of lack of Vitamin D than they do of skin cancer? Dr Bertil Marklund – a doctor and researcher at the Gothenburg University with over forty years of experience – provides the most cutting-edge research to explain the ten areas we should focus on to better our chances of a long life.
Purchase it here.
>> FIRE & ICE: CLASSIC NORDIC COOKING BY DARRA GOLDSTEIN
Bringing the best of Scandinavian home-cooking into your kitchen, Fire and Ice: Classic Nordic Cooking offers over 100 delicious recipes that showcase this region’s most beloved sweet and savory dishes. Scandinavia is a region of extremes—where effortlessly chic design meets rugged wilderness, and perpetual winter nights are followed by endless days of summer—and Fire and Ice proves that Scandinavian cuisine is no exception. Founding editor of Gastronomica and the West’s leading culinary authority on the cuisines of the European North, Darra Goldstein explores the rich cultural history and culinary traditions of Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. From the bold aroma of smoked arctic char to the delicate flavor of saffron buns, and from the earthy taste of chanterelle soup to the fragrant aroma of raspberry-rose petal jam, this beautifully curated cookbook features over 100 inspiring and achievable recipes that introduce home cooks to the glorious and diverse flavors of Nordic cooking.
Purchase it here.
>> THE MONOCLE GUIDE TO COSY HOMES
This book provides inspiring and fresh perspectives on making a good home. The editorial team of the British lifestyle magazine Monocle has collected small and bigger ideas for turning a house into a home. The book portrays lively homes, interiors and residents from different corners of the world. A handbook for making a home that will stand the test of time; take knocks and scuffs in its stride; and where lives can unfold, children grow up, and dogs run wild. The Monocle Guide to Cosy Homes is part of the Monocle series.
Purchase it here.
>> GOOD MORNINGS: MORNING RITUALS FOR WELLNESS, PEACE AND PURPOSE BY LINNEA DUNNE
In this inspirational guide Linnea Dunne shows how building a life-affirming ritual into your morning routine is an act of self-care that can benefit both your physical and mental health, enhance your productivity and positively influence your day. Whether it’s a dedicated yoga practice at sunrise, mindfulness meditation just after waking, journalling while you sip your morning coffee, or listening to birdsong in the back garden before you tackle your daily commute, a morning ritual can enhance your health and wellbeing, and bring increased contentment, clarity and purpose to your day. With countless ideas for nourishing morning practices and invaluable advice on how to create a morning ritual that is unique to you and takes your individual needs, circumstances and time constraints into account, this book will help you to make the most of the peace and promise of the first moments of every day.
Purchase it here.
>> SPIRITS OF THE NORTH: COCKTAIL RECIPES AND STORIES FROM SCANDINAVIA BY SELMA SLABIAK
This idea is at the heart of the Scandinavian lifestyle trends that many in contemporary culture have come to embrace. In an ever-present, all-encompassing quest to create this “just right” feeling when entertaining guests, star mixologist Selma Slabiak celebrates her Danish heritage by combining her personal and professional ethos for conviviality and togetherness with her expert, innovative knowledge of foraging and farm-to-table practice to present inventive drink and cocktail recipes in one multifaceted book. Slabiak shares with her readers elevated bartending expertise and finesse, layering familiar and unusual flavors and ingredients, along with Scandinavian traditions and nostalgic stories from her childhood in Denmark, in an inspiring, delicious, and original recipe book of Nordic-based cocktails–so we can all capture the extraordinary in the everyday.
Purchase it here.
>> NEW NORDIC HOUSES BY DOMINIC BRADBURY
Overflowing with stunning photography, this collection discovers the best contemporary houses across Scandinavia’s most beautiful and remote locations, designed by both emerging and established architects. In a climate with dramatic shifts in temperature and light, the homes of Nordic countries respond to ever-changing and breathtaking environments with an intrinsic sense of warmth. Nordic architects today are as much informed by vernacular traditions and natural materials as their forebears, but the most recent generation of practitioners reflects a new appetite for spatial exploration and changing lifestyles. Divided into four chapters―rural cabins, coastal retreats, town houses, and country homes―New Nordic Houses surveys Scandinavia’s finest and most innovative houses, featuring work by a broad spectrum of leading architects. Structured by terrain to show the full diversity of the landscape and its architectural challenges, this book reveals living spaces that are at once universal and distinctly Nordic. From country houses complete with traditional Nordic fireplaces, saunas, window seats, and verandas, to remote cabin hideaways and artist’s studios, there are details and grand ideas that can be applied to residential design.
Purchase it here.
Are there any books you miss on the list? Let me know as I am always on the lookout for new discoveries.
