My favorite interior design books

the books I reach for time and time again for inspiration

Much like my London recommendations, there is a question that lands in my inbox or DMs on a near daily basis: what are your favorite design books? And as a very quick aside, I love when the question is phrased exactly like this, with one very simple and obvious distinction…that these are design books, and not only coffee table books, used for styling on a table or to fill empty shelves, never to be cracked open or poured over. This post is for the book readers and the ones who are looking to build a repertoire of not just inspiring but also informative design books. That doesn’t mean that all of these books are really text-heavy, or read like homework (although some of them do, in the very best of ways). A lot of these books lean heavily on the imagery and art design of the book itself to tell the story alone. But the common thread here is that all of these books include stunning photos or drawings to help teach, inform, and inspire. You’ll notice a trend with these because I am me and I simply cannot help myself sometimes…let’s just say if you see the word “British interiors” repeated again and again on this list, no you didn’t. Let’s dive in!

To start, let’s begin with the books of the informative sort- the ones that do a deep dive into furniture styles and era, the ones with drawings of different window treatments, and the ones that talk about the history of design. These are a great foundation for building any collection, and you’ll find me reaching for them often as a reference point when I’m designing for my own home or for clients.

1. The Decoration of Houses, Alexandra Stoddard (a great overview of things like window treatments and how to hang them, etc.)

2. American Antique Furniture, Patricia Petraglia

3. The Best in English Interior Decoration, Colefax & Fowler (if you buy one book on this list, put this at the very top).

4. Form & Decoration, Peter Thornton

5. The Encyclopedia of Furniture, Joseph Aronson (a great place to start for furniture enthusiasts)

6. NYSID's Home, Ellen S. Fisher (reads a bit like a textbook but covers everything)

The next list a little bit longer… in fact, I had to narrow it down a bit, because there are so many good ones out there. Sometimes my favorites vary depending on my mood, or the design I’m working on. But these are the ones that I’ve put in heavy rotation over the years.

1. An English Vision, Ben Pentreath (fairly new but an instant classic- dense and chock full of gorgeous imagery and description)

2. Studio Ashby: Home, Art, Soul

3. Affair with a House, Bunny Williams (after all these years, I keep going back)

4. New English Interiors, Elizabeth Metcalfe

5. English Decoration: Timeless Inspiration for the Contemporary Home, Ben Pentreath

6. Mario Buatta: An Anatomy of a Decorator (an excellent primer on the iconic “Prince of Chintz” and his interiors)

7. The Great American House, Gil Shafer (the preeminent American residental architect of our time!)

8. Romantics and Classics: Style in the English Country, Hugo Rittson Thomas

9. Steven Gambrel: Perspective

10. At Home in the Cotswolds: Secrets of English Country House Style, Katy Campbell (self explanatory but also so good)

Some honorable mentions that I also love: Colefax & Fowler Inspirational Interiors (honestly, this should be on the list above), Josh Young's Artful Home, A Kind of Magic by Luke Edward Hall, and Summer Thornton's Wonderland (wildly colorful and over-the-top interiors).

I also mentioned recently on Instagram that I use Thriftbooks.com on an almost weekly basis, and I’m absolutely certain that I’ve purchased duplicates. It’s a great place to get older editions, or even just browse to see what they have. I’ve discovered several new (to me) books that have been classics in my own collection. If you have a large collection and are looking for some new things to read, or if you’re just starting out or are on a budget, it’s a great place to start!

On a semi-related note, I sometimes get questions about which shelter magazines are in my rotation. I love a good home magazine, and my home is littered with stacks of back issues- but these days, I’m really only reading House & Garden UK, Veranda, World of Interiors, and Milleu (all of which I subscribe to- there’s nothing better than a fresh mag showing up on your doorstep).

Did I miss any of your favorites? I’d love to hear!