Betsy Helmuth

This is probably the most useful design book I've read for normal people. The cover is kind of unappealing and the layout isn't exactly beautiful, but the content is specific and useful and succinct. I think I'm better than average at decorating and I learned a few things, like that the scale of your table lamps will look best if their height is about equal to the height of the table they'll be placed on, and that while you can follow the common "make sure you have a few instances of each for it to look intentional" tip of mixing woods or metals, the average person's room will look best with a mix of woods or metals in the same tone (light, medium, or dark wood; cool, warm, or dark metal). Betsy is snarky and thoroughly entertaining as well. This is definitely an unpretentious guide and you can read it in an hour.… (mer)