Interior Design Books - My Top 10 Read List

The unprecedented times that Covid-19 unveiled has led to so many distressing consequences, instigating a ‘new normal’ that we’ve had to adapt to. One of them being the radical change to our usual working days and routines, but also, therefore granting a significant and unfamiliar quota of spare time. 

It’s quite an unusual feeling isn’t it? When we’re so busy working during the week the thing we crave most is free time, time to enjoy our hobbies, our homes and just be. And now we have it, we almost don’t know what to do with it…

I have a stack of design books that I’ve collected over the years and I often don’t get around to reading them for some time, for whatever reason. Maybe I’m finding ‘more important’ things that need to be done in the limited time I have after a long day at work and at the weekend. Maybe I choose to zone out to Netflix with chocolate and a brew instead, which is of course, totally OK and deserved!

But this can be a really good time to focus our minds, revisit our passions and educate ourselves with new things, new skills even. I’m not being overly strict with myself, but I am finding that my diary and those lost tick-lists in the Notes app on my phone are helping me now more than ever. I’m setting myself small goals each day that I previously (when at work Monday - Friday) didn’t feel I had the headspace, energy or capacity to achieve. 

Its amazing what we can put our minds to when we have some free time, and if that free time leads to you feeling energised then the possibilities are endless. Although, this probably isn’t going to be the case every day and we shouldn’t put pressure on ourselves either. 

I’m really feeling the need to utilise this time to be inspired and motivated whilst on furlough, so I’ve assembled a pile of some of my favourite design books that I’d like to revisit as well as some that I haven’t got round to starting yet… but now is the time. 

You might like the sound of some of these recommendations. If so, I’ve included the links to each of the them within their title below, so you can read more about them if you wish. 

My thoughts on each book…

The Secret Lives of Colour - Kassia St Clair

This is a joyful book full of beautiful stories and histories of 75 colours that we know and love; including the story of how a teenager in London accidentally discovered the colour mauve when trying to synthesise quinine, and how the artist forger Han Van Meegeren had to persuade people of his guilt by explaining the modern process he used to produce cobalt blue. Instead of using the traditional method involving linseed oil, he used Bakelite, which created a brighter and truer blue compared to ultramarine - the hue that the artists’ paintings that he forged, consisted of. This is a book you could easily read start to finish, but you can also dip in and out of it, choosing to read about a colour that takes your fancy that day. It opens up a whole new appreciation for the value of colour, where each originated from and how excruciatingly difficult some of the shades are to manufacture.

All the colours, please

The Little Book of Colour - Karen Haller

I read this book from start to finish in about 5 days, I couldn’t put it down. Karen Haller is a leading figurehead in Applied Colour Psychology, practising years of research into how colour affects and influences our behaviour. We can assume that most of us already know that we all use and approach colour very differently, depending on our upbringing, culture, emotional attachments and just simply, based on our varying aesthetics. Karen delves into the details of why we might feel the way we do about colour, and asks us questions about our attitude towards it. I particularly enjoyed Colour & Design Personality Quiz which is designed to connect with who you really are, to understand which colours you should be surrounding yourself with in your home and in your wardrobe.

Matthew Williamson - Colin McDowell

This book was a bequest from a dear friend of mine, a talented designer and illustrator who passed away a couple of years ago, so I treasure it for a few reasons. I’ve been a fan of Matthew Williamson and his luxury bohemian style for many years, ever since studying my fashion degree back in 2003. I was absolutely overjoyed when one of his exhibitions came to Manchester in the summer of 2008 at the Urbis centre (which is sadly now a football museum!) I was completely taken with his use of vibrant colour, embellished textiles and clashing pattern, patterns that he himself designed and illustrated. I remember taking so many photos using an actual camera (this was way before iPhone) and being so excited about printing them off and having the images in my hands, I still have the album today. This book takes me back to that time and includes fabulously glamorous images of his clothing, his catwalks, his model friends and snippets of his home life and surroundings.

This is one statement coffee table book too

Who's Afraid of Pink, Orange, and Green? Colourful Living & Interiors - Irene Schampaert

This book has been on my wish list for a really long time and when one of my sisters gifted me an Amazon voucher for my birthday this year, I thought it was a good time to treat myself to this glorious book with a brilliant title! This book celebrates the bold, the fierce and the most daring designs, and if you’re drawn to this aesthetic, these pages are going to make your heart skip quite a few beats. If you’re new to the world of bold, then brace yourself! These interiors are definitely not for the faint hearted. I particularly enjoy the pages about India Mahadavi, one of my design heroes who certainly knows no bounds when it come to playing with colour to evoke emotion. I visited the Gallery at Sketch in 2015, the London bistro that offers an immersive dining experience surrounded by Hollywood Pink, designed by India Mahadavi. Its the perfect example of how a space can successfully be elegant, glamorous and playful at the same time. This book is of constant source on inspiration to me not just regarding colour, but how it can be used in surprising ways, like this thick doorway painted in cobalt blue (my favourite colour today!)

This book makes me want to get all of my pens out

Striking cobalt blue inside the door frame

Wonderful Things - Tim Walker

I visited the Tim Walker - Wonderful Things exhibition at the London V&A in February (I feel so lucky that we made it before the world went mad) and oh my, what a delectable feast for the eyes it was - hands down the most magical, wonderful, immersive and transitionary exhibition I’ve ever witnessed. But what else can be expected from this ethereal and other-worldly mind of photographer Tim Walker? ‘Wonderful Things’ was a spectacular exhibition that Tim and the V&A developed, inspired by archeologist Howard Carter’s diary who uncovered Tutankhanum’s tomb almost 100 years ago - he described his first sight of the tomb as seeing ‘Wonderful Things’. The book is an homage to the exhibition and each chapter details a different photoshoot inspired by a wonderful thing, chosen by Tim from the within the V&A museum. One of my favourite stories is ‘Why Not Be Oneself?’ Inspired by poet and critic Dame Edith Sitwell. The shots of model and actress Tilda Swinton are a celebration of age and of difference, something that Dame Edith certainly did not fear to embrace. Since reading more about Dame Edith, one of my favourite of her quotes is this: My personal hobbies are reading, listening to music, and silence. Love.

A capture from the V&A Wonderful Things exhibition

Be Bold - Emily Henson

Yes, I judged this book by its cover and its title, and it did not disappoint! This is currently the only Emily Henson book that I own but I’m sure I’ll collect more in time as it’s so joyfully written and beautifully photographed. Emily is a freelance interiors and prop stylist and has written this book about those individuals who decorate with no regrets and apply their individuality and free-spirit to their homes. She calls it ‘Decorate like Nobody’s Watching’ and I love this phrase. It all really embraces my love for the combination of daring, vibrant, adventurous colour with pattern, by homeowners with bags of umpf, personality and style. One of my favourites is the Parisian home of interior designer Anne Geistdoerfer who uses the perfect combination of rich intense peacock blue with deep green, and the fearless execution of colour by set designer Amy Exton in her home in Margate, Kent, using striking compositions to surprise and excite. 

Parisian home of interior designer Anne Geistdoerfer

Women Design - Libby Sellers

This was a birthday gift from a friend and so far I’ve only read a couple of entries including Maija Isola, one of the most important textile designers for Marimekko (one of my favourite brands of all time) who created the pattern Unikko. Majia went against her client’s brief, which was ‘to use anything but flowers’ when she designed the exploding poppy design, which is now one of Marimekko’s best selling patterns and internationally recognised. I’m looking forward to getting stuck into this book and learning more about the female designers past and present, and to further understand the struggles that we had to face to be in the considerable forward position that we are today.

Maija Isola, designer of Marimekko Unikko, of which online retailer Amara have a great range

Faded Glamour - Pearl Lowe

You may think that this book is somewhat set apart from the adventurous user of colour that I am, but remember, I adore vintage and pre-loved items too. This book shows images of Pearl’s home in Somerset, as well as some of her friends’ who have the same penchant for the whimsical and elegant, opting for antique and second hand pieces that embody soul and history that have become slightly faded, but just as glorious over time. I was so happy to see so many pages dedicated to the home of my all time interior stylist hero; Marianne Cotterill. I’ve been a HUGE fan of Marianne ever since picking up an issue of Living Etc a lifetime ago, and I still can’t believe that I was lucky enough to be invited into her home as part of the Living Etc House Tour in 2015 (read my blog post here.) Pearl describes the style of Faded Glamour as ‘a gloriously decadent, yet well-lived-in decorating style’, and being bought up in a home that appreciates and showcases heirlooms and antiques, I too am a lover of this style. This book is so romantically written, its like a love story about interiors and you really feel the emotion that Pearl has for hunting down that perfect piece and curating within her home.

A rainbow stair runner, how satisfying.

Beautiful images of Marianne Cotterill’s home

Mad About the House: 101 Interior Design Answers - Kate Watson-Smyth

I pre-ordered this book, and it dropped onto my doormat at such an opportune time i.e. last week when I was really in need of a pepping up! This is the first book I’ve owned by Kate Watson Smyth (although I listen to The Great Indoors podcast religiously, co-hosted with Sophie Robinson,) and its a really practical addition to my design book collection. Kate’s journalism and writing needs no introduction, with her award winning website Mad About The House, and this book is all about how to do things right AND in the right order when renovating your home (which will come in very handy when we finally get to the point of owning!) It has been written with a view to save money, help with decision making and even how to get your partner on board with your design ideas… steak with red wine and tiramisu, here we come!

Getting all the knowledge

Making Living Lovely - 2LG

OK, so I haven’t actually received this book yet… it’s on pre-order with Amazon (pre-order link within book title) but I absolutely cannot WAIT for this to arrive. I’ve followed 2LG studio since I first watched Jordan Cluroe on the Great Interior Design Challenge on BB2 back in 2014. I loved Jordan’s approach to each of his briefs, and following him and his partner Russell Whitehead develop their fantastic studio has been so exciting because I’m so in tune with their aesthetic. They 100% champion the use of powerful colour and collaborate with craftsmen and women to produce such interesting luxury products. They’ve been a real inspiration to me and my design journey, and I can’t wait to see what juicy morsels of information this book holds, the book cover is already making me ecstatic!

Too excited for this

On a final note, one of the skills I’ve wanted to learn whilst I have some time is how to create Stop Motion animations, using the Stop Motion app. I thought that using these little videos could be a nice way to introduce a new dimension to my feed and posts - another option to using stills. Let me know what you think to encourage me to make a few more! The music used on this one is the amazing track called Uwa by Pongo.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m taking that brew into the sunshine with a book on my lap…

This post is not an ad, I have not been paid to suggest any of these books and none were gifted from the retailers or authors. I’ve either bought them myself, or they are gifts from friends.