Interior Design Style Books

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From subtly shimmering white subway-style walls to dramatic colorful mosaics, tile is one of the most seductive ways to enhance the beauty of a space. Long prized for its durability, tile has become more of an object of aesthetic desire than ever before. Your heart may be set upon using it, but with thousands of imaginative options available, you may not know where to begin. Now, The Art of Tile beautifully illustrates what to use, how to use it, and where to use it.
First, design writer and tile enthusiast Jen Renzi walks you through the basics of using the medium: selecting the best materials for certain spaces; installation and maintenance considerations; and aesthetic aspects, such as using tile as an accent or pairing tiles with different patterns in the same area. She then helps you answer the big-picture questions: Do I want eco-friendly bamboo tile in the bathroom? Gorgeous gold-leaf Italian glass tile on my backsplash? Or just a neutral-colored tile with a raised texture? Along the way, you’ll see dozens of installations to spark your imagination, including all of the latest advances and never-before-seen options, such as luxurious leather tile floors that coddle the feet, surprisingly realistic imitation-wood tiles made from porcelain, and an explosion of roses in a red-and-white dining room mosaic.
With inspiring photographs of tile installations from Montauk to Morocco, an extensive resource guide, and expert advice from architects, designers, homeowners, and tile manufacturers, The Art of Tile is as much a feast for the eyes as it is an indispensable and comprehensive resource.
Hardcover, 320 pages.

Shane Reilly draws upon her many years of professional experience and expertise running an interior design company with offices in new York and San Francisco, helping a wide variety of clients in developing customized high-end designs for their homes and offices in writing "Inspired High-End Interior Design". Reilly also draws upon the contributions of 83 of the country's leading interior designers and examines the different sources of inspiration these designers call upon for their concepts and ideas. Reilly also addresses such diverse interior design issues as the use of art and collected objects, furniture and fabric, personality, concept, color and architecture in forming a concept for the look of a room. Profusely illustrated with more than 300 photographs of beautiful and beautifully diverse rooms and a strongly recommended addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library Interior Design Studies reference collections, "Inspired High-End Interior Design" emphasizes focusing on unique, high-quality pieces in a room design resulting in a work of liveable art that will have an enduring appeal for dedicated designers, homeowner esthetics, and anyone seeking to live and work in an hospitable, elegant, luxurious surrounding. Also very highly recommended are two other Interior Design titles from Schiffer Publishing: Decorator Show Houses: Tour 250 Designer Rooms and "Designer Showcase: Interior Design At Its Best. Hardcover, 192 pages.

This gorgeous book is both a history and a pictorial celebration of the enormously influential design firm. A fascinatingly anecdotal text tells the story of the firm's founder, John Fowler, and show his style evolving through his association with Sibyl Colefax and Nancy Lancaster and later through his work in restoring National Trust houses. In addition, it describes the expert craftsmanship and technical skills behind the firm's internationally acclaimed artistry. Watercolors, especially commissioned photographs of rooms and motifs, swatches of fabric and wallpaper, trimming and other decorative elements are beautifully reproduced and discussed. Paperback, 224 pages.

Brimming with color photos and marvelous design ideas, this home decor book showcases the work of the world's best-known interior designers--and celebrates 100 years of fabulous fabrics from the world's most renowned textile house. The first part of the book offers a brief history of the firm and reveals the inspiration behind some of it's most famoous fabric collections. We are shown rooms decorated with Brunschwig fabrics and learn how they developed the concept of "scheming" to help decorators balance colors, textures, prints and trimmings to create an overall harmonious look. The ultimate guide to decorating with fabrics. Over 200 color photographs. Hardcover, 208 pages.

Providing a first-person "tour" through several stunning homes, apartments, and showhouse rooms created by one of America's leading interior designers, Noel Jeffrey. His unique ability to complement architectural features with tasteful furnishings, daring color, and unusual juxtapositions has made him the designer of choice among a noteworthy clientele-and is highlighted in this spectacular volume. Each home in the book is considered in an overview, then explored room to room, providing an expert's point of view and approach to interior design. The book reveals Jeffrey's ingenious process through gorgeous four-color photographs, detailed captions about the colors and furnishings chosen for each setting, and helpful design tips. Also included is a chapter on finishing touches, the details-or accessories-that complete a room's décor. Two gatefolds enable readers to examine two of the homes in the book in depth, from lighting to fabric choices. Design Diary is a beautiful, inspiring volume that is an excellent sourcebook for those in search of decorating ideas for creating elegant, livable spaces as well as for professional interior designers.
About the author- Noel Jeffrey has been an interior designer for over thirty years. He is known for his eclectic breadth of styles-from eighteenth-century Neoclassic to English Traditional, Mission, Art Deco, and Modern. Jeffrey's commissions include homes and commercial spaces, as well as model apartments and showhouse rooms. His work has appeared in every notable shelter magazine including House and Garden, House Beautiful, Metropolitan Home, and Architectural Digest, as well as the New York Times. Jeffrey has made numerous television appearances on CNN's Style and HGTV, and is a frequent lecturer on the subject of interior design. He is the author of Interior Details: The Designers' Style (PBC International, 1996), which was printed in both hardcover and paperback. Hardcover, 136 pages.

A beautifully photographed look at the creative possibilities of decorating with antique and contemporary American hardware: doorknobs, drawer pulls, locks, hinges and more. Suddenly, hardware seems to be featured everywhere: glossy magazines showcase glimmering arrays of cabinet handles and famous designers are creating door pulls. With the current focus on building and renovating houses, there's a great demand for hardware that is both beautiful and functional and that matches the particular design of the house, whether it is Victorian, Arts and Crafts, Art Deco, Contemporary or another style. Hardware can change the entire look of a room; the fine details on doorknobs and cabinet handles can become the decorative springboard for every room in the home. Compared with the expense of demolition and reconstruction, changing the surface details--replacing the hardware--is a small investment. And if the original hardware is intact, it can serve as a guide to the age and history of a house. It's a part of our heritage. In the first-ever comprehensive book written about decorative hardware, Liz Gordon and Terri Hartman, the owner and the manager of Liz's Antique Hardware in Los Angeles, the nation's foremost antique hardware store, delve into this rarely considered aspect of interior design. They reveal the history behind the most loved styles of hardware during the last few hundred years and show you how to fit these decorative, historical pieces of art into your own home. You'll see exquisite homes that incorporate antique and contemporary hinges, handles, knobs, and locks--and find an incredible variety of ways to express your personal style through American decorative hardware. Hardcover, 240 pages.

Modern rustic is a natural, rural lifestyle ideal for contemporary dwellers looking to improve their quality of life by adopting a country aesthetic. This style book brings country essence into any home by introducing an organic, environmentally conscious way of life. As it explores the historical concept of rustic living and how the style has evolved into a modern ideal, this volume features fabulous photographs and visual ideas to create down-to-earth decor. Easy to follow projects, the philosophy of the rustic style, and the elements of the rustic look (from the color palette to the beauty of the natural materials) are all presented for today's back to nature enthusiast. Paperback, 144 pages.

SEASIDE INTERIORS takes the reader on a grand tour including Pierre Cardin's retro-futuristic, otherworldly home on the Côte d'Azur, House & Garden style contributor Judyth van Amringe's whimsical coast-of-Maine retreat, photographer Gian Paolo Barbieri's vernacular Seychelles house, the Montauk cottage-on-a-cliff of renowned designer Vicente Wolf, a handsome timber house hugging the coast in Big Sur, a playful family compound on the beach in Bahia, and a dramatic sculptural house on Mexico's Pacific coast. Hardcover, 304 pages.

Home sweet home away from home...the weekend getaway is the perfect place to rejuvenate, a sanctuary for enjoying life's simpler pleasures. For those who already own a second home or dream of having one, this lovely volume of more than 200 lush photographs will transport sojourners from one beautiful retreat to another. From rustic cabins to grand farmhouses, from water's edge to country meadows and mountain glades, a weekend home is the perfect place to unwind. Taking an intimate tour of twenty-seven weekend escapes, revealing in wonderful detail both interior and exterior views, readers learn from the owners what makes each place special and why the perfect weekend home isn't limited to any one part of the country, nor is it defined by size or style of architecture. The real beauty of these houses lies in the casual, relaxed vacation lifestyle they inspire. A stunning photographic journey, Weekend Houses is the ultimate guide to leaving it all behind. Hardcover, 204 pages.

Interior decorating is meant to be a personal business, but often designers have such a specific vision that they ignore beloved collections or mementos. In Meditations on Design, John Wheatman insists that it's those extremely personal items that make your home a work of art, and goes on to show a myriad of possibilities for display. His vision is of a home that is never "done"--as he says in the first chapter, "Who you are and what you want to say about yourself is continually changing." With pages of lovely photos combined with thoughtful text, he does a great job of showing possibilities for both your home and your inspirations. Couches are low and comfortable, obviously meant for dogs and children as much as for swanky adult gatherings. Colors tend to be bold on the walls while neutral on the furnishings--after all, it's certainly cheaper to repaint than it is to reupholster. Living-room shelves are full of books, window treatments are minimal, and walls are consistently covered with the personal art collections of his clients. Whether your tastes run to chairs (his favorite), African masks, or Japanese pottery, Wheatman has a practical and low-maintenance way to show off treasures while integrating them naturally into the room. The close-up photos of statuary, gardens, and textured pottery will inspire readers to combine their own decorating schemes with day-to-day practical needs. Hardcover, 128 pages.

The Mexican Style Source Book explores the distinctive architecture of Mexico: from haciendas to columns and arches to palapas. Interiors focus on the textures and materials, including wood, metal, leather, paper, fiber, tiles, ceramics, silver and stonework. Featured patterns include floral, pictorial, religious, symbolic and stone relief.

About the Author: Peter Aprahamian is a leading architectural and home-style photographer whose work has appeared in World of Interiors, Elle Décor and Conde Nast Traveler. He has also photographed two books - Inside London and Inside Barcelona. Hardcover. 144 pages.

Focusing specifically on colors, textures, and imagery from China and Japan, Asian Style presents a new look into stylistic elements that are often hundreds of years old. Covering texture, materials, architecture, and decoration, you'll find many pages of beautiful inspiration and historical detail. It begins with a look at how specific colors are interpreted differently than in the West, notably red, yellow, white and gold. Back in A.D. 206, yellow was chosen as the color of the Chinese emperors, much the same as purple was chosen in western civilizations. While many of us may associate yellow with fast food more than intricately embroidered silk, the close-up photos of ancient robes and buildings may have you looking at this color with a fresh eye. Patterns common in Asian art are also explored in detail; as author Jenny de Gex says, "Where we see only the random juxtaposition of flowers, animal, and geometric designs, the Chinese and Japanese will 'read' a story written in a visual language rich in linguistic and literary allusions." Moving onto use of materials like paper, stone, and wood, readers will find a historical perspective on these natural textures, and how ancient uses can be translated into modern times. Not a book that provides specific how-to ideas or floor plans, it is rather an exploration of stylistic differences between cultures that is a refreshing change from misguided attempts at westernizing feng shui. Ending with a short section on Japanese gardens, the overall sense is of a book in love with the rich simplicity available from these two ancient cultures. Hardcover.

An Asian aesthetic has taken root in the West. Asian interiors extol the use of natural materials, and exude a sense of harmony and balance in tune with today's softened minimalism. This sourcebook of authentic Asian styles from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bali, Japan, Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong and southern India breaks a way from traditional interior design books. It is divided according to the five elements: AIR examines the use of space, light and indoor / outdoor architecture; EARTH explores Asian gardens, including Zen gardens and materials like clay, stone, terra-cotta and concrete; WATER looks at bathrooms, waterside homes and water gardens; FIRE focuses on kitchens and materials transformed by fire: metal, glass, and ceramics; WOOD contains furniture, textiles and wood related materials from bamboo to rattan. Hardcover, 144 pages.

The principles of Zen Buddhism are increasingly reflected in interior design today, as people look for ways to create havens of calm and relaxation within their own homes. Zen Interiors abounds with practical advice on organizing personal possessions to simplify the home environment. Readers learn to use natural perspectives to achieve harmony and balance; fabrics, furnishings and floors to produce an alliance of touch and texture; and color and contrast to create illusion and accent. Room by room, the book puts the principles into practice, combining simple modern shapes with sensuous material. With brilliant photography bringing these inspiring design concepts to life, Zen Interiors is an illuminating and enlightening source of elemental ideas. Hardcover, 160 pages.

Interior designer Sheila Bridges of Sheila Bridges Design will help you to define your design style, whether or not you want to hire a designer. She expertly demonstrates through logical explaination and sumptious photography how to get the most from your interior design investment. If you believe that a home is never truly "done", then you'll appreciate this book. If you have no idea what this means, this book will educate you enough to learn something about yourself and your surroundings and what it takes financially and emotionally and to furnish your home from this day forward. Written with humor, it is easy to read and comprehend. Chapters are named using a bit of tongue-in-cheek teminology borrowed from a Psycology 101 class. Hardcover, 144 pages.

Tracy combines vibrant colors, draws from her limitless inspirations, and blend many styles, textures, and patterns that tickle her fancy to create attainable fantasy occasions to be shared with family and friends. She combines unlikely elements to concoct special details, such as gifts, invitations, and environments, all with a touch of whimsy. Drawing from her own desire for instant gratification entertaining, she provides an inside peek at time savers without sacrifices as well as a mulitiude of quick inexpensive ideas for pulling together casual, impromptu, and even milestone events. Her sophisticated imagination will stimulate even the savviest of hosts while also encouraging beginners with hundreds of magical yet simply executed ideas. Hardcover, 138 pages.

About the Author~
The author of 14 books, Chris Madden is host of HGTV’s Interiors by Design, has been design correspondent for The Oprah Show and Later Today, and has made frequent appearances on Today and Good Morning America. She is editor-at-large for Homestyle magazine, writes a weekly syndicated column for The Scripps-Howard News Service, and is spokesperson for the Wallpaper Council. The highly successful “Chris Madden Collection” for Bassett Furniture was introduced in 2000, and her accessories collection for Austin International—Chris Madden & Company—debuts in 2001. She lives with her husband and two sons in Rye, New York. Hardcover, 224 pages.

Bringing to life the special places that women have created as retreats from their busy everyday routines. Within the seven chapters, Celebrating Color, Sacred Places, Working Sanctuaries, Natural Retreats, Serene Spaces, Evoking Memories, and Garden Rooms, innovative and stylish ideas for creating a room of one's own abound. Ella King Torrey, President of the San Francisco Art Institute, explains in Celebrating Color why she gravitates toward her sitting room in her home in San Francisco. 'I just relax and think in this room,' Ella explains. 'This room really feeds my soul and reminds me of life's wonderful possibilities. Every object in this room is connected to a personal place or experience, and so sitting in this room keeps me whole.' Hardcover, 224 pages.

The most practical, innovative, original and comprehensive resource of decorating styles, techniques, tools and materials. There are forty different decorating styles in all. Each designed and created by the author and stunningly photographed with literally hundreds of options and color variations to choose from. Each style represented by a room slice ...a unique device that allows you to see the total impact of a scheme while easily visualizing its possibilities for your room. The decorative effects and other components of each are cross- referenced to all the techniques, tools, and materials needed to create each unique effect. Hardcover, 350 pages.

Vivid colors, bold simplicity, textural contrasts, stone, tile, and stucco-- these are the hallmarks of this refreshingly unpretentious style, which is easy to live with and surprisingly simple to evoke at home. The 12 step-by-step projects (including sand- textured or distempered walls, a pebbled floor, a fretwork window screen, studded doors, and a mosaic tabletop) prove that it doesn't take a huge effort or a huge budget to achieve the relaxed grace of this popular decor. The sun-drenched rooms filled with natural materials and accented with the occasional exotic touch: a filigreed lantern, Moroccan dishware, a Kilim rug, Moorish arches, Spanish-style wrought ironwork, are extremely inviting. Hardcover, 144 pages.

With treasure hunting advice and tips for essential materials, objects, furniture, and decorations, you can live a life of simple, rich beauty. Ms. Ashwell takes you on a tour of flea markets, antique malls, and a variety of secondhand sales--estate, tag, yard, church, garage--to demonstrate how, with a little taste, imagination, work, and ingenuity, you can turn trinkets from the past into treasures for today. Worn damask, relaxed velvets, tea-stained florals, washed-out cotton prints, tattered lace, monogrammed linen... Comforting colors: celadon, mint, and seafoam greens; dusty rose; ivories, creams, and faded grays; a touch of pale sky blue; crisp, clean white... Faded grandeur: the incomplete, the neglected, the crumbling, the cracked, the mismatched, the wrinkled... Ruffles, gathers, tucks; scuffs, chips, imperfections...Hardcover, 209 pages.

Ashwell, founder and owner of Shabby Chic, a home furnishings chain, shares her secrets on how to obtain the decorating look that suggests "the aura of old money, cushy comfort, and crafted indifference." She covers such topics as how to negotiate a flea market and incorporate the purchases for the home, the types of fabric best suited for this look, and how to use flowers to accessorize a room. Lots of color photographs depict the "shabby chic" look in casual, formal, and contemporary settings. This type of eclectic decorating continues to be popular, making this a wise purchase for most libraries. With muted pastels, slightly wilted roses, chipped paint and pure whites, is the perfect blend of wistful, old fashioned aesthetic appeal and modern practicality. With stunning photos and informative text offering easy-to-follow instructions on how to create this romantic, inviting look. 150 color photos. Hardcover, 195 pages.