“Ugo La Pietra’s Gio Ponti [2009; Rizzoli] is a constant source of inspiration, and I always send new hires home with a copy. He was a genius with color, pattern, form, and material.” —Bachman Clem, interior designer
“Billy Baldwin: The Great American Decorator [by Adam Lewis, 2010; Rizzoli]. His impeccable eye for color, pattern, and scale are all on display, in addition to transcripts from his lectures at the Cooper-Hewitt, which are surprisingly pragmatic and quite funny!” —Nick Olsen, interior designer
“I’m constantly referring to The Elements of Style: A Practical Encyclopedia of Interior Architectural Details from 1485 to the Present [by Stephen Calloway, 1997; Simon & Schuster]. The images and illustrations are beautiful, and they inspire a lot of our work.” —Gideon Mendelson, interior designer
“My current favorite is Interior Design Master Class: 100 Lessons from America’s Finest Designers on the Art of Decoration [edited by Carl Dellatore, 2016; Rizzoli]. The book is chock-full of images of beautiful rooms and wisdom from some of today’s most talented designers.” —John Douglas Eason, interior designer
“The bible in our office is Mark Hampton On Decorating [2015; Potter Style]. My style is classic with a global influence, so I reference the proportions and details in the book, and then give them my own contemporary twist.” —Kati Curtis, interior designer
“One of my go-to books is The New York Apartment Houses of Rosario Candela and James Carpenter [by Andrew Alpern, 2002; Acanthus Press]. They designed some of the most impressive, well-proportioned apartment buildings in New York City, and the book is filled with inspiring floor plans that are still relevant today.” —Phillip Thomas, interior designer
“I’ve always loved Restoring a House in the City [by Ingrid Abramovitch, 2009; Artisan] for its diverse yet classic style.” Tamara Eaton, interior designer
“Billy Baldwin Decorates [1972; Chartwell Books] and Billy Baldwin Remembers [1974; Harcourt Brace Jovanovich] offer prescriptive advice in a way that no other books have for me. Everything one needs to know about the mechanics and psychology of decorating is in these two classics.” —Tom Scheerer, interior designer
“Time-Saver Standards for Interior Design and Space Planning [by Joseph De Chiara, Julius Panero, and Martin Zelnik, 1991; McGraw-Hill]. A designer’s job is all about details, and this is a tried-and-true guide for dimension standards and ergonomics.” —Drew McGukin, interior designer