"Certainly not a coffee table book"

Certainly Not a Coffee Table Book

Coffee table books are often oversized, visually polished, and filled with “interesting subjects,” yet rarely read. They exist less as literature and more as decorative objects — quiet symbols of taste, status, and cultural belonging.

Certainly Not a Coffee Table Book embraces this contradiction by becoming an object rather than a book. Designed purely for display, it plays with the idea of the only “book” one will never need to read, transforming expectation into irony.

The campaign extends this absurdity into a constructed world inspired by upscale social rituals in Santo Domingo. Drawing from lived experience, it offers a gentle critique of upper-class gatherings where spectacle often outweighs purpose. Characters appear dressed against the tropical climate, hosting intimate encounters filled with unnecessary theatricality — live music, magicians, and waitstaff — all in service of presentation rather than necessity.

Within this staged domestic setting, the product is revealed not as a utilitarian object, but as a performance. What begins as a social display culminates in the unveiling of the object itself, blurring the boundaries between art, decor, and cultural commentary. The visual language is intentionally atemporal, creating a sense of ambiguity in which era the viewer is witnessing.

The project operates as both homage and critique — a playful reflection on consumption, appearance, and the rituals we construct around objects meant to be seen rather than used.

The campaign was selected by the Latin American Fashion Awards, recognizing it as a Dominican Republic Local Star and highlighting it as one of the most creative and humorous social critiques.