Interior Design Library
These are the books that have guided my study of interior design.
Each one of them has inspired me, and I hope they might inspire you as well.
Like you, I am open to new discoveries, so if you would like to recommend a book that has inspired you, please contact me.
An Illustrated History of Interior Decoration by Mario Praz
An Art History of Interior Design
First published in 1964, Mario Praz’s An Illustrated History of Interior Decoration (also known as An Illustrated History of Furnishings) is the most cited source of inspiration for interior design. As an art historian who loves interiors, Mario has dissected hundreds of paintings and watercolors that are exceptional for their inclusions of interiors as a background or central theme.
Starting with Pompeiian frescos, but focusing on European interiors from the 19th century, he has created an incredible catalog with detailed descriptions that is a timeless source of inspiration.
Highlights include John Nash’s drawings of the Brighton Pavilion, the album of watercolors from the Wittgenstein family, and Eugène Lami’s watercolors of the Rothschild’s Château de Ferrières. This book is a must have for anyone serious about interior design, and serves as an incredible source book for period design and inspiration.
see Mario Praz
Legendary Decorators of the Twentieth Century by Mark Hampton
Published in 1992, Mark Hampton, an American Interior designer, shares his impressions of the interior designers he feels define his craft. He is erudite and humble (he excluded himself from the list), and it is refreshing to learn how he views his peers.
Roomscapes by Renzo Mongiardino
The Interiors and Architecture of Renzo Mongiardino: A Painterly Vision by Martina Mondadori Sartogo
Renzo Mongiardino: Renaissance Master of Style by Laure Verchère
Dior and his Decorators: Victor Grandpierre, Georges Geffroy, and the New Look by Maureen Footer
The Impact of Interior Design on Fashion
Published in 2018, Dior and his Decorators by Maureen Footer brings rigor to the history of interior design by detailing its influence on fashion. This erudite photo-filled tome not only captures the birth of the Dior style guide, but also provides a deep biography of both George Geffroy and Victor Grandpierre. A masterful storyteller, Maureen Footer connects the dots between the 20th century’s greatest tastemakers to create a compelling narrative for the interior design that was strapped to the comet of the New Look by Christian Dior.
Highlights include the details of Dior’s first flagship store at 30 Avenue Montaigne that was inaugurated with the famous “New Look” collection of February 1947, the story behind Geffroy’s designs of the Duff Cooper library at the British Embassy which became the social epicenter of post-war Paris, and the influence of Geffroy and Grandpierre’s design on tastemakers such as Baron Alexis de Rede, Arturo Lopez-Willshaw, Charles de Beistegui, Daisy Fellowes, Charles de Noailles, Yves Saint Laurent, and Jacques Grange.
This book is a necessary addition for anyone interested in the history of fashion and interior design in post-war Paris, and the connections between the great tastemakers of the 20th century.
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Thank you and I hope you have a wonderful day! - Sergio Andrés