The 16 Best Interior Design Books of 2022

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Interior design books contain a wealth of information for any design lover, from gorgeous, sweeping photos that serve to inspire to styling secrets that will make your home look its very best. Plus, you can't go wrong with the fact that oftentimes, an interior design book acts as a piece of decor itself, gracing coffee tables and consoles with beautiful covers that provide visual interest.

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So, what makes a good interior design book? What principles should it cover? Well, that's actually up to you and what you're drawn to. If you're a farmhouse devotee, seek out books that are brimming with shiplap and antiques. For midcentury mavens, look for books of yore from famed architects so you can emulate their style. Although, generally, it can be beneficial to pick up a book that contains some design know-how, covering things like color palettes, an index of terms, and how to arrange furniture in a given space.

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Typically, an interior design book will go room by room in a home, from the dining room to the living room to bedrooms and beyond, and discuss how to tackle each space. What furniture should you include? How should you beautify the walls? How will you give the room personality? And of course, there's plenty of inspiration from interior designers along the way.

For our 2022 list, we focused on a wide range of books that feature various interior design styles (contemporary, bohemian, traditional, just to name a few) and favorite voices from the field, like designers who have either already penned perennial classics (like Justina Blakeney and Kelly Wearstler) or have fresh points of view with their first books. Several of these books are favored by critics and have garnered mass appeal. The majority were released recently or will drop in early 2022. We were also looking for books that will simply look stunning on a coffee table.

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For inspiration, tips, and tricks, and to add to your curated decor, we're recommending these interior design books for 2022.

The 16 Best Interior Design Books

For a coffee table book that will look perfect in your maximalist, boho decor, look no further than this read by cult favorite blogger and designer Justina Blakeney. In this strikingly beautiful book, Blakeney shares how to bring head-turning textile design and bold colors into any space, while sprinkling in plenty of houseplants along the way. Fellow designer Kelly Wearstler says that the book "captures the essence of free-spirited design."

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Speaking of Kelly Wearstler, the high-end designer, who's been around since the 90s, has written a book that showcases her distinctive style, which can be described as a cross between Hollywood glamour and artistic visuals. She shares photos of her designs from hotels and informs readers on how they can capture that hotel-ready look in their private residences. As one Amazon reviewer said, "Amazing book. Kelly Wearstler is pure genius."

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In February 2022, this book written by Sophie Bush will drop, showing you how to create your very own designer home based upon the industrial designs witnessed in hotels around the world. If you're a fan of modern, vintage, and rustic styles, this book is right up your alley. In 2017, Bush released Warehouse Home: Industrial Inspiration for Twenty-First-Century Living, but this new book draws upon the luxuriousness of industrial-inspired hotel spaces.

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Perhaps contemporary design makes your heart go pitter-patter. In that case, we'll recommend that you buy this book released by Phaidon (AKA publishers of some of the best interior design books around). It displays the designs of 100 contemporary interior designers from around the globe, showcasing how they weave innovation into modern spaces. It's been met with several glowing reviews, with critics calling the book "gorgeous," "a brilliant work of reference and inspiration," and, "one to get your creative juices flowing."

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Sometimes, an interior design book not only spotlights beautiful homes but also the geographic region where they reside. This book shot by photographer Maura McEvoy and written by Maine architecture experts Basha Burwell and Kathleen Hackett is an example of one of those tomes. Filled with warm, approachable decor seen in homes belonging to everyday Mainers, this is a book you'll want to cozy up with for at least an afternoon. The ​New York Post​ says, "The Maine House [is] a visual journey through delightfully ramshackle saltwater farms and fish shacks, to stately stone houses and cozy coastal cottages."

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Beloved Oregon-based designer Max Humphrey, popular for his summer camp-inspired designs, has written a book for those who love home decor with a quirky, vintage, Wes Anderson twist. Packed with Pendleton prints and midcentury fireplaces, the book celebrates American design at its finest and most unique. It's been a popular book all throughout 2021, described by Emily Henderson as a "whimsical and utterly delightful" read.

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Perhaps you lean toward interiors that are cool, current, and understated. We'll point you in the direction of this interior design book written by Shawn Henderson, with 14 of his projects featured in its pages. With a wide variety of residences, from urban townhouses to country farmhouses, Henderson shows that contemporary design really can be done anywhere. Just released in November 2021, reviewers have called this book "a must-read book" and "a coffee table necessity."

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The co-founders of Havenly, the online interior design matching service, have come together to write this lovely, and informative, book. As ​Queer Eye​'s Bobby Berk puts it, "Not only do Lee and Emily unpack all their tips for creating a space that looks as good as it feels, but they do it in a way that is made for real-life application." This book is filled with real-life design advice, including tips on "Adulting Your Space," color palette words of wisdom, and how to achieve decor on a budget.

Due to be released in March 2022, this anticipated book, crafted by interiors writer Ida Magntorn, is not only stylish but will also help readers discover how to be more eco-friendly in their decor decisions. Centering on tips and lists, this book shares how to bring nature indoors, decorate while avoiding sending trash to the landfill, and grow houseplants that are good for your health and the environment.

If a farmhouse design style is your very favorite way to approach your interiors, then this book is ideal for you. It's written by Liz Marie Galvan of her wildly popular, eponymous blog, and focuses not only on the farmhouse aesthetic but also on how to give those visuals a big dose of cozy. With photos that depict Galvan's bright, beautiful spaces filled with vintage finds, she shares her top 100 ways to stay cozy in your own home through seasonal festivities and DIY tricks. As one Amazon reviewer said, "I am feeling so cozy just sitting and reading through the book and thinking of new ways to decorate my house."

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Desert style is all the rage these days, which is why we're recommending this book for your 2022 reads. Released in November, the book, written by architecture writer Helen Thompson, takes readers on a tour of modernist homes injected with New Mexican style and architecture. As ​Elle Decor​ says, "Writer Helen Thompson pays tribute to both the ancient and the modern — and the special alchemy that occurs when the two meet — in this celebration of New Mexico homes, the third work in a trilogy."

Jenni Kayne is a universally admired designer, famed for her use of organic textures and California style in her spaces. In October 2021, she released a new book that will have you longing for a house next to the ocean or nestled in the desert, but also pick up tips and tricks on how to bring that organic approach into your own spaces. Packed with Kayne's tips, along with interviews with designers, one Amazon reviewer called it, "Serene and inspirational home decorating from a master."

Tiny homes are continuing to trend and aren't going anywhere in 2022. To gain inspiration for your own small spaces, pick up this book written by authors Joel Beath and Elizabeth Price. Each of the homes spotlighted is smaller than 540 square feet — you're sure to marvel at what can be done in such diminutive spaces. One reviewer describes the approach of the book, saying, "Each example comes with an easy-to-read floor plan and pictures that help you visualize where everything is. Love this book!"

We're all about a good, curated look here at Hunker, and this book shows readers how curation is done. Penned by Lynda Gardener and Ali Heath (both stylists, decorators, and writers), the book guides readers on how to mix vintage and modern decorative pieces and do it well. With its stunning photographs and attainable tips, Kate Watson-Smyth of Mad About The House says, "This gorgeous book marries inspirational ideas with real interiors, to help you curate a home that reflects your personal story and style."

Emily Henderson is one of the top designers around, and she's already launched one successful book, called ​Styled: Secrets for Arranging Rooms, from Tabletops to Bookshelves​. Her hotly anticipated follow-up drops in April 2022 and promises to be one of the best interior design books of the year. With a focus on designing and decorating a home from beginning to end (or simply renovating a small slice of your home in a weekend), Henderson has you covered with this read. As Joanna Goddard of Cup of Jo said about her last book, "Emily Henderson is a genius when it comes to styling."

Although this book dropped a few years back, we're anticipating it will continue to be a fan favorite into 2022. With a focus on traditional design (with a current feel), interior designer Lauren Liess shows readers how to bring the outdoors in, decorate with vintage pieces in unique ways, and style a room around botanical prints. As ​USA Today​ said, "In her first book, famed DC-based interior designer and blogger of Pure Style Home brings readers back to the basics by breaking down room essentials (color, texture, lighting) and incorporating natural components into the home (cue backyard greenery). Stunningly simple, this field guide is a survival book for any budding decorator."

In Conclusion

Whether they're perennial favorite designers, architecture writers, or celebrated stylists, there are so many genius interior design books out there written by people in the know. To level up your home's aesthetics and gain a new coffee table book to proudly display, look no further than the books on this list or anything that speaks to your soul and style.

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