Interiors by Design: Advice and Inspiration from the Professionals

Anyone who's covered their walls in paint samples or pondered over lighting schemes will know that being your own designer is not as easy as it sounds. Luckily, help is at hand with Interiors by Design. Getting Started shows you how to draw up the all-important design brief of what you want to achieve from your space, both practically and aesthetically. Complete Schemes and The Rooms present over 30 interiors selected from the most stylish homes around the world, created by talented designers including William Yeoward, Pam Giolito and Joseph Marino, and Bruce Oldfield. Trade Secrets provides a summary of professional wisdom to ensure you get the best results.

Christopher Drake was born in South America, brought up in Norway, and now lives in London. He started his career as an in-house photographer's assistant at Vogue, then moved into interiors photography. His work is now featured in an international range of magazines, including Architectural Digest (Germany), Victoria Magazine, Homes and Gardens, World of Interiors, and Country Living. For Ryland Peters and Small he has photographed Hallways, Corridors, and Staircases and Enrica Stabile's Open Air Living and Comfortable Country.

Ros Byam Shaw is a former features editor of World of Interiors and deputy editor of British W, the fashion and lifestyle newspaper. She is now a freelance journalist and writes on design and interiors for House and Garden, Tatler, and The Sunday Times. She is author of Naturally Modern, and for Ryland Peters and Small she wrote Living with Arts and Crafts and contributed to The Home Zone. Ros is currently knee-deep in contractors and puppies as she restores her Elizabeth house in Devon, England.