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The New Design Rules: How to Decorate and Renovate, from Start to Finish: An Interior Design Book
From the author of the New York Times bestseller Styled, here is Emily Henderson's masterclass on interior design.
"An approachable guide for anyone who is looking for tools and resources to create a home that speaks to who they are and what they love."-Joanna Gaines
Whether you're embarking on a weekend refresh or complete renovation, interior designer Emily Henderson wants you to take risks with your home design without experiencing regret. In this visually driven decorating bible punctuated with photographs from real homes and colorful illustrations, she takes you through her entire process, including every single decision she makes when it comes to picking paint, arranging furniture, hanging window treatments, and deciding on lighting fixtures. You'll also learn when to hire a contractor versus an architect versus a handyperson, all the materials to consider (and why you might want to skip those marble countertops), proper measurements of the elements in each room, and so much more. By the end of the book, you'll feel more confident when it comes to visualizing the home of your dreams, and you'll finally know how to make it happen.
"An approachable guide for anyone who is looking for tools and resources to create a home that speaks to who they are and what they love."-Joanna Gaines
Whether you're embarking on a weekend refresh or complete renovation, interior designer Emily Henderson wants you to take risks with your home design without experiencing regret. In this visually driven decorating bible punctuated with photographs from real homes and colorful illustrations, she takes you through her entire process, including every single decision she makes when it comes to picking paint, arranging furniture, hanging window treatments, and deciding on lighting fixtures. You'll also learn when to hire a contractor versus an architect versus a handyperson, all the materials to consider (and why you might want to skip those marble countertops), proper measurements of the elements in each room, and so much more. By the end of the book, you'll feel more confident when it comes to visualizing the home of your dreams, and you'll finally know how to make it happen.
Editorial Reviews
"I've always been drawn to Emily's approach to design. She's not afraid to take risks and she has the ability to design beautiful spaces that are full of both personality and function. This book serves as an approachable guide for anyone who is looking for tools and resources to create a home that speaks to who they are and what they love."-Joanna Gaines, cofounder, Magnolia
"Designing can be an overwhelming process, even for professionals, but Emily's book is not only beautiful-it's also a digestible playbook on how to make educated decisions for any lifestyle (emphasis on style). The New Design Rules empowers you to become a designer with confidence. Each page is filled with tried-and-tested tips that encourage you to make disruptive design decisions guaranteed to work for you and your home."-Bobby Berk, cohost of Netflix's Queer Eye
"This beautiful book is a real game changer! As someone who recently bought a house, I've had so many questions. This book tackles those design conundrums, providing tips that are equally helpful to design professionals (like me!) and design novices. The images are beautiful and aspirational, yet the whole thing is written in a charming, accessible way that welcomes everyone to the table. This is a must-read for any design enthusiast!"-Orlando Soria, interior designer and author of Get It Together!
"Designing can be an overwhelming process, even for professionals, but Emily's book is not only beautiful-it's also a digestible playbook on how to make educated decisions for any lifestyle (emphasis on style). The New Design Rules empowers you to become a designer with confidence. Each page is filled with tried-and-tested tips that encourage you to make disruptive design decisions guaranteed to work for you and your home."-Bobby Berk, cohost of Netflix's Queer Eye
"This beautiful book is a real game changer! As someone who recently bought a house, I've had so many questions. This book tackles those design conundrums, providing tips that are equally helpful to design professionals (like me!) and design novices. The images are beautiful and aspirational, yet the whole thing is written in a charming, accessible way that welcomes everyone to the table. This is a must-read for any design enthusiast!"-Orlando Soria, interior designer and author of Get It Together!
Readers Top Reviews
JulieChristiane H.
Like other reviewers I found this book strangely basic or shallow with 2/3 of it devoted to naming types of decor and design options- types of sinks, counter materials, types of blinds, etc. The market is full of this info. The last third does have some helpful tips on renovation, a few lists of standard placement and spacing for various rooms, but from the way Emily had talked about writing the book she needed during gut renovations of 2 huge project houses, I really thought there would be more of the nitty gritty deep dive into renovating and planning a home well. It's beautiful but sadly not very useful to me.
historybuff87
This book is an incredibly rich and detailed resource but also - importantly - and kind of unexpectedly - fun to read. I am embarking on a home renovation this year and so grateful to have this book by my side; after a few days of reading I already feel much better equipped to take on my project. As some other reviewers have noted, yes, some of the information is available on the internet already - but it's not available (a) all in one place, like this; and (b) incredibly well researched and well vetted, meaning that the information is reliable. You can't trust everything you read on the internet, but I can definitely trust everything in this book. I feel like the book has already paid for itself tenfold in terms of helping me avoid inevitable mistakes. Best of all, and more importantly to me, it's an entertaining read - even if you're not undertaking a renovation anytime soon, the photography and text have some great and inspiring ideas. I'm grateful I took a chance on this book after reading the reviews. Will definitely be gifting it to my design-y friends too.
Lindsey
I read Emily's blog regularly and still found this book super helpful. I think it is mainly geared towards beginners, either beginning an interest in interior design or beginning to design a room or home. I just moved into a new home and loved thinking through all the possibilities with the help of this book. It is NOT about tweaking what you already have/furnitures/soft goods/decorating. Instead, it is a book about proportions, layouts, and options, with lots of beautiful pictures that illustrate principles. The tone of the book is approachable and friendly, rather than aspirational or showcasing someone's portfolio. My one criticism is that I sometimes wish Emily's opinion was a bit clearer, rather than laying out all the options so evenly. I think that was intentional, as Emily often explains a 'rule' but then carefully backtracks the rule to explain that individuality and preference should rule the day. She is not designing your house, you are designing your house and she is there to cheer you on. This will be my go-to housewarming present for the interior design lovers in my life. I've already purchased 2 additional copies.
Short Excerpt Teaser
Introduction
Four years ago when I pitched this idea to my editor, I had no business writing a book about renovating, despite my actual business of being an interior designer. I didn't go to design school. I'm not formally trained. And yet, this book is full of more real information, beautiful photographs of talented designers' work, practical knowledge, and applicable trade secrets than I could ever learn in school. You see, over the last ten years, since I won HGTV's Design Star, I put myself through a virtual design school while renovating houses on my blog, with my readers watching and waiting for the results. The pressure was intense, and the results needed to be amazing. So every day I googled "how do you design . . . fireplaces, staircases, paneling, vanities . . . " The entire time, I wished so badly that I had a guide to this incredibly intimidating and permanent decisionmaking process. I was a stylist. I could combine pillows and choose wallpaper faster and better than almost anyone, but renovating a home? That's a whole other beast.
Here's the truth: Every project is chockfull of its own challenges and potential mistakes, no matter how many times the house has been renovated. Because YOUR house-that is, the one in your mind's eye-has never been designed before. A formula does not exist. It's not like making lasagna from a time-tested recipe, which is sure to give you fantastic results every time. Sure, I've designed homes in the same style, but every house is different. Every decision needs to be specific to the architecture, location, function, and style of the home, and the needs of the family that lives there. What guides the design is completely personal, which means the process is emotional in every way.
Every house I've renovated has been full of successes and mistakes. Some regrets are bigger than others-and the only benefit of me making them is that I get to share them with you so you don't make the same mistake. And yet, all the successful decisions I've made and lessons I've learned have grown my confidence and pride in my work.
One of the most important things I've learned is that while I do get better with experience, I also find that "rules" and knowledge of "what is right" tend to restrict my creativity and quirk. No one wants to make permanent, expensive errors, but creating a generically designed home-even if it's totally functional-is the biggest mistake you can make. Chasing trends may end in regret, but chasing what everyone else is doing can end up quite boring.
I want you to make more informed choices. You should know the rules, but I want you to be able to break them with confidence. A truly custom home should be functional, but it needs to be interesting-because you, my friend, are interesting. In part one, we teach you how to speak the language of the pros you'll need to call on if DIY is not your thing, and we go through every element of a house-from window treatments to flooring to lighting. Then in part two, we go room by room and discuss not only how that space "should" be designed, but also highlight how you might break those rules, which is not only okay but necessary. Throughout this book, you'll find gorgeous images of in-demand designers' work (see page 334 for a complete listing of everyone), as well as rooms of my own to keep you inspired.
My goal is to help you create the home that you wish a designer would have designed for you. Because you are your own best designer. Welcome to The New Design Rules.
Four years ago when I pitched this idea to my editor, I had no business writing a book about renovating, despite my actual business of being an interior designer. I didn't go to design school. I'm not formally trained. And yet, this book is full of more real information, beautiful photographs of talented designers' work, practical knowledge, and applicable trade secrets than I could ever learn in school. You see, over the last ten years, since I won HGTV's Design Star, I put myself through a virtual design school while renovating houses on my blog, with my readers watching and waiting for the results. The pressure was intense, and the results needed to be amazing. So every day I googled "how do you design . . . fireplaces, staircases, paneling, vanities . . . " The entire time, I wished so badly that I had a guide to this incredibly intimidating and permanent decisionmaking process. I was a stylist. I could combine pillows and choose wallpaper faster and better than almost anyone, but renovating a home? That's a whole other beast.
Here's the truth: Every project is chockfull of its own challenges and potential mistakes, no matter how many times the house has been renovated. Because YOUR house-that is, the one in your mind's eye-has never been designed before. A formula does not exist. It's not like making lasagna from a time-tested recipe, which is sure to give you fantastic results every time. Sure, I've designed homes in the same style, but every house is different. Every decision needs to be specific to the architecture, location, function, and style of the home, and the needs of the family that lives there. What guides the design is completely personal, which means the process is emotional in every way.
Every house I've renovated has been full of successes and mistakes. Some regrets are bigger than others-and the only benefit of me making them is that I get to share them with you so you don't make the same mistake. And yet, all the successful decisions I've made and lessons I've learned have grown my confidence and pride in my work.
One of the most important things I've learned is that while I do get better with experience, I also find that "rules" and knowledge of "what is right" tend to restrict my creativity and quirk. No one wants to make permanent, expensive errors, but creating a generically designed home-even if it's totally functional-is the biggest mistake you can make. Chasing trends may end in regret, but chasing what everyone else is doing can end up quite boring.
I want you to make more informed choices. You should know the rules, but I want you to be able to break them with confidence. A truly custom home should be functional, but it needs to be interesting-because you, my friend, are interesting. In part one, we teach you how to speak the language of the pros you'll need to call on if DIY is not your thing, and we go through every element of a house-from window treatments to flooring to lighting. Then in part two, we go room by room and discuss not only how that space "should" be designed, but also highlight how you might break those rules, which is not only okay but necessary. Throughout this book, you'll find gorgeous images of in-demand designers' work (see page 334 for a complete listing of everyone), as well as rooms of my own to keep you inspired.
My goal is to help you create the home that you wish a designer would have designed for you. Because you are your own best designer. Welcome to The New Design Rules.
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