Introduction to Interior Design

This page has a list of books, terms to use to identify additional books, recommended research databases for finding journal and magazine articles, magazines and newspapers owned by CSU, and links to Web pages that are of interest to those researching interior design. CSU offers a degree in Interior Design.

Books

Reference Books of Interest to Interior Design
Interior Design Call Numbers

NA2835-4050 Details and decoration

NK Decorative Arts

    NK1700-2195 Interior decoration. House decoration
    NK2200-2750 Furniture
    NK2775-2898 Rugs and carpets
    NK2975-3049 Tapestries
    NK3175-3296.3 Upholstery. Drapery
    NK3375-3496.3 Wallpapers
    NK8800-9505.5 Textiles
    NK9600-9955 Woodwork

T Technology

   TS800-937 Wood technology. Lumber
    TS840-915 Wood products. Furniture
    TS1300-1865 Textile industries
    TT1-999 Handicrafts. Arts and crafts
    TT180-200 Woodworking. Furniture making. Upholstering
    TT300-382.8 Painting. Wood finishing
    TT387-410 Soft home furnishings
    TT697-927 Home arts. Homecrafts
    TX1-1110 Home economics
    TX301-339 The house

 

Library Catalog

Identify books in the library catalog using the following SUBJECT terms. The terms work in Prospector, the Regional Catalog. Current CSU affiliates may request items from Prospector libraries.

Interior decoration
Interior decoration [geographic area and topical subdivisions]

Architect-designed furniture
Built-in furniture
Cabinetwork
Chairs
Church decoration and ornament
Color in architecture
Color in interior decoration
Country furniture
Coverlets
Draperies in interior decoration
Floor coverings
Furniture
House furnishings
House plants in interior decoration
Implements, utensils, etc.
Interior architecture
Interior decoration

Interior landscaping
Lighting, Architectural and decorative
Mirrors
Mural painting and decoration
Office decoration
Office furniture
Schools Furniture, equipment, etc.
Screens
Staircases
Store decoration
Tapestry
Textile fabrics in interior decoration
Tiles in interior decoration
Upholstered furniture
Upholstery
Victoriana in interior decoration.
Wall coverings


Note: You may tweak my results after a search in the catalog.

Books contemporary with the period of study constitute a good primary source of information about interiors. To locate interior design books published during a given year/era, do a search in the library catalog and limit your result by year (on the initial keyword search page or after a subject search).

Research Databases

The article-identifying databases listed here can be found on the A-Z Databases List by title. These are available remotely only to CSU affiliates.

Search "Interiors (buildings)" for the over 250 items on this topic. Approaches topic from the walls in, for example, ventilation, wall colors, "green" buildings, etc.

Identify scholarly journal articles. All full text.

  • Academic Search Premier.
    Identify journal and magazine articles. A good number are full text, but images will not be available in HTML articles. Click on the images tab to find photographs.
  • Business Source Complete.
    This database identifies resources from a wide range and type of material: academic journals (some full text), trade publications (some full text), magazines (many full text), newspapers (use FindIt@CSU to see if electronic full text it available), books/monographs (for most of these use FindIt@CSU to see if owned), SWOT analyses (full text), country reports (full text), industry profiles (full text), market research reports (full text), and product reviews (some full text).
  • Compendex
    Search "Interiors (buildings)" for the over 250 items on this topic. Approaches topic from the walls in, for example, ventilation, wall colors, "green" buildings, etc.
  • JSTOR. Current 3-5 years not available.

Magazines Owned by CSU for Use as Primary Sources

Journals with NK call numbers are specifically on interior design. N and NA are art and architecture call numbers that cover exterior and interior design. Fashion magazines will sometimes feature interiors in the background. This is not a comprehensive list of what CSU owns, but it includes titles with longer ownership. To see a complete list, do a subject search in the library catalog for: Interior decoration -- Periodicals. Online versions, unless identified as free, are available to CSU affiliates only.

  • Abitare [Italy]. 1965-1977,1977,1978-1979,1989-1990,1992,1992,1996-1998. NK 1700 .A15 Bound Journals
  • Architectural Digest. 1967/1968-1971/1972,1977/1978-1978/1979,1980- . NA 730 .C2A7
  • Art & Décoration [France]. 1970-1972,1979-1991,1995- . S-2-05A-02-02-017 Bound Journals
  • Arts & Decoration. 1930-1942. N 1 .A86  Location: Storage
  • Contract [office furniture]. 1961-1974,1975,1977-1980, 2000- . TS 840 .C6; CTonline 2002- .
  • Cosmopolitan/Hearst’s. 1886-1951. AP 2 .C8 1886-1914 Storage; 1892 Special and AP 2 .C81 Location: 1971-1977, 1971- Microfilm; 1990 issue Special; Hearst’s AP 2 .H4 1912-1914; Combined 1925-1945 Storage
  • The Delineator. 1922-1937. TT500 .D4 Location: Storage
  • Designers West. 1966,1969/1970-1978/1979. NK 1700 .D4 Location: Storage
  • Elle Decor. 1994/95- . NK 1700 .E43
  • Frame [Netherlands]. 2000- Frameonline.
  • Good Housekeeping. 1891-1894, 1895-6, 1897-8, 1899-1909, 1909-1906. Location: Storage; July/Dec 1923-1976 Oversize 2002-4 Oversize; 1982-2001 Microfilm 1983 TX 1 .G7 Current in Current Journals (2005- ); 2010 in Bound Journals; GHOnline 1996- ASP (no photos)
  • Harper’s Bazaar. 1900-1918,1938-1976 TT 500 .H3 Location: Storage; 1977-2001 Microfilm; 2003-2005 in Bound Journals; 2002- storage; Current in Current Journals.  http://hearth.library.cornell.edu/h/hearth/browse/title/4732809.htmlHBonline.
  • House and Garden. 1923-1976. NA 7100 .H6 Location: 1923-76 Storage; 1977-93 Microfilm
  • House Beautiful. 1902-1976. NA 7100 .H65 Location: 1902/3-1976 Storage; 1977-2001 Microfilm; 2007-2012 in Bound Journals; Current in Current Journals
  • Interior Design. 1955,1960-1966,1970-1979,1986,1989-1990,1992- . NK 1700 .I5  Location: 1955-1979 Storage; 1986- Oversize. Current in Current Journals; IDonline 1999- .
  • Interiors. 1946-1947,1949-1950,1953-1956,1958-1976/1977; [separate record] 1978/1979-1979/1980,1984/1985-1988,1989/1990,1992-1993,1995-2001. NK 1700 .I54 Location: scattered years 1946-1980 Storage; scattered years 1980- shelves; for 1977/78-1978 title was Contract Interiors (separate record requires different library catalog entry to request from storage).
  • Interiors and Housing. 1984-1990. S-1-08A-18-04-008  Location: Storage
  • Interiors & Sources. 1997-2002, [separate record] 2004-2011 . NK 1700 .I64  Location: Bound Journals; Current in Current Journals
  • Journal of Interior Design. 1975-1981,1983-1992 [separate record] 1993- . NK 1700 .J68 Title for 1975-1981,1983-1992: Journal of Interior Design Education and Research. Location: Bound Journals; JIDonline
  • Ladies Home Journal. 1888-2001. AP 2.L135 Location: scattered 1895-1976 Oversize 1977- Microfilm; Current in Current Journals
  • Mademoiselle. 1939-1942, 1944, 1945-1976, 1999-2001. AP 2 .M2334 Location: Storage; 1977-1997 Microfilm; 1999-2000 Bound Journals
  • Metropolitan Home. 1992- . NK 1700 .M48 Location: Bound Journals
  • Sunset. 1928-1969, 1973- . F851 .S95 Location: 1928-2001 Storage, 2002- Current Journals
  • Vogue. 1928-1976. TT500 .V7 Location: 1928-1929,1931-1934,1935-1973,1974-1976 Storage; 2004- Microfilm; Current in Current Journals
  • Wallpaper. Wallpper Free e-journal.

Newspapers on Microfilm (and Online)

  • Denver Post. 1894- AN .D4
  • Rocky Mountain News. 1859-1947, 1996-2009 AN .R6  RMonline.
  • New York Times. 1851- AN .N4 (also available electronically as New York Times 1851- via the A-Z Databases List; note: some photographs and articles are not found in the electronic version of the newspaper)

    Searching New York Times 1851-

    Specify a time period in the date range options:
    Advanced Search specific date
     
    For example: 

    Example date selections from 1920 to 1921
    To look for advertisements exclusively, look for the Document Type box on the advanced search screen.
    select advertisement box under document type
    It may be necessary to look at several display ads before finding images. Some display ads just have very large text, but no images. Later years will have more images; around 1920 more advertisements feature drawings of furniture (often in suites). There are very few display ads with images before 1910.

    One way to find stand alone photographs is changing the document type to Photo standalone:

            Select box labeled photo stand alone

  •  If a particular style of furniture is mentioned in the caption of the photo, examples of the type for that time period can be located. Unfortunately, reproductive techniques for black and white photographs in this database are not stellar, so magazine articles may be preferable.

    Use contemporary terminology whenever possible to increase chances of success.

Interior Design on the Web

Listed below are Web sites that have information about interior design either directly or indirectly. Due to the nature of the topic a number of these sites are commercial sites. Some offer online tutorials. No endorsement is implied for their products or services. Usual disclaimers apply. As always, carefully evaluate what you find on the Web. Read carefully privacy policies before submitting any personal information online.

History Historic Preservation Floors
Interiors & Design Lighting Associations & Foundations
Design for All Furniture & Furnishings Interior Design as a Career & Directory
Green Design Walls & Ceilings  

 

Interior Design - LPC Library Research Guide. 2007. Updated by Alison Finch. Las Positas College.

Check library catalog for CSU holdings of listed books (there are around 40 titles listed). CSU does not own the DVDs. Listed subject headings for books should work in CSU's catalog. CSU affliates can search Academic Search Premier through our A -Z Database List--the terms listed on this page should work.

History of Interior Design

Listed below are sites that explore Art History through various time frames.

  • Timeline of Art History. Metropolitan Museum of Art
    Do a search for "interiors" to find pages/essays with historical information that mention them. Detailed at times, with selected images. Specific eras and places include Interior Design in England, 1600–1800.
  • History of the Design Industry in Australia. David Robertson. 2002. Design Institute of Australia.
    Covers 1789-2002 in some detail. Links out to a few of the mentioned items (associations, etc.). Can filter by topic, e.g. design event, organization or person, among others. (Page is in smaller gray font with every other listed in background gray. Attempt to bump up size failed.)
  • Excerpt from book: The History of Interior Design. John Pile. Architecture Week.
    Discusses players in the Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts Movements, in brief.
  • Bauhaus Dessau Foundation.
    Page gives overview of Bauhaus school of design. Links within the site provide additional information, recommended resources, and information about doing research at the foundation (library is in German).
  • Historic American Interior Design. Copyright © 2002-2006 Sarah E. Mitchell.
    Historic American interior design with photos from 1830’s-1920. Grouped by styles. In a few instances, links out to other sources.

     

Interiors & Design (History & Contemporary)

This guide provides links to search for information about interiors both historically and contemporarily.

  • Digital Collections.
  • Home Economics Archive: Research, Tradition, History (HEARTH) . Cornell University.
    Full text site. "HEARTH is a core electronic collection of books and journals in Home Economics and related disciplines. Titles published between 1850 and 1950 were selected and ranked by teams of scholars for their great historical importance. The first phase of this project focused on books published between 1850 and 1925 and a small number of journals. Future phases of the project will include books published between 1926 and 1950, as well as additional journals." Subjects of interest to interior design include Applied Arts & Design and Housing, Furnishing & Home Equipment. Search by full text, title, or author.
  • American Memory. (Library of Congress).
    A good place to look at interiors within a historical context in the U.S. Search "furniture showroom" to find over 35 examples of furniture for sale in the maker's or seller's showroom. Also, "interiors furniture" finds over 440 items (all of them may not be images). "Lamps" brings up more than 1500 items. "Fixtures photographs" finds over 150 items. Look at the subject terms of relevant items to find other possibilities, for example, "Interiors--Colorado--1900-1930."

Design for All

This guide has information that will be useful for all who are interested in design in different areas.

  • Center for Health Design. Copyright 2015 © The Center for Health.
    "The Center for Health Design offers a variety of resources for those looking for the latest trends in healthcare architecture and design and how using evidence-based design to create healing environments can impact patient satisfaction, staff satisfaction, nurse retention, medical outcomes, safety, quality, and financial performance." Links off the page go to: Premiere Projects; Books & Magazines; Webinars; Videos; Related Websites; and Job Board.
  • Universal Design: Disability Employment Policy Resources by Topic
    "Universal Design (UD) is a strategy for making products, environments, operational systems, and services welcoming and usable to the most diverse range of people possible. Its key principles are simplicity, flexibility and efficiency. And whether we realize it or not, most of us benefit from UD on a daily basis."

Green Design

Here is just a sampling of what is available for Green Design, there is a lot more out there.

  • Center for Sustainable Building Research. College of Design. University of Minnesota. CSBR Research.
    "The Center for Sustainable Building Research's mission is to lead and support—through research, outreach, and education—the transformation of the regional built environment to provide for the ecological, economic, and social needs of the present without compromising those of the future."
  • Green Design Institute. Carnegie Mellon Interior Design Institute.
    Lists ongoing projects. Under publications see various items of possible interest. "The Green Design Institute has published more than 150 research results on numerous topics in various media. The list . . .is in reverse chronological order and provides citations for journal articles, conference presentations, book chapters, and technical reports." CSU affiliates can use the library catalog and the link to see if CSU owns an electronic version of the article. If no electronic version is available, check for printed ownership in the library catalog. (If an article is of great interest and not owned, request it from Interlibrary Loan's Illiad.) The listed dissertations are available in PDF directly from the site.
  • Minnesota Building Materials Database: A Tool for Selecting Sustainable Materials. ©2003-2004 Center for Sustainable Building Research.  College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture · University of Minnesota.
    "It is the intention of this Guide to provide a resource to assist designers and other stakeholders in the process of evaluating the comparative characteristics and properties of materials and products with respect to life cycle stages." Database has product evaluations of eight categories of materials and "an extensive list of organizations, publications, and computer software in the 'Resources' section." "A product's or company's inclusion in this Guide is not an endorsement or guarantee of quality."
  • Green Basics: Indoor Air Pollution. Collin Dunn. Science + Technology. Treehugger.
    Article (with picture) that discusses indoor air pollution. Multiple ads and links to other Treehugger topics found on both sides of the article. Previous comments and box for new comments. “TreeHugger is the leading media outlet dedicated to driving sustainability mainstream. Partial to a modern aesthetic, we strive to be a one-stop shop for green news, solutions, and product information."
  • Designing the 21st Century Hospital : Environmental Leadership for Healthier Patients, Facilities, & Communities. The Center for Health Design and Health Care Without Harm, September 2006.
    White papers on hospital design (in PDF).

Historic Preservation

These are some resources you can use to become more acquainted with historic preservation.

  • PreservationDirectory.com.
    Directories and links to historical societies, museums, preservation offices, groups, etc. "Our goal is to foster the preservation of historic buildings, historic downtowns and neighborhoods, cultural resources and to promote heritage tourism by facilitating communication among historic preservation professionals and the general public."
  • Rehabilitating Interiors in Historic Buildings: Identifying and Preserving Character-Defining Elements. H. Ward Jandl. Preservation Brief 18. National Park Service. U.S. Department of the Interior.
    The brief provides information on: Identifying and Evaluating; Recommended Approaches; Meeting Building, Life; Safety and Fire Codes; Sources of Assistance; Protecting Interior Elements; Summary and References; and Reading List.
  • Applied Decoration for Historic Interiors: Preserving Composition Ornament. Jonathan Thornton and William Adair. Preservation Brief 34. National Park Service. U.S. Department of the Interior.
    The brief provides information on: De-Mystifying the Mix; Making Composition Ornament: A Process Unchanged; Molds and the Creation of Patterns; Historical Survey; Compo Deterioration and Damage; Planning for Treatment; Treating the Problem with Care; Conclusion; and Further Reading.
  • TPS Preservation Briefs. Technical Preservation Services. National Park Service. U.S. Department of the Interior.
    Subject menu and list of the more than 40 available titles. (Two listed just above.)
  • Historic Preservation. WBDG Historic Preservation Subcommittee. Whole Building Design Guide.
    This is an article about historical preservation by the “Whole Building Design Guide” organization. Related articles under the same category cover: apply the preservation process successfully; update building systems appropriately; accommodate life safety and security needs; and comply with accessibility requirements. There are many useful links to such topics as: Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, preservation, treatment plans, codes and standards, resources and organizations.

Lighting

There are several resources for lighting design:

  • Lighting. Energy.gov
    Information on lighting choices. Links to Lighting Principles and Terms and Lighting and Daylighting Products and Services.
  • Lightsearch.com.
    “ North America’s Largest Lighting Directory.” Categories include: Fixtures, LEDs, Lamps, Fiber Optics, Ballasts, Daylighting, Controls, Design Firms, Parts, Services, Software, International, Instruments, and Energy Star®. Searchable by company or product; links go to company’s Web sites. Links to current news of interest; archive goes back to January 2007 (each month has a sponsor). Advertisements found throughout.
  • Lighting Your Home. American Lighting Association.
    Article about the use of lighting in the home. Click on the name of a room for recommendations. Includes images. See also Lighting Fundamentals.
  • Lighting Research Center. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
    Information on the program, events, news, education (seminars, etc.), partners, and guides.
  • Lighting the Computerized Office. Alan Hedge et al. Department of Design and Environmental Analysis, New York State College of Human Ecology. Cornell University. Ergo.
    Research study report (1989 & 1990) on lighting in offices with computers.

See also the Lighting Design research guide.

Furniture and Furnishings

Here are a couple of sources for research on furniture and furnishings

  • Modern Furniture Designers. interiordezine.com
    Advertisement-heavy site (even at the very top), but has information about furniture starting with 1900--in similar font size and style. Scroll down for images of chairs, and to see left-side links to eras, also found near start of page. Other topics covered by this site include curtain design and design definitions (extensive, with pictures), and more.
  • Home Styles. © 2000 - 2008 by Kitchens.com.
    Pop-ups are a main feature of this site. This page has information on five American home styles with descriptions of the kitchen cabinetry that complements that era's home.

Walls & Ceilings

Here are a couple of sources for walls and ceilings, including finishes.

  • Home - Remodeling - Ceilings & Walls. Pinterest. Marilyn McQueen.
    Information about remodeling ceilings. Covers fans/light fixtures, installation, molding/trim, repairs/maintenance, and other.
  • Wall Finishes. Shirley Holden. HomeOwnerNet.
    An article about wall finishes that includes: sponging, rag rolling, stenciling, combing, wood graining, texturing, and tiling. Page has advertisements.

Floors

Here are some popular sources about flooring.

  • Flooring. Tim Carver. Ask the Builder®.
    A page a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist. Carver discusses all types of floors, issues, and considerations when choosing flooring.
  • What Type Of Flooring Is Best For Your Home? Alan Deacon. Ezine@rticles.
    Gives pros and cons for a number of different types of flooring. Links at foot of page to recent and related articles (by popularity).
  • Kitchen Flooring. Consumer Reports.org.
    An excerpt about floor materials from Consumer Reports. (Consumer Reports is available full-text at CSU’s Morgan Library TX 335 .C6 current.)

 

Associations & Foundations Related to Interior Design

If you are looking to connect with other people working in, or interested in, Interior Design you can try these contacts.

  • British Interior Design Association.
    BIDA Ltd.
    Units 109 – 111 The Chambers
    Chelsea Harbour
    London SW10 0XF
    Telephone: 020 7349 0800
    "The British Interior Design Association (BIDA) was formed in 2002 through the amalgamation of the highly respected Interior Decorators & Designers Association (originally set up in 1966) and the globally recognised International Interior Design Association (UK Chapter). This newly emerged organisation continues to promote high standards throughout the profession, encouraging and fostering proven design ability. The BIDA is a Member of IFI, the International Federation of Interior Architects & Designers."
  • Council for Interior Design Accreditation
    146 Monroe Center NW
    Suite 1318
    Grand Rapids, MI 49503
    616.458.0400
    "The Council for Interior Design Accreditation is an independent, non-profit accrediting organization for interior design education programs at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. . . . The Council for Interior Design Accreditation is recognized as a reliable authority on interior design education by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). The CHEA-recognized scope of accreditation is professional level programs in interior design."
  • American Society of Interior Designers
    608 Massachusetts Avenue, NE
    Washington DC 20002-6006
    phone: 202-546-3480 (A CSU student chapters and faculty advisors have won contests sponsored by ASID!)
  • Color Marketing Group
    Color Marketing Group (CMG)
    5845 Richmond Hwy., #410
    Alexandria, VA 22303, USA
    Phone: 703.329.8500
    “Color Marketing Group is the premier international association for color design professionals. Our mission is to create color forecast information for professionals who design and market color. We are "the" place for color info exchange. Color Designers are professionals who enhance the function, salability and/or quality of a product through their knowledge and appropriate application of color.”
  • IIDA Foundation. The Foundation for Design Professionals
    International Interior Design Association (IIDA) Headquarters
    222 Merchandise Mart Plaza, Suite 567
    Chicago, IL 60654-1103 Phone: (312) 467 1950
    Toll free: (888) 799 IIDA (4432) [Continental United States Only]
    “The IIDA Foundation is a not-for-profit (501c3), philanthropic organization whose primary mission is to advance interior design through education, research, and knowledge to benefit IIDA and the interior design profession.”

Interior Design as a Career & Directory

To find out more about Interior Design as a career these resources can be helpful.

  • Interior Designers. Occupational Outlook Handbook. U.S. Department of Labor.
    Read about Nature of the Work; Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement; Employment; Job Outlook; Projections Data; Earnings; OES Data; Related Occupations; and Sources of Additional Information. Highly recommended.
  • Careers in Interior Design. The Interior Design Profession's Body of Knowledge, 2005 Edition.
    Describes the profession and gives advice to those seeking a career in interior design.
  • Interior Design Link. ©2011 Interior Design Link.
    This Web site is "home to over 37,000 Professionals and Companies serving the entire Interior Design Community…Interior Design, Interior Decorating, Custom Flooring, Custom Furniture, Custom Rugs, Custom Window Treatments, Feng Shui, Floral Design, Interior Art, Interior Lighting, Interior Painting/Exterior Painting, and Kitchen Design/Bathroom Design."

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