The Interior Design Handbook: Furnish, Decorate and Style Your Space

Swedish home design blogger Ramstedt debuts with a savvy and sensible guide to her specialty. She covers design principles, such as the golden ratio (in such variations as the golden spiral and golden rectangle) and the rule of thirds, and advises considering how a house’s inhabitants will move around it over the course of a typical day. Another valuable tip: take into account the space’s age and character, and possibly even do some research into its historical context, as Ramstedt did with a townhouse hailing from the 1930s Functionalism movement, which helped her make sense of various architectural and design details: the “rounded window, the pitched roof, the large areas of glass, and the limestone windowsills.” Wondering whether paint that is gloss (“more forgiving” on blemishes), semi-gloss, or matte (easier to keep clean) is right for a space? Ramstedt explains what works best in different scenarios. She also covers redesigning children’s rooms to better suit kids at different ages, and using mood boards to bring together one’s various ideas and spark new ones. This guide is a first-rate way to ensure decorating success. Agent: Federico Ambrosini, Salomonsson Agency. (Nov.)