In many ways your home is an extension of yourself, so it's important to find the style that suits you. Interior design has expanded to included a wide variety of influences, colours, patterns and styles. From vintage upcycling to modern design theories, finding that right aesthetic can be a challenge.
We've chosen the best interior design books to bring some excitement to your home decorating. Included are practical guides, inspiring interiors and insightful design expertise. And for more ideas, explore our style guides!
Best interior design books to improve your home in 2024
Inspired by Nature: Creating a Personal and Natural Interior
Hans Blomquist
Celebrated stylist, author and art director Hans Blomquist, who's worked for the likes of IKEA and John Lewis, writes on the importance of connecting our space to the natural world. Inspired by Nature explores Blomquist's work, which is centred around nature, explaining how bringing the natural world into the home can improve general mood and wellbeing while reducing stress.
The book approaches the topic by explaining how to style vignettes to add visual appeal, taking the reader on a tour of inspiring real-life interiors. Blomquist's earthy palette is brought to attention - which he uses to create a sense of calm and contentment.
The Lives of Others: Sublime Interiors of Extraordinary People
Simon Watson
The Lives of Others follows photographer Simon Watson through the expansive range of beautiful locations he's visited. Documenting the fascinating homes of notable people, including Madrid's Duchess of Alba and Guinness heir Garech de Brun, each image is accompanied by his own personal descriptions.
Watson's work has featured in Vanity Fair, W Magazine and AD, among others, and his expertise is brought to the forefront through his curious eye for an interesting interior. The book is a global journey, taking the reader to Paris, the Italian Alps, Ireland and many others. Thanks to the variety of homes included, the interior designs can range from modern looks to 16th century styles.
Still: The Slow Home
Natalie Walton
The SLOW movement has become popular within interior design, referring to the style of living that is sustainable, local, organic and whole. Still: The Slow Home features 20 in-depth studies of homes that follow these principles.
The images are provided by interior photographer Chris Warnes, who has travelled across the world to find the most outstanding SLOW home interiors.
Live Beautiful
Athena Calderone
Many of us strive for beauty in our homes. It's important to create a space that resonates with us, to give us something appealing to look at but also to improve the quality of our lives.
In Live Beautiful, Athena Calderone collates work from her network of interior designers and tastemakers to offer varied examples of how to beautifully put a home together. Calderone explores the sparks behind each design, including insight into the personal stories behind them.
The Home Edit: A Guide to Organizing Home and Conquering the Clutter with Style (Essence Edition)
Margaret Trent
The Home Edit is described as a masterclass and a look book in one. The approach is clear: Margaret Trent provides instructions and inspiration on how to take control of the chaos in your home, and to find a style of organising that's suited to your home life.
The book includes colourful photographs and detailed tips for structuring your home, from cutlery placements to colour categorisations.
Evocative Style
Kelly Wearstler
Through her work on decadent interior designs and boutique hotels, Kelly Wearstler has become known around the world for her distinctive layering of bold textures, patterns and rich colours. Evocative Style is an exploration of this, where the design icon explores the world she's created and shares her own creative process.
Living with Pattern: Color, Texture, and Print at Home
Rebecca Atwood
In Living with Pattern, Rebecca Atwood outlines her design theory that once you focus on pattern, everything else will fall into place. Using vibrant photography and clear ideas, Atwood provides the reader with a guide on how to use pattern effectively. Showcased are diverse styles that implement patterns in a number of ways, from windowpane gridding to book spine arrangements.
A Modern Way to Live: 5 Design Principles from The Modern House
Matt Gibberd
Matt Gibberd's take on interior design falls under five timeless principles: space, light, materials, design and decoration. In A Modern Way to Live, from cultural phenomenon The Modern House, Gibberd takes these five principles and examines how they can be used to different effects in your own home. The writings are intended to inspire joy, creating a simple approach to interior design.
Faded Glamour: Inspirational Interiors and Beautiful Homes
Pearl Lowe
Pearl Lowe looks for the beauty in old pieces of furniture, where something that was once at the height of elegance can now be repurposed into a new environment. Faded Glamour, a style described as 'gloriously decadent and perfectly lived-in,' is portrayed with evocative photography.
Lowe uses her own home in Georgia as an example of how to collect varied styles to create a unique home. The British fashion designer also includes styles from other homes that have inspired her, all within the same, vibrant approach that she carries into her own home.
Mad About the House: 101 Interior Design Answers
Kate Watson-Smyth
From the author of Mad About The House, the bestselling book and widely popular interior design blog, 101 Interior Design Answers is a practical and easy-to-read guide on how to craft a decorating style that suits you.
Watson-Smyth also includes step-by-step guides to common decorating challenges, from hanging wallpaper to arranging a gallery wall.
