Design books are inherently beautiful things. Visually, of course, they offer an embarrassment of riches. But at AD PRO we also look beyond those vividly illustrated pages and covers worthy of a coffee-table humblebrag. And it’s these 15 books’ ability to shed light on a designer’s inner monologue—their obsessions, their processes, and their challenges—that makes them standouts. We learn about Ashley Hicks’s affinity for DIY (which would have his late father turning in his grave, he notes), Kathy Kincaid’s secret sauce for mixing periods and patterns, Axel Vervoordt’s enduring exploration of Japanese aesthetics, and much more. If there is something to be learned this fall, it’s that when it comes to interiors, there are so many right ways to do things.

Lisa Fine, Near & Far: Interiors I Love
By Lisa Fine with photography by Miguel Flores-Vianna
Vendome, $60

Floral block prints, blue delftware, crystal chandeliers—these are all design elements that endure, and for very good reason. But when seen through the astute eye of Lisa Fine, they lose any potentially staid connotations. In her new book Near & Far: Interiors I Love, the Mississippi-born textile designer leads readers through both her own far-flung homes and ones in which she has found inspiration around the globe. Insightful as her own rooms may be, it’s the residences of Carl Linnaeus, Lee Radziwill, and others that may have readers crying “Encore!” —Madeleine Luckel

Kelly Wearstler: Evocative Style
By Kelly Wearstler
Rizzoli, $55

If there’s one thing Kelly Wearstler has proven expertise in, it’s her ability to knock down any design conventions to mix and match whatever she pleases. Across the pages of this book, the AD100 designer presents a case study in collaged design, where seafoam green chandeliers and upholstered dining chairs live in perfect harmony, and paint-splattered walls and ornate antique chests couple happily together. Pulling the traditional, modern, colorful, and stark all into the same room seemingly gives each piece a new life and identity though Wearstler’s careful consideration. If there’s a lesson to be learned from the interiors presented here, it’s to always see the forest and the trees. —Tim Latterner

Axel Vervoordt: Portraits of Interiors
By Michael Gardner with photography by Laziz Hamani
Rizzoli, $75

Axel Vervoordt’s latest monograph, Portraits of Interiors, lovingly paints precisely that: intimate views into some of the Belgian designer’s most masterful projects. The book, released in time for the 50th anniversary of his company, pulls back the curtain on Vervoordt’s design process—steeped heavily in the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi—and offers candid reflections from each projects’ clients. From a minimalist townhouse in Tokyo to the Vervoordt family’s private home, the ‘s-Gravenwezel castle, the AD100 Hall of Famer and his collaborators demonstrate an adroit handling of context, infusing each project with a sense of stillness and balance. “There are no mistakes in nature. You can’t impose your will. You have to accept things as they are,” Vervoordt notes. Indeed, through text by Michael James Gardner and rich photographs by Laziz Hamani, Portraits of Interiors demonstrates that in Vervoordt’s universe everything is in precisely the right place. —Anna Fixsen