The Interior Design Reference and Specification (KTE0050)

The Interior Design Reference and Specification

This book was conceived as a resource for a wide readership, whether in answering specific questions for established interior designers or providing an overview of the design process for the layperson. It is compact and easy to slip into a shoulder bag, but precisely because of its handy size, it cannot address every issue related to interior design. Instead, we believe that by distilling the essential principles of interior design and clarifying steps and goals of the design process itself, higher quality design will reach the broadest possible audience.

Guides to interior design generally fall into two categories. The first type is the beautiful coffee table book by style mavens. These books are full of personality and style, but lack an overall structure that describes the fundamental principles for making design decisions. The second type is the design manual. These volumes are full of useful information, but eschew a specific attitude about design strategies. Our goal is to create the classic textbook for interior design, yet with more inspiring design theory and better visual taste. We hope this book presents a fresher approach that represents the cultural preoccupations of a younger generation of designers.

The book has been organized thematically into six sections:

Section 1, “Fundamentals,” provides a step-by-step examination of an interior project. It describes the scope of professional services, the project schedule, and drawing and presentation techniques.

Section 2, “Space,” offers an overview of the design of rooms and larger sequences of spaces, while addressing functional and life-safety issues.

Section 3, “Surface,” details specific tactics for designing with color, materials, textures, and patterns. It also considers performance and maintenance issues.

Section 4, “Environments,” looks at aspects of interior design that help to create a specific mood or character, such as natural and artificial lighting, and the invisible systems that impact the comforts of a space.

Section 5, “Elements,” identifies useful details for a range of interior applications. It also includes a chart of canonical twentieth-century furniture—pieces every interior designer should know. In addition, it outlines ideas for the display of artwork, collectibles, and accessories.

Section 6, “Resources,” provides a wealth of useful information, from a summary of sustainable design strategies to lists of recommended books, blogs, and websites. Finally, we have  interspersed throughout the book interviews with our favorite practitioners to demonstrate how the topics covered in each section can be creatively interpreted in practice.

Content

Chapter 1 Starting an Interior Project

Chapter 2 Project Management

Chapter 3 Drawing Basics

Chapter 4 Presentation and Communication

Chapter 5 Proportions of a Room

Chapter 6 Sequencing Spaces

Chapter 7 Types of Rooms

Chapter 8 Code and Accessibility

Chapter 9 Color

Chapter 10 Material

Chapter 11 Texture

Chapter 12 Pattern

Chapter 13 Natural Light

Chapter 14 Artificial Light

Chapter 1 5 Invisible Systems

Chapter 16 Details

Chapter 17 Furniture

Chapter 18 Elements and Display

Chapter 19 Sustainability Guidelines

Chapter 20 Manual Resources

Chapter 21 Digital Resources