Choosing among the best home design products depends on the kind of help you need: a practical plan, a more inviting atmosphere, or ideas for pulling a room together. I would start with The Interior Design Handbook for broad decorating guidance, consider The Functional Home if everyday use and layout lead your decisions, and turn to The Art of Home for an illustrated source of designer-informed inspiration.
Get furniture and decor delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
These books do not serve the same purpose. Some are framed around function or comfort, while others emphasize styling and the details that make a space feel personal. The product information available also varies: descriptions are detailed for some titles and sparse for others. I have ranked them by the clarity of their stated focus and the kind of buyer each appears best equipped to help, while treating missing details as unknown rather than filling gaps with assumptions.
Complete the kit
Key Takeaways
- Choose The Interior Design Handbook if you want a broad decorating and styling reference rather than a book focused on just one part of home design.
- The Functional Home is the clearest match for readers who want to think about how rooms support daily routines and intentional living.
- The Art of Home stands out for full-color photography and accessible designer concepts, though its guidance may feel too conceptual for readers who need exact steps.
- Homebody centers on comfort and inviting spaces, making it a better thematic fit for atmosphere than for technical planning based on the available description.
- Call It Home focuses on personal touches and design details, but the brief description leaves its format, scope, and practical depth uncertain.
| The Interior Design Handbook: Furnish, Decorate, and Style Your Space |  | Best Overall for Broad Decorating Guidance | Format: Book; specific format not provided | Subject: Interior design | Named focus: Furnishing, decorating, and styling | VIEW LATEST PRICE | See Our Full Breakdown |
| The Functional Home: A Practical Guide to Planning Intentional Living Spaces |  | Best for Practical Space Planning | Format: Book; specific format not provided | Subject: Home design and space planning | Named focus: Intentional living spaces | VIEW LATEST PRICE | See Our Full Breakdown |
| The Art of Home: A Designer Guide to Creating an Elevated Yet Approachable Home |  | Best for Visual Design Inspiration | Format: Illustrated book; exact edition format not provided | Subject: Home design | Named focus: Styling, color palettes, and layout planning | VIEW LATEST PRICE | See Our Full Breakdown |
| Homebody: A Guide to Creating Spaces You Never Want to Leave |  | Best for Comfort-First Decorating | Format: Book; specific format not provided | Subject: Home design | Named focus: Comfortable, inviting spaces | VIEW LATEST PRICE | See Our Full Breakdown |
| Call It Home: The Details That Matter |  | Best for Personal Touches | Format: Book; specific format not provided | Subject: Home design | Named focus: Details that contribute to a personalized living space | VIEW LATEST PRICE | See Our Full Breakdown |
| home design product | Format | Subject | Named focus | ISBN/ASIN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Interior Design Handbook: | Book; specific format not provided | Interior design | Furnishing, decorating, and styling | 0593139313 |
| The Functional Home: A Practic | Book; specific format not provided | Home design and space planning | Intentional living spaces | 1577155882 |
| The Art of Home: A Designer Gu | Illustrated book; exact edition format not provided | Home design | Styling, color palettes, and layout planning | 078523683X |
| Homebody: A Guide to Creating | Book; specific format not provided | Home design | Comfortable, inviting spaces | 006280197X |
| Call It Home: The Details That | Book; specific format not provided | Home design | Details that contribute to a personalized living space | 0593235525 |
More Details on Our Top Picks
The Interior Design Handbook: Furnish, Decorate, and Style Your Space
The Interior Design Handbook takes the broadest-sounding approach in this lineup: its title spans furnishing, decorating, and styling, three connected decisions that can otherwise feel fragmented. That makes it my strongest general-purpose pick for someone looking for one design book to orient a range of home projects. By comparison, The Functional Home is more clearly centered on planning how spaces serve daily life, while Homebody emphasizes a comfortable atmosphere.
There is a useful distinction between breadth and certainty here. The title suggests a wide remit, but no product description or specific contents were supplied, so I cannot confirm how the book organizes its advice or whether it offers step-by-step projects. The Art of Home has more detailed stated coverage of photography, color palettes, and layout, which makes its strengths easier to judge from the available information. This handbook makes the most sense when you want a broad starting point and are comfortable checking the book’s contents before relying on it for a specific task.
Its main tradeoff is limited verified detail. The scope sounds versatile, but readers who need a particular method, visual reference style, or room-by-room plan may prefer a title with a more explicit description. I would choose it as the generalist in this group, not as a guaranteed manual for any single design challenge.
Pros:- Title signals coverage across furnishing, decorating, and styling.
- Broad remit may suit readers managing several kinds of home design decisions.
- Can serve as a general starting point alongside more specialized books.
- Its focus is distinct from the lineup’s comfort-centered and function-centered titles.
Cons:- No product description or contents details were supplied.
- Specific techniques, room coverage, and visual format cannot be confirmed from the available information.
Best for: Readers seeking one broadly themed book to support furnishing, decorating, and styling decisions across a home.
Not ideal for: Buyers who need confirmed step-by-step instructions, a specific room plan, or detailed information about the book’s format before choosing.
- Format:Book; specific format not provided
- Subject:Interior design
- Named focus:Furnishing, decorating, and styling
- Room coverage:Not specified
- Instruction style:Not specified
- Visual content:Not specified
- ISBN/ASIN:0593139313
Our verdict“I rank it first as the broadest apparent all-around design reference, with the caveat that its exact guidance needs checking.”
The Functional Home: A Practical Guide to Planning Intentional Living Spaces
If the first question you ask about a room is whether it works for the people who live in it, The Functional Home is the most directly aligned title here. Its description calls it a practical guide to planning intentional living spaces, putting use and layout ahead of surface-level styling. That emphasis separates it from The Art of Home, which is described as covering style, color, and layouts through a more design-inspiration lens.
This is the clearest pick for readers who want a deliberate approach to how their home supports daily life. It also sounds more focused than The Interior Design Handbook, whose title reaches into furnishing and decorating as well as styling. That narrower promise can be a benefit: someone rearranging rooms around routines may not want a general decorating survey. At the same time, the supplied description provides no specific methods, sample plans, illustrations, or room-by-room coverage, so I would not assume the book contains a particular planning system.
The tradeoff is scope and detail. Buyers seeking color inspiration or a visual tour of different styles may find The Art of Home more appealing, while readers chiefly trying to make a home feel cozy may gravitate toward Homebody. The Functional Home earns its position because its stated purpose is concrete, but prospective readers should verify the level of practical instruction if they need detailed implementation steps.
Pros:- Explicitly focuses on planning intentional living spaces.
- Its practical framing suits function-led decisions.
- Offers a clear contrast to the lineup’s styling- and atmosphere-oriented books.
- May help readers define what a room needs to do before choosing décor.
Cons:- The description does not specify planning methods or examples.
- No details were supplied about illustrations, room coverage, or depth of instruction.
Best for: Readers planning rooms around household routines, usability, and intentional use of space.
Not ideal for: Readers primarily looking for decorative inspiration, extensive photography, or a confirmed step-by-step makeover plan.
- Format:Book; specific format not provided
- Subject:Home design and space planning
- Named focus:Intentional living spaces
- Approach:Described as practical
- Room coverage:Not specified
- Illustrations:Not specified
- ISBN/ASIN:1577155882
Our verdict“I recommend it when room function is the main design problem, while readers seeking visual styling guidance may prefer The Art of Home.”
The Art of Home: A Designer Guide to Creating an Elevated Yet Approachable Home
The Art of Home pairs professional design concepts with an approachable everyday-home framing. Its stated strengths are unusually clear in this lineup: full-color photography, designer insights, and coverage that includes styling, color palettes, and layout planning. That combination gives visual learners more to work with than the brief descriptions for Call It Home or Homebody provide.
Compared with The Functional Home, this book seems to balance practical subjects with a stronger emphasis on design style and inspiration. Compared with The Interior Design Handbook, its described coverage is more concrete, even though the handbook’s title promises broader furnishing and decorating territory. The Art of Home may be a good middle ground for readers who want professional ideas that still feel applicable to an everyday home, rather than a purely technical planning guide.
The supplied drawback is worth taking seriously: absolute beginners seeking exact steps may find it conceptual. Photography can help a reader recognize palettes and arrangements, but it does not automatically answer how to plan a project in sequence. I would choose this title for ideas and design perspective, and pair it with a more procedural resource if a project depends on detailed instructions.
Pros:- Combines designer insights with an approachable framing.
- Full-color photography offers visual examples.
- Description names styling, color palettes, and layout planning.
- Covers a range of rooms and design styles.
Cons:- May feel conceptual to beginners seeking step-by-step directions.
- The supplied description does not specify project worksheets or detailed implementation sequences.
Best for: Visual learners who want accessible designer perspectives, color and styling ideas, and photography across a range of rooms and styles.
Not ideal for: Absolute beginners who need tightly sequenced instructions for completing a design project.
- Format:Illustrated book; exact edition format not provided
- Subject:Home design
- Named focus:Styling, color palettes, and layout planning
- Visual content:Full-color photography
- Design perspective:Professional concepts presented accessibly
- Coverage:Multiple rooms and design styles
- Instruction caveat:May be conceptual for beginners seeking step-by-step guidance
- ISBN/ASIN:078523683X
Our verdict“I would choose it for visual inspiration and approachable design ideas, while relying on a more procedural guide for exact project steps.”
Homebody: A Guide to Creating Spaces You Never Want to Leave
Homebody is the most direct match for a reader whose design goal is a home that feels inviting and comfortable. Its title and description center the lived experience of a space, which makes it different from The Functional Home’s focus on intentional planning. Where that book asks how rooms can serve daily life, Homebody appears oriented toward the feeling a room creates.
This focus is useful when a home feels impersonal or when a buyer wants to prioritize warmth over a formal design scheme. It also makes the book a more specialized choice than The Interior Design Handbook, whose title suggests a wider range of furnishing and decorating subjects. The limitation is that the supplied information is brief: it identifies a comfort-centered guide, but says nothing about photography, exercises, color advice, layout methods, or the range of styles covered.
Atmosphere is its apparent strength, and specificity is its uncertainty. Readers looking for clear planning techniques should compare it with The Functional Home; those wanting an illustrated look at palettes and styling should look at The Art of Home. Homebody makes most sense when comfort is the organizing principle and a broad, verified set of technical instructions is not the deciding factor.
Pros:- Comfort and inviting spaces are its stated central theme.
- Its atmosphere-first approach fills a distinct role in this comparison.
- The title frames design around how people feel in their home.
- May suit readers whose goal is a more welcoming everyday environment.
Cons:- No specific techniques, examples, or room coverage were provided.
- Visual format and level of practical instruction are unknown.
Best for: Readers who want to make their home feel more comfortable, welcoming, and suited to spending time in.
Not ideal for: Buyers who prioritize technical space planning, a confirmed visual format, or detailed procedural guidance.
- Format:Book; specific format not provided
- Subject:Home design
- Named focus:Comfortable, inviting spaces
- Planning methods:Not specified
- Room coverage:Not specified
- Visual content:Not specified
- ISBN/ASIN:006280197X
Our verdict“I would pick Homebody when comfort is the main goal, but choose The Functional Home for an explicitly planning-led approach.”
Call It Home: The Details That Matter
Call It Home takes the most personal-sounding angle in the group. Its description points to the details that help transform a house into a home, suggesting a focus on how smaller design choices contribute to a space’s character. That is a different starting point from The Functional Home, which foregrounds planning, and from The Art of Home, whose description names photography, palettes, and layout.
This could appeal to readers who have the basic furniture and layout in place but want their rooms to feel more individual. The word “details” suggests a finer-grained perspective than The Interior Design Handbook’s broader furnishing and styling remit, though the provided information does not confirm what those details are or how the book treats them. I would not assume it offers a checklist, project sequence, or particular decorating techniques based on the short description alone.
Its appeal is personal, but its evidence is limited. Homebody is the stronger match for a specifically comfort-centered brief, while Call It Home appears more concerned with personalization. Because no specifications, pros, or cons were supplied, I rank it fifth on confidence about buyer fit rather than on a claim about its quality. It may be the right thematic choice, but readers who need to know the book’s scope should inspect its contents before deciding.
Pros:- Description emphasizes personalization and the details of a home.
- Offers a distinct theme from the lineup’s planning and comfort titles.
- May resonate with readers refining a space that already has its basic layout.
- Frames design around creating a sense of home.
Cons:- The product description provides little information about its actual content.
- Format, room coverage, visual examples, and instruction style are not specified.
Best for: Readers interested in using design details to make a living space feel more personal and home-like.
Not ideal for: Buyers who need confirmed techniques, a defined room-by-room scope, or detailed product information before choosing.
- Format:Book; specific format not provided
- Subject:Home design
- Named focus:Details that contribute to a personalized living space
- Planning methods:Not specified
- Room coverage:Not specified
- Visual content:Not specified
- ISBN/ASIN:0593235525
Our verdict“I would shortlist it for a personal-touch focus, while checking its contents first because the available details are sparse.”
How We Picked
I compared these five books as home design resources, not as interchangeable décor products. My ranking gives weight to the usefulness of each title’s stated focus, the range of design decisions it appears to address, and how clearly a prospective reader can tell what kind of guidance to expect.
Practical planning matters for readers deciding how rooms should work, so The Functional Home earns a distinct place for its explicit focus on intentional living spaces. The Interior Design Handbook ranks first because its title signals a broad mix of furnishing, decorating, and styling, giving it the widest apparent reach across common home design tasks. The Art of Home follows closely for its described combination of photography, color, layout, and accessible designer insight, though the supplied description cautions that it may be conceptual rather than step-by-step.
I also considered comfort and personalization as meaningful design goals. Homebody is specifically presented as a guide to creating inviting spaces, while Call It Home highlights details that can make a home feel personal. Their positions reflect the narrower focus and the limited detail supplied about their contents. I have not inferred page counts, layouts, exercises, room coverage, materials, or specific techniques where those facts were not provided. These picks are books; the available information does not support claims that they include physical design tools or products.
| home design product | Format | Subject | Named focus | Visual content |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Interior Design Handbook: | Book; specific format not provided | Interior design | Furnishing, decorating, and styling | Not specified |
| The Functional Home: A Practic | Book; specific format not provided | Home design and space planning | Intentional living spaces | — |
| The Art of Home: A Designer Gu | Illustrated book; exact edition format not provided | Home design | Styling, color palettes, and layout planning | Full-color photography |
| Homebody: A Guide to Creating | Book; specific format not provided | Home design | Comfortable, inviting spaces | Not specified |
| Call It Home: The Details That | Book; specific format not provided | Home design | Details that contribute to a personalized living space | Not specified |
Factors to Consider When Choosing Best Home Design Products
I would choose among these books by naming the design problem first. A useful reference for room planning may not be the best source of styling ideas, and an atmosphere-led guide may not answer practical layout questions.Start with the decision you need to make
If you are furnishing and styling across several rooms, The Interior Design Handbook has the broadest apparent remit, though its specific contents were not provided. For a room that needs to work better around your routines, The Functional Home is the most explicit fit. When you want the space to feel welcoming, Homebody is the clearest thematic match; when you want more personality in the finishing details, Call It Home points in that direction.
For a project where visual direction is the sticking point, The Art of Home is the most fully described choice. Its named subjects—styling, color palettes, layout planning, and photography—give a clearer preview of its approach than the other short descriptions. I would match the book to the question you are trying to answer, rather than assume that one title covers every part of a redesign equally well.
Decide how much instruction you need
Some readers want ideas that help them form a point of view; others want directions they can follow in order. The Art of Home is presented as approachable but may be too conceptual for beginners looking for step-by-step help. The Functional Home is called practical, yet the available details do not describe a specific method or sequence. I would check the contents or a preview if following a defined process is essential.
The Interior Design Handbook could suit someone who wants a broad reference, but no description was supplied to confirm its level of detail. Homebody and Call It Home have clear thematic hooks, but their brief descriptions do not establish whether they include exercises, project plans, or visual examples. Treat those unknowns as questions to verify before buying.
Use visuals when style is hard to describe
Photography and visual examples can help translate vague preferences into choices about color, shape, and arrangement. Of these five, only The Art of Home is specifically described as having full-color photography, so it is the clearest choice if seeing examples is a priority. The other books may also include visual material, but the information supplied does not say.
If you already know the look you want, a planning-centered book may be more useful than a visual survey. If you are still forming your taste, compare The Art of Home with the broader promise of The Interior Design Handbook, then verify what the latter actually contains. I would avoid choosing any book based on assumed illustrations or layouts that are not stated in its product details.
Separate function, comfort, and personality
These goals overlap, but they lead to different design choices. A functional room supports activities and routines; a comfortable room feels inviting to spend time in; a personal room reflects the people who live there. The Functional Home, Homebody, and Call It Home each foreground one of those angles, respectively, based on their descriptions.
If one goal is currently more urgent, start with the matching title. If the project has several stages, you might use a function-led guide to clarify the layout, then turn to an atmosphere or details-focused book for the finishing direction. That is a way to combine complementary perspectives, not a claim that any title guarantees a particular result.
Check the available product details
The descriptions vary substantially in detail. The Art of Home has stated information about photography and subject coverage, while the other entries provide fewer confirmed specifics. Before choosing a book with a sparse description, look for a contents page, sample pages, edition information, or a library copy. Those can tell you whether the book’s actual depth and format match your needs.
I would be especially careful if you need a particular room covered or a specific kind of instruction. None of the supplied information confirms page count, dimensions, publication details, worksheets, or detailed project steps. The titles make their broad themes easy to compare, but further contents information will help resolve the finer differences.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which book is the best general choice for home design?
I rank The Interior Design Handbook as the broadest apparent option because its title spans furnishing, decorating, and styling. The available product details do not describe its contents, so readers who need a specific method or confirmed room coverage should check a preview before choosing. For a more clearly documented visual approach, The Art of Home is the better-defined alternative.
Which pick is best if I want my home to feel more comfortable?
Homebody is the most direct fit for a comfort-first goal: its description centers on creating comfortable, inviting spaces. Call It Home also speaks to making a house feel personal, but its emphasis appears to be on meaningful details rather than comfort specifically. The descriptions do not establish the exact techniques either book uses.
Which book should I choose for practical room planning?
The Functional Home is the clearest match because its description explicitly calls it a practical guide to planning intentional living spaces. The Art of Home also names layout planning, alongside styling and color, but may be too conceptual for beginners who want exact steps. If you need a defined method, check the available contents before deciding.
Which title is strongest for visual inspiration?
The Art of Home is the strongest documented visual choice because its description specifically mentions full-color photography and a range of rooms and design styles. The other supplied descriptions do not confirm whether they include photographs or illustrations. I would choose this one when visual examples are central to finding a direction.
Can one of these books replace a step-by-step renovation plan?
The supplied descriptions do not confirm that any title provides a complete renovation sequence or technical project plan. The Functional Home is framed as practical planning guidance, and The Art of Home covers layout, but those descriptions alone do not establish renovation-level instructions. If your project involves technical work, verify the book’s contents and identify any specialist guidance you need separately.
Conclusion
I would choose The Interior Design Handbook for the broadest apparent decorating reference, The Functional Home when room use and planning are the priority, and The Art of Home when photography and accessible designer ideas can help shape a visual direction. For a comfort-first home, Homebody has the clearest thematic fit; for a more personal finish, Call It Home may appeal. Because the last two and the handbook have limited supplied product details, I would inspect their contents before relying on them for a specific project.
Halloween Picks
halloween
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
