In this post: I share one of my favorite decorating resources and a great interior design book for beginners or anyone who loves dreaming of beautiful interior spaces.
The Home Green is reader-supported and may receive a commission if you decide to make a purchase through a posted link, at no cost to you. I only include products I would consider for my own home.
Design the Home You Love
by Lee Mayer and Emily Motayed
Now that bookstores are becoming more of a rarity, one of my favorite vacation activities is visiting the local independent bookstore in the town I’m visiting. I bought Design the Home You Love at Island Bookstore in Kitty Hawk, NC, and it has been my go-to resource for, well, designing the home I love, ever since.
When I picked this book off the shelf, I expected it would be more of a coffee table book – lots of cool pictures but not something you’d sit down and read cover to cover. The pictures are inspirational enough that it could have gotten away with being just that, but lucky for us, it has even more to offer.
An interior design book for beginners and beyond
Written by the founders of The Havenly, the authors Lee Mayer and Emily Motayed know what they are talking about. The book is broken into three major sections: The Foundation, which helps you prepare for designing your space; The Style Breakdown, which helps you identify different interior design styles and figure out which is for you; and the final section called Styling, which walks you through major rooms in the house and things to think about when planning your design.
The authors didn’t hold back in sharing their knowledge in Designing the Home You Love. It covers advice that I’ve discovered the hard way to be true, and it has become my definitive interior design handbook for answering questions like “How long should my curtains be?” and “How high should I hang my chandelier?”
I think there’s something for just about anyone interested in interior design in this book and although I’m not sure what stones they left unturned, I’m hoping they publish another volume in the future.,
Some ideas to layer on
With Design the Home You Love as your interior design handbook, you're sure to narrow in on some great ideas for your space. I'd encourage you to add sustainability as a consideration as you select furniture and other materials for your home. And with that idea in mind, you'll be glad to know that there have never been more available options that maintain the health of your home, the ecosystem, and the well-being of artisans across the globe.
The Home Green is dedicated to making it easy for you to create a space that you can feel great about. I've listed a few of our favorite articles below – I hope you find them helpful.
Free tips and inspiration in your inbox
Enter your email address below to receive the latest news from The Home Green. By signing up to subscribe, you consent to our terms & conditions and privacy policy.