100 Styling Books Interior Designers Need

By far the most challenging part of designing any shelf space is figuring out which styling books I’m going to use to complete the look. I think interior designers all around can agree that finding books that complement the decor and the client without overwhelming the space or looking too forced can be difficult. After decorating and redecorating several spaces in my home, I’ve discovered a solid list of 100 styling books that will look good in any space.

For my own personal style, the built-in bookshelves in my living room have a scattering of brightly colored tomes, from cookbooks to design guides. In Harper’s room, we stuck to blue-toned books that also reflected the surf theme of his room. While decorating both of these shelves, I did a fair share of ordering, returning, re-ordering, browsing, and hunting for the perfect styling books.

Through that process, I developed a comprehensive list of the best 100 styling books that every interior designer needs to know about. All of these books are gorgeous inside and out, and I paid special attention to the spines, which you can’t always see when browsing online. Hopefully you’ll find the perfect styling book or books within this list to make your designs come alive!

For more tips on how to style your bookshelves, check out my comprehensive guide here!

1. Elements of Family Style: Elegant Spaces for Everyday Life by Erin Gates
2. Beautiful: All-American Decorating and Timeless Style by Mark D. Sikes
3. Domino: Your Guide to a Stylish Home by The Domino Editors
4. Domino: The Book of Decorating: A Room-by-Room Guide to Creating a Home That Makes You Happy by The Domino Editors
5. The Color Teil: Life, Work, and Inspiration by Teil Duncan

6. Absolutely Beautiful Things: Decorating Inspiration for a Bright and Colourful Life by Anna Spiro
7. Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits by Reese Witherspoon
8. Things We Love: Twenty Years of Inspiration, Intriguing Bits and Other Curiosities by Kate Spade New York
9. All in Good Taste by Kate Spade New York
10. Places To Go, People To See by Kate Spade New York

11. Living with Color: Inspiration and How-Tos to Brighten Up Your Home by Rebecca Atwood
12. Living with Pattern: Color, Texture, and Print at Home by Rebecca Atwood
13. The Finer Things: Timeless Furniture, Textiles, and Details by Christiane Lemieux
14. Allegra Hicks: An Eye for Design by Allegra Hicks
15. Dream Decor: Styling a Cool, Creative and Comfortable Home, Wherever You Live by Will Taylor

16. Surf Shack: Laid-Back Living by the Water by Nina Freudenberger
17. Waves: Pro Surfers and Their World by Thom Gilbert
18. Surf Tribe by Stephan Vanfleteren
19. Island Hopping: Amanda Lindroth Design by Amanda Lindroth
20. The Essential Oyster: A Salty Appreciation of Taste and Temptation by Rowan Jacobsen

21. Architectural Digest at 100: A Century of Style by Architectural Digest
22. The Kinfolk Home: Interiors for Slow Living by Nathan Williams
23. Design By Nature: Creating Layered, Lived-in Spaces Inspired by the Natural World by Erica Tanov
24. Homebody: A Guide to Creating Spaces You Never Want to Leave by Joanna Gaines
25. Live Beautiful by Athena Calderone

26. Escape by Gray Malin
27. Italy by Gray Malin
28. Beaches by Gray Malin
29. Be Our Guest: Not Your Ordinary Vacation by Gray Malin
30. The Life and Love of the Sea by Lewis Blackwell

31. Ibiza Bohemia by Renu Kashyap and Maya Boyd
32. Capri Dolce Vita by Cesare Cunaccia
33. Tulum Gypset by Julia Chaplin
34. Comporta Bliss by Carlos Souza and Charlene Shorto de Ganay
35. Turquoise Coast by Kinay

36. Mykonos Muse by Lizy Manola
37. Palm Beach by Aerin Lauder
38. Chic Stays: Conde Nast Traveller’s Favourite People on their Favourite Places by Melinda Stevens
39. Fashion: The Definitive Visual Guide by DK
40. Art: The Definitive Visual Guide by Andrew Graham Dixon

41. Donald: The Book by Donald Robertson
42. Greco Disco: The Art and Design of Luke Edward Hall by Luke Edward Hall
43. Impact: 50 Years of the CFDA by Patricia Mears
44. Elements of Style: Designing a Home and a Life by Erin Gates
45. Tory Burch: In Color by Tory Burch

46. Vogue Living: Country, City, Coast by Hamish Bowles and Chloe Malle
47. India Hicks: Island Style by India Hicks
48. Los Angeles: Portrait of a City by Kevin Starr
49. Once Upon A Time by Slim Aarons
50. Women by Slim Aarons

51. The Stylish Life: Tennis by Ben Rothenberg
52. The Stylish Life: Golf by Christian Chensvold
53. La Dolce Vita by Slim Aarons
54. A Place in the Sun by Slim Aarons
55. Poolside With Slim Aarons by Slim Aarons

56. A Passion for Blue And White by Carolyne Roehm
57. Coastal Blues: Mrs. Howard’s Guide to Decorating with the Colors of the Sea and Sky by Phoebe Howard
58. Styled: Secrets for Arranging Rooms, from Tabletops to Bookshelves by Emily Henderson
59. Timeless Style by Suzanne Kasler
60. Gather at Home: Over 100 Simple Recipes, DIYs, and Inspiration for a Year of Occasions by Monika Hibbs

61. Abode: Thoughtful Living With Less by Serena Mitnik-Miller 
62. Get It Together: An Interior Designer’s Guide to Creating Your Best Life by Orlando Soria
63. She Made Herself a Home: A Practical Guide to Design, Organize, and Give Purpose to Your Space by Rachel Van Kluyve
64. Beautifully Organized: A Guide to Function and Style in Your Home by Nikki Boyd
65. The Decorated Home: Living With Style and Joy by Meg Braff

66. The Book of Palms by H. Walter Lack
67. Urban Botanics: An Indoor Plant Guide for Modern Gardners by Emma Sibley
68. Terrain: Ideas and Inspiration for Decorating the Home and Garden by Greg Lehmkuhl
69. The Beekeeper’s Bible: Bees, Honey, Recipes and Other Home Uses by Richard Jones and Sharon Sweeney-Lynch
70. Beekeeping: Everything You Need to Know to Start your First Beehive by Joachim Petterson

71. The Wes Anderson Collection: The Grand Budapest Hotel by Matt Zoller Seitz
72. Hygge and West Home: Design for a Cozy Life by Christiana Coop
73. Patterns of India: A Journey Through Colors, Textiles, and the Vibrancy of Rajasthan by Christine Chitnis
74. London in Bloom by Georgianna Lane
75. Peony: The Best Varieties for Your Garden by David C. Michener

76. Handpicked: Simple, Sustainable, and Seasonal Flower Arrangements by Ingrid Carozzi
77. Dahlias: Beautiful Varieties for Home and Garden by Naomi Slade
78. Vintage Roses: Beautiful Varieties for Home and Garden by Jane Eastoe 
79. Peonies: Beautiful Varieties for Home and Garden by Jane Eastoe
80. Flourish: Stunning Arrangements with Flowers and Foliage for Every Season by Willow Crossley

81. Eat Beautiful: Food and Recipes to Nourish Your Skin from the Inside Out: A Cookbook by Wendy Rowe
82. The Saltwater Table: Recipes from the Coastal South by Whitney Otawka
83. The Kinfolk Table by Nathan Williams
84. Sunday Suppers: Recipes and Gatherings: A Cookbook by Karen Mordechai
85. Cherry Bombe: The Cookbook by Kerry Diamond

86. The Leaf Supply Guide to Creating Your Indoor Jungle by Lauren Camilleri and Sophia Kaplan
87. Leaf Supply: A Guide to Keeping Happy House Plants by Lauren Camilleri and Sophia Kaplan
88. Wild at Home: How to Style and Care for Beautiful Plants by Hilton Carter 
89. The Big Book of Chic by Miles Redd
90. West: The American Cowboy by Anouk Krantz

91. Harper’s Bazaar: Greatest Hits by Glenda Bailey
92. Tom Ford by Tom Ford and Bridget Foley
93. Valentino: Themes and Variations by Pamela Golbin
94. Chanel: Collections and Creations by Daniele Bott
95. Chanel: The Vocabulary of Style by Jerome Gautier

96. Christian Louboutin by Christian Louboutin
97. Dior: The Collections, 1947-2017 by Catwalk
98. Yves Saint Laurent Catwalk: The Complete Haute Couture Collections 1962-2002 by Olivier Flaviano
99. Prada Catwalk: The Complete Collections by Susannah Frankel
100. Louis Vuitton Catwalk: The Complete Fashion Collections by Louise Rytter