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MUST READ BOOKS FOR DESIGNERS

For every individual, growth is essential. Absorbing and implementing new learning could lead us to better lives and choices. The same applies to our professional lives as well. In the ultra-modern world we live in, it is convenient to attend webinars, conferences, and take online courses to hone our existing skills or learn something absolutely new and different.

For an interior designer, there are innumerable types of design forms to take inspiration from and they come from various resources. Design books could come in handy if you want to master new techniques. Even if you are not looking to master anything new, you can have these in your collection to sometimes browse through, revise old design techniques, take some references, or some inspiration.

Here is a list of some popular and must-read books for every interior designer:

The Fountain Head by Ayn Rand

It is a 1943 novel by Russian-American writer Ayn Rand, her first major literary success. The novel’s protagonist, Howard Rock, is an uncompromising young architect who battles against the traditional beliefs of design set by the architectural establishments and embraces innovation in his designs. Rock embodied Rand’s humanistic ideals and his struggles reflected Rand’s belief in individualism over collectivism. There are characters in the book who tries to undermine the protagonist. How the protagonist emerges strong and beats the odd is what grips the mind. This book is a motivation for creative thinkers. Fountain Head was initially dismissed as “overly intellectual”   by a dozen of publishers but in just two years, it became a bestseller by word of mouth, and Rand had enduring commercial and artistic success.

Home: The Foundations of Enduring Spaces by New York School of Interior Design

The New York School of Interior Design, founded in 1916, is one of the USA’s top colleges for interior design. This book is written by Ellen Fisher – PhD, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of NYSID. With great illustrations and exceptional details, this in-depth book provides information on home design and decor. You can find many interior decor concepts such as color theory principles and space-specific ideas. They have created this book based on the Home Study Course, which is the foundation of the school’s curriculum. You will find unique knowledge on the key elements of enduring design in this great book.

Poetics of Space by Gaston Bachelard

It is a book on architecture published in 1958 by the French philosopher Gaston Bachelard. This book is considered an important piece of art. Bachelard applied the phenomenological method to architecture, and his analysis was based on his living experience in architectural places that has a connection to nature, rather than concluding his analysis on the possible origins of the place. The focus of the book is on personal and emotional responses to the construction of life and literary works, written especially in prose and poetry. Therefore, it takes into account the types of spacious rooms: attic, basement, chest of drawers. Through this book, Bachelard encourages architects to work on the experiences they create, not on abstract reasons that may or may not affect their viewers and users.

The Interior Design Reference and Specification Book: Everything Interior Designers Need To Know Everyday by Chris Grimley and Mimi Love

This book contains essential information for planning and implementing interior design projects of all shapes and sizes with detailed charts, specifications, diagrams, and digital information that are easy to understand and implement. This includes interviews with leading interior design experts from the field where they talk about their real-world experiences. It offers a step-by-step overview of the interior designing fundamentals that includes spatial environments, color, materials, textures, patterns, characteristic features like light or sound, elements of design like furniture or fixtures and a sustainability guide. This book is an essential reference for designers, design students and anyone involved in interior design projects.

Design Drawing by Frank Ching

This innovative book/CD packaging is a bold new product for the design industry. The book is divided into three sections: Drawing by Observation, Drawing Systems, and Graphic Imagination, and is a must-read for anyone studying any designing course. The CD takes a step forward in explaining the concepts and techniques that cannot be expressed in a 2D book.