There’s no shortage of design inspiration online. Whether it’s through Pinterest, Instagram, magazine sites, or *ahem* blogs, great design is at the tip of your finger all day long. But despite the ease and accessibility, online sources just can’t replace a coffee table or bookshelf filled with big and beautiful interior decorating books.

Flipping page by page through a bevy of dazzling rooms is like escaping into a different world. A world where beauty and artistry trump all.

Like decorating itself, what makes a great decorating book is subjective. Some people prefer traditional while others are into mid-Century modern; some like to focus on the big picture while others are detail-oriented, and some like to gather inspiration from across the globe, while others like to focus on a single home.

For us, a great interior decorating book is one that you can pick up over and over again and always find something new. Whether it’s a detail in a photo that you missed the first time, or a reference that you consult time and time again.

When it comes to beautiful interior decorating books chock full of interesting and useful info, these are a few of our faves.

Elements of Style: Designing a Home & a Life

Practical advice, self deprecating humor and gorgeous photos make up this visually stunning book by designer and blogger, Erin Gates.

Domino: The Book of Decorating: A room-by-room guide to creating a home that makes you happy

This may be one of the best interior decorating books ever written. It may not be one of the big, beautiful books you traditionally see on display, but it’s packed with helpful tips and resources you’ll refer to time and time again.

Be Your Own Decorator: Taking Inspiration and Cues from Today’s Top Designers

If inspiration from real design pros is what you’re after, this compilation – packed with easy and accessible tips from Susanna Salk – is sure to please.

The Finer Things: Timeless Furniture, Textiles, and Details

Who doesn’t like the finer things? Here it applies specifically to walls, floors, furniture, textiles, and accessories – the fundamentals of any beautiful room. Great info and even better eye-candy – what more could you want?

Beautiful: All-American Decorating and Timeless Style

Elegant without being fussy is the best way to describe the interiors featured in Mark D. Sikes’s lovely book. Or perhaps it’s chic yet accessible. Or better yet, classic, yet comfortable. When you get right down to it, these rooms are, wait for it… beautiful.

The Decorated Home: Living with Style and Joy

Formal but fun is how we like to think of Meg Braff’s style. Lots of color, lots of pattern, and lots of tips on how to make the two work together. If you like cheerful rooms, articulately arranged, this is the book for you.

Beth Webb: An Eye for Beauty: Rooms That Speak to the Senses

Interior decorating is about more than just filling a room with pretty things. Beth Webb understands that it involves form, function and more than anything – detail. A truly comforting and comfortable home should appeal to all the senses, and this lovely book does a great job of explaining how.

This is only a sampling of the big, beautiful interior decorating books out there. Which ones are your favourites?

Feature photo by Alisa Anton