Need ideas on how to set up a room? Want to know secrets of decorators and designers?

Here's a guide to the basics. Grimley and Smith write from experience and observation. You'll understand spaces, placement, and the art of design better after reading this. Enjoy it, whether you read as an expert or amateur, a hobbyist or professional.

This was a fantastic introduction to interior design vocabulary. It’s laid out in alphabetical order for easy reference. Each term is described in enough detail to provide understanding and yet it’s delightfully simple. There are tons of colorful pictures and helpful illustrations. If you’re interested in meeting with an interior designer and want to brush up on the lingo before hand so you speak the same language, this is the book you need.
Thank you for the eARC!

Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for this eCopy to review

Having just bought a new house The Pocket Universal Principles of Interior Design was a helpful guide with lots of advice on how to make the most of your home's interior with lots of beautiful photographs they really aided showing what the design principles are.

This was a pleasure to pore over! Easy to navigate, concise, and visually pleasing, I wish had it available in my early days of design. This will be a treasure on my bookshelf. I highly recommend this book as resource for anyone interested in creating environments that are well thought out and go beyond mere decoration.

I'm newish to interior design. I've finished a basic renovation, carefully designed a couple of my rooms, the others are functional but need some thought. I do have broad experience with design generally - I design software for a living, design and make clothing, do many crafts. I have a good eye for colour and proportion and balance.

I thought this book would expand my design skills to being able to understand what is good and bad in interior design, and better design my own spaces.

It really doesn't. I admit to only getting about half way through, but I stopped because there was very little actionable, practical use for any of the principles. Each principle is explained descriptively, but without actual guidance or direction. For example, there is a principle for Collaboration which says nothing except that people work together. I can't do anything with that. Next page is Colour Palette which says "any discussion of the use of color in design elicits strong opinions". Thanks very much for educating me on how a colour palette might be used in interior design.

I'm sure the non-pocket guide for this book is well-loved. Maybe it's meant as a reference for actual designers. But this pocket guide certainly doesn't live up to its promise of helping me develop innovative ideas, enhance usability and design effective solutions. I think I'll go back to YouTube...

An excellent guide filled with ideas on interior design. Would recommend to professionals and interior design hobbyists.

Thank you Kelly Harris Smith and Chris Grimley, NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Rockport Publishing for the arc of this book.