MoonglotexasI picked up the “Universal Principles of Interior Design” by Chris Grimley and Kelly Harris Smith in the hopes of picking up the key decision points and recommendations of good interior design. Whilst I did pick up two or three tips, the vast majority was familiar from my art training or so briefly covered as to share no insights. Listed alphabetically, there is no logic or story to follow, the reader needs to know how to pull these elements together for themselves. If you have no background in the arts, this may make a useful reference book. It’s three out of five on the enJOYment scale.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from Quarto Publishing Group through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
From the back cover:
Universal Principles of Interior Design presents 100 concepts and guidelines that are critical to a successful visualization and application of interior design.
Richly illustrated and easy to navigate, this comprehensive reference pairs clear explanations of every topic with visual examples of it applied in practice. By considering these concepts and examples, you can learn to make more informed and ultimately better design decisions.
The book is organized alphabetically so that principles can be easily and quickly referenced. For those interested in addressing a specific challenge or application problem, the principles are also indexed by questions commonly confronting designers. Each principle is presented in a two-page format: The left-hand page contains a succinct definition, a full description of the principle, and examples of and guidelines for its use. Side notes, which appear to the right of the text, provide elaborations and references.The right-hand page contains visual examples and related graphics to support a deeper understanding of the principle. This landmark reference is the standard for interior design students, practitioners, and educators, and others who seek to broaden and improve their understanding of and expertise in interior design.
The titles in the Rockport Universal series offer comprehensive and authoritative information and edifying and inspiring visual examples on multidisciplinary subjects for designers, architects, engineers, students, and anyone who is interested in expanding and enriching their design knowledge.
