The interior design guide. A definitive knowledge base for interior designers.

From first principles to the finishing touches: shell, surfaces, space planning, furniture, electrics, plumbing and joinery, in the order a project runs.

The Lexicon.

Every term, in plain words.

From hue and light reflectance to bonding and kick space, every term the guide uses has a short definition, what to know in practice and the pages that use it.

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The interior design guide.

A definitive knowledge base for interior designers.

Eleven chapters take a home from first principles to the moment you show it to the client. Start with Foundations and read in order, or search for a topic, a term or a rule of thumb.

Chapters.

Eleven steps, from principles to presentation.

Keep reading.

Where to go next.

Sections.

Keep reading.

Where to go next.

Martindale.

What it means in interior design.

Martindale is the standard abrasion test for upholstery fabric, counted in rub cycles before visible wear. The higher the count, the longer the fabric survives daily use.

In practice

Rough guide: 15,000–25,000 rubs for everyday domestic seating, 25,000+ for heavy family use, 40,000+ for contract (rule of thumb). Rub count isn’t everything: pilling, fading and fibre content matter as much on a family sofa.

Where the guide uses it

  • Defined here, in the Lexicon.
Units