5 Design Books That Made a Difference
We asked pros to name the one design book that changed everything for them. Are these books on your essentials list?
Fall always feels like a great season to stock up on new supplies and reading materials. We asked designers and architects from around the country to share their essential design book — the one that changed the way they design or that they continue to reference for inspiration. The results include works about icons of architecture and contemporary designers, books on designing a meaningful garden and how to better run your business.
2. The Business of Design: Balancing Creativity and Profitability by Keith Granet
Loved by: Maureen Stevens of Maureen Stevens Design
Why this book: “Every designer will tell you that our job is not 100% creativity; it’s also [about] being organized, giving great customer service, logistics and dealing with shipping delays, to say the least,” Stevens says. This book was invaluable to Stevens when she started her business and continues to be a reference for her practice. “I think it’s important to have the basics down.”
Loved by: Maureen Stevens of Maureen Stevens Design
Why this book: “Every designer will tell you that our job is not 100% creativity; it’s also [about] being organized, giving great customer service, logistics and dealing with shipping delays, to say the least,” Stevens says. This book was invaluable to Stevens when she started her business and continues to be a reference for her practice. “I think it’s important to have the basics down.”
3. Jean-Louis Deniot: Interiors by Diane Dorrans Saeks
Loved by: Gemma Parker of Gemma Parker Design
Why this book: “I can truly see the immense attention to detail in Jean-Louis Deniot’s interiors,” Parker says of the Parisian interior designer. “As he says, ‘I want to achieve a point of equilibrium where the materials, the scale, the colors, the proportions, the volume, light and shade and a degree of contrast are in balance. I want the rooms to look alluring or calm during the day and to have mystery at night, a different mood. And I never want the family who lives there to have any idea how much work it was.’ I love everything about this quote.”
Loved by: Gemma Parker of Gemma Parker Design
Why this book: “I can truly see the immense attention to detail in Jean-Louis Deniot’s interiors,” Parker says of the Parisian interior designer. “As he says, ‘I want to achieve a point of equilibrium where the materials, the scale, the colors, the proportions, the volume, light and shade and a degree of contrast are in balance. I want the rooms to look alluring or calm during the day and to have mystery at night, a different mood. And I never want the family who lives there to have any idea how much work it was.’ I love everything about this quote.”
4. Undecorate: The No-Rules Approach to Interior Design by Christiane Lemieux and Rumaan Alam
Loved by: Fred M. Alsen of FMA Interior Design
Why this book: “I love that it isn’t your typical interior design book that is full of rooms that no one ever lives in. I am not a fan of homes that look like they have no personality, other than that of a designer, or look like they belong in a model home, showroom or a hotel. I love spaces that look like they have been collected over time and really speak of the people who live there. In my opinion, that is what real residential interior design is all about,” Alsen says.
Loved by: Fred M. Alsen of FMA Interior Design
Why this book: “I love that it isn’t your typical interior design book that is full of rooms that no one ever lives in. I am not a fan of homes that look like they have no personality, other than that of a designer, or look like they belong in a model home, showroom or a hotel. I love spaces that look like they have been collected over time and really speak of the people who live there. In my opinion, that is what real residential interior design is all about,” Alsen says.
5. The Inward Garden: Creating a Place of Beauty and Meaning by Julie Moir Messervy
Loved by: Jay Sifford of Jay Sifford Garden Design
Why this book: “I credit this book for relaunching my career a decade or so ago because, through it, I realized that a garden is born within us, in our souls, and this is precisely the way we connect to a space,” Sifford says. “I would recommend The Inward Garden to anyone who has a desire to deepen their craft in order to provide a refuge for others in this turbulent world.”
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Loved by: Jay Sifford of Jay Sifford Garden Design
Why this book: “I credit this book for relaunching my career a decade or so ago because, through it, I realized that a garden is born within us, in our souls, and this is precisely the way we connect to a space,” Sifford says. “I would recommend The Inward Garden to anyone who has a desire to deepen their craft in order to provide a refuge for others in this turbulent world.”
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Loved by: Lauren Rubin of Lauren Rubin Architecture
Why this book: “I was always inspired by the modernist architects and the expression of materials, concrete, glass [and] steel. But it was Luis Barragán who taught me about color. He used forms, color and light to create his architecture,” Rubin says. “His Satellite Towers in Mexico [in collaboration with Mathias Goeritz] are so simple and yet so powerful. Architects are tentative about color, but Barragán was an explosion of color. I design mostly interiors now, and my studies of Barragán certainly influence my designs today.”