RESOURCES : O.C. Students of Design Know Where to Hit the Books
Stepping into the do-it-yourself home design realm can lead to a whole new world of discovery or be fraught with frustration, depending on which route you follow in the process. And the stakes are high: Consider the time and money spent on furnishing, painting or wallpapering just one room.
The headaches alone explain why some people go the guided-tour route--they hire an interior designer. But not all of us have the extra cash for a consultant, just aren’t comfortable with someone else’s idea of elegant or would simply prefer to handle such a personal itinerary ourselves.
Home design magazines are certainly an idea resource, but it tends to be broad-based information--or exceedingly trendy--which may not help if you have specifics in mind.
If you have a germ of a design idea but aren’t clear how to flesh it out, don’t despair. In love with the Craftsman style but don’t know a Stickley from a Biedermeier? Take heart. Self-help abounds. There exists within the county a rich range of research options, some of them used by the pros. All that’s required is the curiosity and willingness to spend time and energy doing a bit of homework.
Nearly all libraries and bookstores have some materials on design and are a good place to start. If you want to delve further, here are some that have more detailed information for students of design:
Decorative Arts Study Center
Home design is elevated to an art form here, and it is reflected in the center’s private library. The 1,500-volume collection, considered the cornerstone of the center, is housed in two small, charming rooms with creaky wooden floors. It is set next to the garden and courtyard where lectures and luncheons are held.
The library is free to use and open to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (The not-for-profit center does suggest a $3 donation, however.) This is a non-circulating library; all research must be done on the premises, although a copy machine is available for use.
An informational flyer on the library says the center aims to be one of the “finest facilities available to students, professionals and the general public,” and judging by the collection, its well on its way. Titles range from “A History of Interior Decoration” to “Life in the English Country House.” Sometimes, the library gets calls from the Getty Museum on research topics.
The collection places strong emphasis on French, English, Italian and Spanish styles, but the materials cover all areas of home design, including some that spill over from other disciplines: furniture, architecture, silverware, fashion, glassware, porcelain and gardens.
Among its gems are architectural books from the 1920s and ‘30s, some complete with measured drawings for the purist who wants to recreate a look to exact scale.
The center is still building up its small but interesting video library, which features “Gardens of the World” narrated by Audrey Hepburn, and videos on Mt. Vernon and Frank Lloyd Wright. The magazine collection includes the complete volumes of Architectural Digest, dating from the 1970s.
This library has another gem that it doesn’t advertise--even though it can prove as valuable as the books--and that is the volunteer docents who work there. Those docents who aren’t knowledgeable about some aspect of interior design--roughly defined by the center as anything to do with the home that isn’t flat--have a passion and enthusiasm for the field that makes you want to learn more.
Decorative Arts Study Center, 31431 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano. (714) 496-2132.
Chapman University
This four-year liberal arts college in Orange started its interior design program about 1 1/2 years ago, and librarian Susan Schlaeger has been compiling a book collection as an adjunct to the classes.
Schlaeger notes that the collection is young--most of the books are research-related--but they cover such topics as the Frank Lloyd Wright style, 19th-Century neoclassical English architecture and interior design. The graduate level program has a concentration in environmental and interior design.
Don’t look for “how-to” books at this library. Rather, if you want a book to explain the Louis XVI style of design, you’ll find it here. Or, if you’re really ambitious and want to know how to do an architectural interior rendering, you’ll find a book here explaining how it’s done.
The library is open to the public, but there are restrictions. Periodicals don’t circulate, so you can’t check out their Design Quarterly, Designers West, Progressive Architecture or Interior Design magazines. And if you want to check out a book out, you have to buy an annual guest card for $35.
333 N. Glassell St., Orange. (714) 997-6815
UC Irvine
UCI Extension offers a certificate program in interior and environmental design, and although the university library doesn’t maintain a collection specifically to support the program, it does have a fine arts section. Most of their books that would fall under the home-design category are actually related to art history, cover architectural styles or mainstream art movements, such as art nouveau, says UCI fine arts librarian Lorelei Tanji.
Even though the library maintains an art history section, Tanji recommends against using their collection to, say, ascertain the value of an antique. Because the market for such items fluctuates, see an appraiser, she says.
Members of the public can use the library for research. To check out books, you have to join Friends of the Library--$20 for six months, $40 for 12 months.
UCI Library: 856-6842.
Saddleback College
The Mission Viejo community college offers courses in interior design under its technology and applied science department. The school’s library maintains a collection to support the modest program; it is open to the public. (The college also is considering putting together a core of home design classes designed for people on a budget who want to cut costs by doing their own legwork on such things as scouting out supplies or figuring required material for recovering furniture.)
28000 Marguerite Parkway, Mission Viejo. (714) 831-4500
Rizzoli Bookstore
Many interior designers find the interior design and architecture section of Rizzoli Bookstore in South Coast Plaza to be a great resource for high-quality books on home arts. Along with the how-to selections, the store also carries books that can’t be found at the bigger discount chains, says manager Lisa Robinson.
Rizzoli is an Italy-based fine-book publisher that specializes in arts and photography. Its South Coast Plaza store is one of the largest in its international chain and it stocks books from several fine-book publishers, such as Books Nippon, a Japanese company, or British publishers Thames & Hudson. Rizzoli is also “willing to special-order anything,” Robinson says.
In addition to books, the store is also a rich resource for international interior design magazines.
Hennessey & Ingalls
This Santa Monica-based, family-owned bookstore has been in business for 27 years and considers itself to sell the largest supply of home design, art and architectural titles on the West Coast. Many interior designers would agree.
The store caters to the professional and the avid do-it-yourselfer. It maintains entire sections on such subjects as energy home improvement, architecture and furniture. Floor manager John Hirschmann says the store has at least 300 titles on interior design and sells 20 titles on faux finishes alone.
Hennessey & Ingalls, 1254 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica. (310) 458-9074.
Book Club
The Contract Design Center Book Club based in Chicago is set up especially for architects and interior design professionals--residential and commercial--but it also welcomes questions or inquiries from the general public. This is the number to call for the book you can’t find anywhere else. Where some book stores would have, say, 10 books on textiles, this book club would have 75 from which to choose.
“We’re an information source for people,” says owner Dan Osborn. And you don’t necessarily have to order a book; feel free to call or fax him to see if a book even exists on a particular subject, he says.
Contract Design Center Book Club, 11-111 Merchandise Mart, Chicago, Ill. 60654. Phone: (312)527-3509. Fax: (312) 527-3507
