Inspiring Interior Design Books

Styled is the only book on this list that is more than a few years old. But I had to include it because I think it’s a great place to start, especially if you feel sort of lost or insecure about interior design. Henderson starts off with a quiz to help you identify your design style (which I made pretty much everyone in my life take), then she explains each of those styles. The rest of the book is dedicated to demystifying interior design. As Henderson focuses on different room types, she also provides helpful insider tips on how to think about styling your own space. If you like this book, then you might want to know that she has a new book called The New Design Rules that is scheduled to be released in April.

The quiz in Your Home, Your Style aims to help readers figure out their design “disposition” (as opposed to Henderson’s “style” quiz). It’s kind of interesting to think about whether you seek out items for your home that each have their own unique story or prefer to decorate once and never have to do it again. Whatever your design disposition, Garlough then dedicates the rest of the book to planning your space — from inspiration to execution. I enjoy the breakdown of spaces not into rooms, but into types of spaces: social, relaxing, hardworking, and in-between.

Justina Blakeney’s first book, The New Bohemians, made a big splash in 2015. So big, in fact, that she released a follow up handbook 2 years later. Jungalow is her latest book, and it’s my favorite book on this list. Not only is it full of colors — which seems to be kind of rare where interior design books are concerned, surprisingly — it’s also really nicely organized, with chapters that look at color, pattern, and bringing the outside in. Blakeney’s conversational tone makes the book super fun to read, and I love her point that design is culturally inflected: “‘Clashing’ is cultural. Vibrant color combos that are rare in some cultures are ubiquitous on walls, outfits, and accents” in others. The vibrant colors, patterns, and textures in Jungalow are a welcome and refreshing divergence from the more common palette of beiges, whites, and grays.

Just as the title promises, Design Remix offers a fresh take on “traditional” style. Jenkins definitely updates traditional, giving it a little color here, a subtle twist there. The result? Rooms that are at once innovative and familiar, and always inviting. The book’s organization moves from basics to more complex ideas in a way that builds so once you’re finished there’s been some real learning. Jenkins’s original sketches are a nice visual complement to the beautiful photographs that will have you drooling over upholstery and rugs and everything in between.

Gaines’s lovely book begins with a couple of chapters on basics (“Homebody 101” and “Identifying Your Design Style”) before launching into nine individual chapters that each focus on a single room type (bedrooms, entryways, kid spaces, etc.). I love that each chapter features a short section called “What to Consider” and ends with another short section called “Troubleshooting.” These sections are super helpful and make for easy reference guides if you’re planning something in a specific room of your space.

If you like keeping plants in your home, this is the perfect book for you. After the introduction, the book is broken into three sections. In the first, Carter shares his ten biggest inspirations and features in-depth information about ten on-trend plants. In the second (and longest) section, he showcases beautiful interiors as examples of different ways to plants can be incorporated in home design. In the third and final section, he offers guidance for thinking about how to successfully bring plants into your own home. I especially appreciate the tips and tricks of the trade that Carter sprinkles throughout the book.

Okay, I know I said this list was about interior design books, but I had to include this one. It’s the best little guide to styling your outdoor space! It’s fantastic for thinking about small gardens (as the title suggests), but I think it would also give those of you lucky enough to have large outdoor areas plenty of ideas. Eaton and Kramer cover a lot of design principles for yardscapes, including planters and outdoor furniture and creating a balanced garden design.

I couldn’t leave this book off the list. After all, this is Book Riot! No way I could not tell you there’s a whole book about how people incorporate books as a central element of interior design. As a disclaimer, this is probably the one book on this list that goes in a more coffee-table-book direction, since it is really more of a showcase book than a how-to book. Nevertheless, I think you’ll understand why I included it if you pick it up — just flipping through Bibliostyle will give you about a million ideas for how to shelve your own books.