Design Library: A Must Have

I recently broke out one of my favorite design books for a healthy refresher course on basic design, and I was so re-inspired by this book that I thought I would share it with you. Some of you may be familiar with this book already as it has graced the shelves of places like Barnes&Nobel since it was published in November 2008.

I actually picked up this book at a local decorating store here in Kenosha and immediately fell in love with its 464 pages (that's right - 464 pages). And it has more beautiful pictures then I can count. This book would make a great gift for any design enthusiast, and the beautiful design of the book cover makes it a great piece for any bookcase or coffee table.

The fabulous book I'm speaking of was created by House Beautiful and called The Home Book: Creating a Beautiful Home Of Your Own.

The book is divided into 3 parts...
Part 1: Understand Your Home - covers the Site (location and landscape), Architecture, and Layout of your home.

Part 2: Elements of Design - dives deep into the details of making your house into your dream home (furniture, colors, fabrics, floors, window treatments, lighting etc).

Part 3: Design, Room By Room - goes through the basic rooms of your house and gives advice on elements such as the layout, look, feel, design, and purpose of the room.

Here are a few snapshots of what you will see in this book...

1. At the beginning of each section is a Question for you to think about regarding the topic at hand. For example, the page below is the introduction to a topic in Part 2, Ambiance, and it asks How do you want your home to look? The page then gives you a few sample answers to help feed your design imagination: Tailored and Crisp, Totally Modern, Relaxed and Informal, Serene, Like a Mediterranean country house, Traditional but not stuffy... the chapter then dives into samples of pictures and descriptions that represent these different looks.

2. This snapshot is taken from the Kitchens section of Part 3 and includes not only some great photos of beautiful kitchens, but this page also focuses on the topic of kitchen islands: space, design, function, material etc...

3. This next picture is a good example of how Part 3 of the book will focus on one particular design element in each room and showcase a plethora of options to think about regarding that element. Hence, these sections are titled The Choice Is Yours. The page shown here focuses specifically on knobs, but other examples includes items like ottomans, bathtubs, nightstands, and benches.

4. This last picture is included to show you how much true "reading" can be done in this book. As you see, there is one great dining room photo and then a whole lot of words discussing ideas around the Style, Stability, Material, Finish, and Size of your Dining Room table. To the right side, it gives the "official rules" of sizing your dining room table including the number of inches that should be spaced between chairs (like I said, this book is d-e-t-a-i-l-e-d).


So, what do you think? Does this sample leave you drooling for more? Do you now feel inspired to pick up this book and start reading it for yourself? Do you have any other great design books that you love to read over and over? Please share.

In the meantime, I'll be reading my 464 pages. Again. And Again.

Happy Reading!