Give a fresh update to your bookcase with our edit of interior design books. These are the essential books every design lover should read, the starting point for learning about design from the best in the field and being inspired by the world's most influential creatives. The perfect introduction to the design world, these books will look beautiful on your coffee table. Browse our interior design library for some visual escapism, inspiration and creativity.
INTERIOR DESIGN BOOKS: THE BEST TITLES FOR YOUR COFFEE TABLE
Ronan Bouroullec: Day After Day (Phaidon, October 2023)
Ronan Bouroullec's rich visual world is now part of a new book featuring a series of photographs by the designer, looking at his everyday inspiration, domestic moments, studio work and more. ‘I take photographs daily, on a mobile phone, of my drawings, my works, the light in the studio, an object that we designed several years ago spotted in a shop window, our chairs on the terrace of a café, the morning sun on a ceramic vase,' Bouroullec writes in the book's foreword. More than 450 pages are dedicated to an Instagram-like, chronological curation that offers readers a glimpse into his world, from his drawings to the designs he created with his brother Erwan for brands like Hay, Koyori, Vitra, Artek and beyond.
Rose Uniacke At Work (Rizzoli, September 2023)
‘I believe that interiors matter. They can change the way we think and feel,’ writes Rose Uniacke in the foreword of her new monograph, Rose Uniacke At Work. The new book offers an overview of the studio's projects, and the stories around them. ‘In my design practice, I want to offer my clients a sanctuary: a place that has atmosphere, in which they can think clearly. Where their senses are aroused, I have always thought that the pervading tone of a room, the feeling, is important.’
With words by Alice Rawsthorn, the book features photographs by François Halard, Simon Upton and Luke White and showcases the spaces Uniacke has designed and delves deep into her work and approach to interiors.
An Atlas of Es Devlin (Thames & Hudson, October 2023)
‘An Atlas of Es Devlin’ is a a compendium of the work of the stage sculptor and multidisciplinary artist; over 900 pages of sketches, photographs and interviews covering her lifelong practice.
Coinciding with the installation of the artist’s 30-year archive at Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in New York, the design book is an attempt to capture the breadth of her titanic career, published by Thames and Hudson. From teenage drawings and paintings, to her colossal stages designed for pop icons like Beyonce, U2 and The Weeknd, the volume chronicles Devlin’s extraordinary rise and explosive vision; charting not only the scale, but developing intentions of her practice. Writer: Jasper Spires
Released on 19th October 2023
Available for preorder via Amazon
Antonio Citterio Design (Silvana Editoriale, June 2023)
Antonio Citterio Design by Silvana Editoriale is a new book that offers a rare and comprehensive glimpse into the over 50 years of work by renowned architect and designer Antonio Citterio. This volume showcases the more than 600 products that define Citterio's unique stylistic code, inviting readers to bear witness to his remarkable journey. With a foreword and introduction by architect and designer Andrea Branzi and art critic Francesco Bonami, and contributions from esteemed writers like Stefano Casciani, Francesca Picchi, and former director of London's Design Museum, Deyan Sudjic, this book is sure to inspire not just designers, but anyone who believes in the power of creativity and teamwork. Writer: Maria Cristina Didero
antoniocitterioarchitetto.it
Available for preorder from Amazon
How to Land in the Metaverse: From Interior Design to the Future of Design by Harry Nuriev and Crosby Studios (Rizzoli, May 2023)
Harry Nuriev founded Crosby Studios in 2014 becoming known for his inventive conceptual interiors and product design. In nearly a decade, Nuriev has played with reflective surfaces, neon colours and furniture made of denim. Some of his boldest spaces, conceived for the digital age, are now the subject of a new monograph, published by Rizzoli and presenting his design vision through a series of vibrant images of his work.
Porcelain Revolution (Lladró, May 2023)
Lladró’s 70th-anniversary celebrations also include a new interior design book titled The Porcelain Revolution, charting the company’s innovative approach to experimenting with porcelain, as well as its rigorous craftsmanship process and quality. The book showcases the brand’s ‘The Guest’ collection in full, with iconic pieces by leading designers such as Jaime Hayon and Paul Smith. Just like the brand, the book offers a playful interpretation of porcelain production; it features different paper textures throughout, wearable paper masks, and detachable temporary tattoos.
Misha Kahn: Casually Sauntering the Perimeter of Now (Apartamento Publishing, May 2023)
The multidisciplinary American designer Misha Kahn has released a book surveying the last decade of his work. Titled Casually Sauntering the Perimeter of Now and published by Apartamento Publishing in collaboration with Friedman Benda, Kahn's gallery, the tome features candid conversations with friends and fellow design-world pioneers, such as fashion designers Dries Van Noten and Todd Oldham, the artist WangShui and the writer and curator Su Wu. To celebrate the publication's launch, which happened at a temporary Apartamento Bookshop that popped up at Milan Design Week 2023, Kahn designed 50 limited-edition dust jackets for the book that were displayed and available for purchase. The one-of-a-kind works, made from myriad materials ranging from resin, steel, glass and clay to fabric, wood and foam, echo the works showcased in the book itself. Writer: Pei-Ru Keh
Noguchi and Greece, Greece and Noguchi (Atelier Éditions, May 2023)
Based on a project by New York and Athens based design studio Objects of Common Interest, Noguchi and Greece, Greece and Noguchi explores the American artist's ties with the Mediterranean country and its historical and artistic legacy. The two-volume box set covers sculpture, design, and architecture, exploring the influence of Greek culture on Noguchi's work and his experience of the country. A series of visual essays, letters, photographs, sketches, and texts by Noguchi (many unpublished until now) offer a new interpretation to his creative legacy.
David Thulstrup: A Sense of Place (Phaidon, April 2023)
‘David Thulstrup: A Sense of Place’ is the first monograph dedicated to the work of the Danish architect and designer. Authored by former Wallpaper* editor Sophie Lovell and published by Phaidon, the interior design book charts Thulstrup’s life and career through five thematic chapters that explore his childhood and education as well as his projects and design approach.
The book is divided into chapters that chart key elements of Thulstrup’s practice: Learning to Walk, A Sense of Place, Massive Materiality, Over Time and Sensibility, with sections chronicling the process of creating each space or furniture collection, from Noma in interiors to designs for Møbel Copenhagen and Brdr. Krüger. Lovell’s narration takes readers through Thulstrup’s life, offering glimpses into his personal experiences and approaches as each project comes to life.
Colin King: Arranging Things (Rizzoli, March 2023)
While many may argue that personal style cannot be taught, those with a less natural inclination could stand to pick up a trick or two from the newly released book by Colin King, Arranging Things. The self-taught creative has the ability to realise enviable interiors and settings, and his collaborations include Roman and Williams, Beni Rugs, Menu, Anthropologie and West Elm. Published by Rizzoli and filled with enigmatic rooms, tabletops and environments, King's debut tome distils his recognisable approach to objects and spaces with a simple manifesto: that 'any object can be a thing of beauty'. Writer: Pei-Ru Keh
Ateliers of Europe (Prestel, February 2023)
Written by John Whelan and photographed by Wallpaper* collaborator Oskar Proctor, ‘Ateliers of Europe’ is ‘a love letter to the art of traditional craft’. The duo travelled through Europe visiting artisanal workshops old and new (from the rugged metal workshops to the refined stained glass establishments, Whelan notes in his introduction), which they documented through photography and interviews that tell the story of each space, its peculiarities and incredible expertise. The ateliers in the book range from Vienna's Lobmeyr to 1882 LTD in Stoke-on-Trent, covering glass, ceramics, metalwork, textiles and more. Throughout the book, Proctor’s images fittingly capture the unique identity of each space, a snapshot of their grand and sometimes gritty reality. As Whelan writes, the book does not mean to be the ultimate tome on the matter, but a celebration of creativity and expertise, stemmed from his visits to these unique places. ‘I simply wanted to share these sublime, solitary moments, standing in these noble places of work with the feeling that time had stopped, if only for an instant.’
prestelpublishing.penguinrandomhouse.de
Barbie Dreamhouse: An Architectural Survey (Pin-Up, December 2022)
The Barbie Dreamhouse, America’s most adored dollhouse, is now celebrated with a definitive tome. In celebration of the house’s 60th anniversary, Mattel Creations and the architectural magazine Pin-Up have come together to release a 152-page hardcover design book that comprehensively charts the fantasy home’s evolution, from its first appearance in 1962 to its latest iteration in 2021. Filled with architectural drawings, original photography by Evelyn Pustka and a collection of essays and interviews with academics and designers, such as Kelly Wearstler, Rafael de Cardenas, the DJ/producer Honey Dijon and curator Alexandra Cunningham, the book is as legitimate an architectural study as that of any other iconic home. Writer: Pei-Ru Keh
Lee Broom: Fashioning Design (Rizzoli, November 2022)
In the 15 years since launching his studio and eponymous brand, British designer Lee Broom has got us used to larger than life theatrical presentations and product compositions inspired by history and fashion. Broom now celebrates his studio and brand with a new tome, Lee Broom: Fashioning Design. Published by Rizzoli, the book charts his career influences using his background in fashion and theatre as the starting point.
How to Live With Objects (Sight Unseen, November 2022)
'When we founded Sight Unseen more than a decade ago, we made a conscious decision to approach interiors from a radically different point of view,' say Sight Unseen co-founders, Monica Khemsurov and Jill Singer. Their interior design book is 'a wall-to-wall guide to finding your personal style and incorporating those meaningful works of art and design into your home.' The pair gathered everything they have learned from working in design and condensed in a desirable tome that includes design history, practical advice, personal stories by designers who select their favourite objects and house tours.
Made in London (Merrell Publishers, October 2022)
Made in London is a photo essay that will confound urban pessimists. Its subject is London’s manufacturing scene, not 50 or 100 years in the past, but now, in the present day. Shot by photographer Carmel King, with an introduction by Mark Brearley and texts by regular Wallpaper* contributor Clare Dowdy, Made in London travels the length and breadth of the capital to find makers big and small from a rich diversity of industries. Brearley – professor of urbanism at London Metropolitan University and a former head of design for London at the GLA – is also owner of Kaymet, a south London manufacturer of spare and simple aluminium trays and trolleys. Jonathan Bell
Workstead: Interiors of Beauty and Necessity (Rizzoli, September 2022)
This new book charts the sophisticated interior work of Brooklyn-based design studio Workstead. Combining traditional inspiration with contemporary elegance, Stefanie Brechbuehler, Ryan Mahoney, and Robert Highsmith set up the studio in 2009 and have since created high profile interiors that include the Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn and the Olympia Dumbo, New York. The book, created in collaboration with New York writer David Sokol, is a piece of eye candy featuring beautiful imagery of their historic renovations and new buildings.
Offcuts by Studiomama (September 2022, Studiomama and Twentytwentyone)
Studiomama presents The Off-cuts, a book chronicling the design studio’s collection of animals made in its workshop using scraps of wood. Featuring contributions by Libby Sellers, Max Fraser and Catharine Rossi, the book gathers the duo's collection of improbable animals, demonstrating the studio’s playful and humorous personality through a succession of bunnies, owls, elephants and more creatures that could be birds, or could be dogs.
studiomama.com
twentytwentyone.com
LDF 20 Years Anniversary Book (London Design Festival, September 2022)
London Design Festival celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2022 with a limited-edition collector's book that explores the last two decades of installations and collaborations through design. This visual journey looks at works by the likes of Es Devlin, John Pawson, the late Zaha Hadid and Yinka Ilori. Designed by Pentagram and with a foreword by Deyan Sudjic, the unbound large format book demonstrated how through its commissions, London Design Festival has offered a rethink of how we use public spaces in the city – from a glowing red lion that roared poetry in Trafalgar Square to a 22 metre-tall paper tower outside Royal Festival Hall. 'This festival will mix fireworks and contemplation,' Deyan Sudjic writes in the book's foreword, recalling co-founder Sir John Sorrel's words describing the Festival at its inception in 2002. '"It will not be confined to convention centres and exhibition halls, it will spill out into the city and take over the whole street." Twenty years later, this is pretty much how London Design Festival has turned out.'
Layer, Benjamin Hubert (Phaidon, September 2022)
A new book takes us behind the scenes at Layer, the experience design agency founded by Benjamin Hubert. Written by design curator Max Fraser, the book ‘is a reflection on the first decade of the studio and its design process.’ Through seven chapters, it explores Hubert’s career and his studio’s collaborations with brands including Bang & Olufsen, Airbus, Vitra, Braun, and Moroso. ‘Looking back on our work has given us the opportunity to consider the way we work now and in the future,’ says Hubert. ‘It also gave us insights into how our work has evolved and is testament to the talent of the team and our creative partners over the years. LAYER remains a work in progress, but this book is an amazing moment to celebrate how far we have come.’
HAY (Phaidon, June 2022)
In the 20 years since its founding, Danish brand Hay has reached cult status among design aficionados. Through design collaborations with some of the best designers of our time (including Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Doshi Levien and Muller Van Severen), and a liberal approach to colour and pattern (their partnerships with French artist Nathalie du Pasquier and George Sowden brought some Memphis tones back into our homes), Hay has become a destination for great, accessible design. This book charts the brand’s young history, through interviews with its collaborators and photography illustrating their products, creative collaborations and events.
U-Joints – A taxonomy of connections (U-Joints, June 2022)
Following a memorable exhibition at Fuorisalone in 2018, U-Joints – A Taxonomy of connections is a new tome exploring the world of joins, ‘from the technical to the poetic.’ Curated by Anniina Koivu and Andrea Caputo, with an extensive taxonomy of 1300 joints by Eleonora Castellarin and design by Graphic Thought Facility, the 900-page book is the most comprehensive publication on the topic.
The ECAL Manual of Style (Phaidon, June 2022)
How to best teach design today? ECAL director Alexis Georgacopoulos and designer Jonathan Olivares try to answer through the pages of The ECAL Manual of Style. Published by Phaidon, this new design book offers an overview of the Swiss design school's teaching methodology, illustrated through some of its most innovative student projects. The photographic portfolio is sandwiched between two sections for which internationally renowned designers, critics, and writers linked to ECAL have answered the question, exploring a formula for good design teaching.
David Rockwell: Drama (Phaidon, May 2021)
A thematic overview of American designer David Rockwell’s expansive body of work, this new interior design book explores the main topics recurring throughout his oeuvre. The book’s chapters include Audience, Ensemble, Worlds, Story, Journey and Impermanence, each demonstrating how Rockwell applied the principles of set design (his original area of expertise) to a wider spectrum of interior design projects, using performance, showmanship and, as the book’s title suggests, drama to create his spaces. The book includes the Rockwell Groups’ works for theatre and designs for the Oscars, as well as products, interior design and installations. In collaboration with Bruce Mau, edited by Sam Lubell, and filled with in-depth details of Rockwell’s most striking projects, Drama is a celebration of the designer’s immersive creative universe.
Woman Made: Great Women Designers (Phaidon, November 2021)
Ray Eames, from Woman Made
A new tome published by Phaidon and the luxury fashion group Kering, is shining an overdue spotlight on creatives of the fairer sex from the past and present. Titled ‘Woman Made: Great Women Designers’, the book features over 200 designers from the world, ranging from icons like Lucienne Day, Lina Bo Bardi and Ray Eames to trailblazers such as Lindsey Adelman(opens in new tab), Kazuyo Sejima and India Madhavi(opens in new tab), along with a wide array of up and comers including ceramicist(opens in new tab) Dina Nur Satti, textile designer Hiroko Takeda and furniture designer Lani Adeoye. Authored by Jane Hall, an academic, activist and founding member of the UK-based art collective, Assemble, the book notably features practitioners from over 50 countries across the globe.
India Mahdavi (Chronicle Books, September 2021)
It’s 20 years since Mahdavi founded her studio, and this long-overdue publication is packed with an entire career’s worth of creations. Mahdavi, who trained at Paris’ Beaux-Arts and worked for Christian Liaigre before setting up her own studio after the birth of her son, has barely stopped for two decades, as this retrospective makes clear. There have been hotel designs in Mexico and Monte-Carlo, private cinemas and residences, and restaurants in New York and Paris. She’s also opened three spaces of her own – a showroom, a boutique and a gallery – near her office on Rue Las Cases, from where she has launched designs including elegant blown-glass lamps, Mickey-shaped rattan masks, and her iconic ‘Bishop’ stools, the last now part of the collection of Musée des Arts Décoratifs de Paris.
Omer Arbel (Phaidon, May 2021)
Best known for founding lighting company Bocci, Omer Arbel’s career spans design, architecture, sculpture and experimental creation: his work is now chronicled through a new monograph that details his eclectic creative output. The book showcases Arbel’s affinity for parametric design, experimental glass and metal sculptures (pictured above), architectural works and more, divided by thematic chapters that include titles like “Uncanny,” “Entropy,” “Transdisciplinary,” and “Futurism.” A further glimpse into his universe is given by a plethora of drawings and collections of ephemera, as well as texts from works by Sigmund Freud, Robert Smithson, and science fiction author Bruce Stirling offering cultural context to Arbel’s oeuvre.
tat* (Circa Press, April 2021)
‘As an art student in the early 1980’s I stumbled across a fading newsagent in my home town of Warrington, that was clearing out its old stock. Amongst the dusty shelves were quirky musical birthday cards, tiny comics, B-movie jigsaws and cheap plastic novelties; I eagerly purchased two bags for next to nothing.’ recalls art director Andy Altmann. ‘As I admired my new haul of graphic treasure strewn across the bedroom floor, my mum enquired “What are you going to do with all this rubbish?” – now I finally have an answer for her.’ Published by Circa Press, his book of ‘tat’ is just that: a personal collection of images that range from the nostalgic to the intriguing, gathered over three decades and including a lot of printed ephemera, old-school typography and what Altman affectionately calls ‘graphic nonsense’.
By Design: The World’s Best Contemporary Interior Designers (Phaidon, April 2021)
An atlas of global design creativity, Phaidon's By Design offers a dynamic overview of the world's best interior designers operating today. Selected by an international committee including Wallpaper* editor in Chief Sarah Douglas, curator Aric Chen and Designer Nikki Haas, this interior design book covers creatives from 30 countries and including hospitality, retail and interiors. Names to look out for throughout the book include interior design household names from Neri & Hu to Kelly Wearstler and Pamela Shamshiri, as well as Italian film director Luca Guadagnino.
Assemblage 6: Unlearning by Faye Toogood (Apartamento Publishing, March 2021)
The process behind Faye Toogood’s Assemblage 6 collection is documented through a book featuring images of the creative process behind the designs. Nearly 300 maquettes of chairs, lamps, stools and daybeds made of wire, cardboard, tape and canvas are featured throughout the pages – seventeen of these pieces were chosen to eventually become life-size works. The book, the designer explains, ‘gives space to all the original maquettes and their occasional passage into the real world of furniture and sculpture.’ The book by Apartamento publishing opens with a short story by Sophie Mackintosh, while an essay by Glenn Adamson forms its epilogue. In between, the images speak, visually showcasing what Toogood calls her ‘new vocabulary’.
Design Commune: A Love Letter to California (Abrams, November 2020)
Since 2004, Roman Alonso and Steven Johanknecht of design studio Commune has developed an aesthetic firmly rooted into its Californian heritage, creating a striking visual language that has garnered cult status among contemporary interior design. Their new interior design book forms a visual archive of their projects across various creative disciplines, from private and commercial spaces, artist collaborations, products, packaging, and graphics. ‘The design of the book is based on the stream of consciousness process we embark on with every project,’ explains Johanknecht. ‘[It] has no chronology or parameters, we juxtaposed images focusing on ideas and the way we look at things. It is driven by emotion, the power and relationship between images and the diversity of the work.’
Materialising Colour, Journeys with Giulio Ridolfo (Phaidon, May 2020)
Giulio Ridolfo is the man behind some of the most successful textiles and chromatic palettes in contemporary interior design. The Italian colourist is the ultimate expert when it comes to colour, and his chromatic touch has been applied to furniture by brands such as of Moroso and Vitra, while his work for textile authority Kvadrat is legendary in the design world. The Danish fabric company celebrates this colour legacy with a new book. Published by Phaidon, Materialising Colour, Journeys with Giulio Ridolfo follows the designer through his travels to unpack his incredible colour sensibility. Botanical photographer Howard Sooley accompanied Ridolfo on his journeys to document the process, while curator Jane Withers wrote the stories behind the trips.
Liaigre: Creation 2016-2020 (Rizzoli, April 2020)
Rizzoli New York, £60
This interior desing book is a window into the extraordinary world created by Parisian designer Christian Liaigre, whose sophisticated aesthetic is chronicled through five key residential projects he created before his departure from the company in 2016. A Japanese house overlooking hot thermal springs; a modernist palazzo in New Delhi; a villa in St Moritz; a Parisian mansion and a Bavarian-style project in Munich (pictured) were all created in collaboration with the current creative director Frauke Meyer, who was tasked with taking the maison’s heritage into the future. Also featuring in the book is a ‘behind the scenes look into the company’s creative laboratory,’ which includes an essay by French art historian Françoise-Claire Prodhon alongside captivating photography – a small window into this incredibly rich visual universe.
Pierre Yovanovitch: Interior Architecture (Rizzoli, September 2019)
Rizzoli New York, £35
Pierre Yovanovitch’s oeuvre is full of rigour, whimsy and humour, and now we can experience this in a new tome. This interior design book is drenched in Yovanovitch’s bold style, including exclusive shots of his own property in Provence – ‘this book marks an important milestone in my career.’ Delve into a theatre of the Parisian master’s work, from a remodelled mansion in Ixelles Ponds in Brussels (right) to Fabrègues castle in Provence (left), right from your sofa. Writer: Sujata Burman
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The 24 best photographs of 2024, shot for the pages of Wallpaper*Photography editor, Sophie Gladstone, completes her year in review, with some personal highlights from Wallpaper* photographers in 2024
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Time, beauty, history – all are written into trees in Karimoku Research Center's debut Tokyo exhibitionThe layered world of forests – and their evolving relationship with humans – is excavated and reimagined in 'The Age of Wood', a Tokyo exhibition at Karimoku Research Center
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Tour Xi'an's remarkable new 'human-centred' shopping district with designer Thomas HeatherwickXi'an district by Heatherwick Studio, a 115,000 sq m retail development in the Chinese city, opens this winter. Thomas Heatherwick talks us through its making and ambition
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India Mahdavi monograph reveals a life in full colourAn ode to the power of colour, India Mahdavi’s first monograph shines the spotlight on the designer’s trendsetting interiors and signature pieces
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Aldo Rossi’s work and legacy celebratedWhile Molteni & C celebrates the furniture design of Aldo Rossi, MAXXI Museum pays tribute to the postmodernist architect through a series of sketches, photographs and models, on show in Rome until 17 October 2021
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Pierre Jeanneret’s midcentury designs for Chandigarh get an LA audience -
Photographer John Myers’ portraits of 1970s Middle England suburbia -
How Industrial Facility creates a visual narrative of its unique design dialogue -
Success by the book: the tale of Italian brand Natuzzi’s evolution is revealed in a new tome -
Cassina’s furniture as seen through the lens of Karl Lagerfeld -
Space race: a new tome captures 70 years of Pierre Cardin’s designs
