It's not really a decorating book, but I like The Not So Big House by Sarah Susanka. She's written several books, but the first one is probably my favorite.

While there are many excellent decorating books, I usually end up buying books on gardening and then getting the decorating magazines :)

Do you like books that are generally a monograph of a particular designer's work in the manner of an art book or a coffee table book? Do you get inspiration from no-holds-barred, high budget design or do you want something that is more practical and offers a "how to" type of format?

Many books are going to be thematic in some sense.

If you want more of a reference book, the standard introductory text for Interior Designers is Interior Design, by John Pile. This is not an inspiration book, it is a textbook so it is practical, but it may be too dry for what you are looking for. It is also expensive, as most textbooks are at ~$120.

I don't know if this is what you mean, but it gets high marks from purchasers on Amazon.

Here is a link that might be useful: Book

Jeffrey Bilhuber's Design Basics is sort of a textbook for the lay person. The photos (to me, anyway) are rather bland and beige, but they do illustrate certain of the ideas well; and the text is useful and instructional (and I do love what I have seen of his recent work). There are new and used copies floating about, discounted and retail. Another is Decorating Master Class by Cullman and Pruzan. This one has up- up- up-scale interiors, but the text is instructive regardless of the budget, especially with respect to planning for the details of a project in advance. Of course, not too many of us are in a position to spec thirteen coats of high-gloss paint (and the wall prep that goes into it) for our library walls, but it's worth a read, nevertheless.

Here is a link that might be useful: Publisher link

There are 'leventy seven zillion books to choose from. The Pile book is a classic, and has lots of photographs in many styles, although as Palimpsest points out, it's a text, and meant to be read. You might get lucky and find it secondhand somewhere.
There are also lots of practical guides for organizing your house. I am fond of "A Place for Everything" from Peri Wolfman, who used to have a shop downtown in Manhattan called Wolfman, Gold & Good Company. It's about how to corral all your stuff in simple but stylish ways.
I'd suggest a Saturday morning spent in Barnes & Noble or a convenient equivalent, browsing through to see what kinds of things tell you the kinds of things you want to know, and are consistent with your own taste.

Thanks so much!

Pal, I'm just dorky enough to probably really dig reading a textbook, so I'll look for it. A practical, how-to book would be good, too.

While I can appreciate high-end design, and can always find some way to incorporate the ideas, I just don't live like that. My own style is pretty casual and eclectic, and a mix of contemporary, vintage/retro, traditional, etc.

I've read the Susanka book. I think she has some interesting architectural ideas, but she loses me on the "not so big" part.

I have the book forhgtv mentioned, and love it! Perhaps my love has something to do with the fact that I got it for $12.00, but I also enjoy the photographs--nothing is too high end, and some ideas are quite simple.

I have Better Homes & Gardens "Trimwork." I bought it to get ideas on adding trimwork to my '80s home but it has beautiful pics. I also have a book on built-ins. Don't remember who it is by (could be B & G. My contractor has it right now.) Same thing - not technically a decorating book but beautiful pics.

This might be the best of the worst. The author has taken personal ads from s ex hookup sites, blocked out the person in the ad and done a commentary on the lack of interior design.

Here is a link that might be useful: Justin Space Obscene Interiors

I bought MY NEW OLD HOUSE by Martha Stewart some years ago for fifteen bucks at T.M. Maxx. I love it, it is a step by step remodeling book she did while restoring her house on Turkey Hill In CT. It is such a beautiful book I also use it for a coffee table book.

......Jane

I think "not so big" boils down to what she says at the end of the book. Your home is a trade off between size, details and budget. Most people try to get the largest home possible, but with a limited budget, they often end up sacrificing details.

Craftsman type homes, with lots of built-ins and window seats, added trims are going to cost more, so for the same budget...you're going to have to sacrifice some square footage.

Of course, if your budget is really large, you probably won't have to sacrifice too much, but try to focus on rooms you'll use every day :)

I have 100+ decorating books, and have always thought the Better Homes & Garden books were good for reference, with simple and easy to understand 'lingo'. I usually purchase for the pictures, *wrong* reason. ;o)

I especially like two: A Pattern Language by Alexander, et al. It's pricey ($60?), has few pictures and covers design from the small scale of where to put and how high to make a window seat to how to create a well-designed a community. But as a provocative way to think about your space and how to make it the most useful and satisfying experience, nothing beats it. Lots of Susanka's ideas grow from it, I think. A good book to borrow from a library first to see if it speaks to you; if it does you'll treasure it. Don't lend it, you'll never get it back!

And Anatomy for Interior Designers. I can't recall author off the top of my head, sorry. It's a splendid, and slyly funny, book that clearly spells out the space constraints of everything we do, or use, or store in a house - from how much space we need in, um, bed, to how much space it takes to store a stack of socks or teacups. It's wonderful for helping comb out the snarls in a room arrangement idea before you get too far down the line.

Neither of these are sumptuous decorating picture books, but each is indispensable in its own way to me.

A really good way to find books that work for you is to go to a place like Border's Books, grab an arm full of decor books and magazines and browse through them over a cup of coffee or tea. Or head to your local library and check out the design section. That way, you can find books that you want to invest in, there are some good ones already mentioned. I tend to stick with themed ones, so don't have suggestions for general decor.

I did recently get this book and it is just beautiful.