Philosophy of Interior Design

There are very few books out there that combine "philosophy" with "interior design." For this reason alone, Abercrombie's book is a worthy contribution to the literature in interior design. One trait of philosophical works is their tendency to identify broad but fundamental categories that, together, describe a particular reality. I take this approach to be what the author means by "a philosophy of" interior design. That is to say, Abercrombie provides a menu of basic categories (plan, room, planes, levels, ornament, furniture, art, details, etc) and parses the reality of an interior built world through these lenses. His examples are good, and the book is well illustrated (although some of the magic of interior experience is not conveyed by the black and white pictures). Another good aspect about this book is this: the author is subtle in not making an arbitrary line of demarcation between "interior design" and "architecture." Even though his categories serve to focus on the topic of interiors, it does so without disconnecting interior design from the domain of architecture in some artificial way - and I think that is as it should be. In other words, this is a worthwhile book for both architects (who sometimes forget about interiors) and interior designers (who sometimes forget about architecture). As one who teaches design and has been in practice for many years, I would consider this book a good fit for those just starting to learn about interior design and/or those who are seasoned designers looking for something of a refresher on the fundamental nature of interior design. As the title implies, the book is not meant to be a "nuts-and-bolts" reference text for the practitioner; it is more of a meditative reflection about the nature of the worlds that the design practitioner can create for others.