Interior designer Caitlin Flemming always gets asked how “the rules” of professional design can be applied to any home—how to pick a paint color and get better lighting, how to mix patterns, where to hang art and curtains, how to get the right scale and placement of furniture and rugs . . . the list of common questions goes on.

While there’s no one way to design a space, there is a teachable art to creating a harmonious home. So Flemming and her coauthor Julie Goebel came up with the idea for this book—a design bible that divulges the wisdom vouchsafed only to the pros.

In The Essentials, Flemming and Goebel consolidate everything it takes to create a beautiful and comfortable home, mining all the knowledge they’ve amassed from decades designing and styling homes and antiquing and traveling the world. They also ask their colleagues, some of the most talented designers in the world, to contribute advice as well.

Organized in three parts, the first section of the book discusses the tacit knowledge that seasoned designers have and how to translate it without being a trained professional. The second, and meatiest, section of the book meticulously lays out the technical essentials for thoughtful home design, covering subjects such as lighting, hardware, textiles, window treatments, furniture, and more.

And finally, the third section shows how all the individual elements and details combine to make a room, illustrated through tours of the inspiring homes of nine designers.

It takes hard work and years of practice to develop and train an eye for design. This book shortcuts the process by sharing easily teachable techniques and breaking down the factors behind the many decisions that go into beautiful home design The Essentials is an indispensable reference for every design enthusiast.

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The Essentials

Designer: Harry N. Abrams

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