Must-read Interiors Books

You can't get better than a great big book full of inspirational interiors (except maybe clean sheets!) and I've got millions of them.  However, there are just a handful that I pick up again and again - either for inspiration or just because I haven't got a new book to read and I never tire of looking at beautiful interiors or reading about crazy things like how to organise my linen cupboard.  So, here are four of my favourites:

Making a House YOUR HOME by Clare Nolan

Best for: those that like top tips on beautifying your home and plenty of practical know-how.  Claire includes everything from finding your signature style and the perfect colour palette to hanging art and renovating your furniture.  She sums it up perfectly in her introduction - "This isn't just another coffee table book about making your home 'look the part' or showing you how to follow the latest interiors trends.  It's a book that will help you create the very best version of your home for you...".  Go out and buy it - you won't regret it.

Cabbages & Roses: Living Life Beautifully by Christina Strutt

Best for: those that love Cabbages & Roses (obviously) and their stand-out "homemade" style (their delicate printed fabrics sit brilliantly alongside distressed paintwork, freshly cut flowers, embroidered antique linen, bunches of lavender... you get the picture). They started the business with two aims - to only sell things that they loved and for the business to fit in with their lives (her and her partner Brigette Buchanan's) but it has evolved, completely organically, into what it is today.  This book is full of beautiful photography and inspirational images of Christina's own homes and those of her friends and family and there's a lovely little touch on the inside back cover that I'll leave as a surprise!

Casual Living: no-fuss style for a comfortable home by Judith Wilson

Best for: those whose emphasis is on cosy simplicity (with style).  She splits the book into 3 sections.  The first is on Country Casual versus City Casual but they are interchangeable; the second is on the finishing touches that make a house a home; and the last section focuses on each specific room of the house (bathrooms, kitchens, kids rooms, even boltholes).  I hope you like it as much as I have.  Again, it has some lovely images and it's one for reading from cover to cover - she has some great advice.

HOME DESIGN IDEAS: how to plan and decorate a beautiful home by Caroline Clifton-Mogg, Joanna Simmons & Rebecca Tanqueray

Best for: those that are planning to re-decorate, build/renovate or who are generally interested in all things interiors.  The three writers offer invaluable advice on everything from which kitchen floor to choose to the finishing touches in a bedroom.  They offer practical advice on each room in turn and at the end of each chapter, give style studies showing you how to get the look whether its grown-up glamour, masculine monochrome or coastal-style.

I hope you enjoy reading them (if you end up doing so) and I hope that the authors don't mind that I'm homing in on their fabulous books.  Would love to hear about any interiors books you've read and love .......

Sophie x