The Interiors Theory Primer

"William Mangold’s Interiors Theory Primer is a very welcome addition to the rapidly expanding scholarly literature about interiors. Acknowledging the need for the field to be rooted in a theoretical and ideas framework that reflects and informs their vital contribution to human existence, the author positions interiors within a wide range of concepts - from materiality to atmosphere, from space to identity, and from social justice to well-being. Mangold’s clearly articulated text offers researchers, students, interior designers, and an interested public a rich set of intellectual tools with which to approach this exciting new discipline."

Penny Sparke, Professor of Design History at Kingston University, London; Director of the Modern Interiors Research Centre; Author of Nature Inside, The Modern Interior, and As Long as It's Pink: The Sexual Politics of Taste.

"William Mangold's Interiors Theory Primer charts the expansive territory of the interior in all its permutations, lived, perceived, and imagined. Mangold centers interior design as the critical spatial experience that forms and informs who we are as individuals and communities. The Primer will certainly be a must-have reference and source of inspiration for the design of interiors with its clear and comprehensive chapters that define the environments where we spend 90% of our time."

Anita Cooney, Dean, Pratt Institute, School of Design; Professor and former Chair of Interior Design Department.

"This Primer provides the reader with an authoritative and compelling guide to understanding the broad and diverse terrains of the discipline of the interior. It is an essential read for those who want a comprehensive introduction to the fundamental ideas, issues and expansive processes and practices of this subject."

Graeme Brooker, Professor and Head of Programme, Interior Design, Royal College of Art, London; Co-editor of The Handbook of Interior Architecture + Design and From Organisation to Decoration: An Interiors Reader.

"This work is substantial and serious — a true primer at a high level, exposing students to the seminal work of the world's most powerful thinkers and designers through thoughtful explication and references to key scholarship and works of design. Interiors Theory Primer provides students with the foundational knowledge they need to inform their thinking, research, analyses, and projects."

Ellen S. Fisher, Ph. D., VP for Academic Affairs & Dean, New York School of Interior Design.

"The Interiors Theory Primer brings together the history, theory and practice of interiors and repositions these in contemporary discourses, foregrounding pressing issues from environmental and social responsibility to the future of technology and health. Through compelling references and works, Mangold bridges topics often on the periphery of the discipline to the experience of the individual and communal, resulting in meaningful approaches to shaping interiors."

Lois Weinthal, Professor and Graduate Interior Design Program Director, The Creative School, Toronto Metropolitan University; Editor of Toward an New Interior, Co-editor of The Handbook of Interior Architecture + Design.

"Mangold presents interiors as a rich terrain and in doing so performs the work of an experienced guide whose radically inclusive mindset toward the discipline will make everyone feel like a part of the journey. From design students working on thesis projects to practitioners seeking to deepen their own understanding of how they contribute to this burgeoning terrain, the primer will provide indispensable insight, references, and further direction to anyone interested in interiors' theoretical dimensions. Interiors Theory Primer is the book that many of us teaching in the field have always wished for, and I can’t wait to share it with my students."

Igor Siddiqui, Associate Professor and Program Director for Interior Design, The University of Texas at Austin; Co-Editor-in-Chief of the journal Interiors: Design/Architecture/Culture.

"This is critical work for any interior theorists, from the undergraduate thesis student to the established scholar beginning new research. Mangold’s Primer anchors a constellation of works into a cohesive, organized and useful map of contemporary interior design theory from the last three decades, much needed as we step into a new established moment of development in the field. The Primer offers ways of theorizing interiors in the context of social and environmental justice through diverse references and practical precedent, leading us into new ways of thinking about the future of interior design."

Amy Campos, Professor and former Chair of Interior Design, California College of the Arts; Co-editor of Interiors Beyond Architecture.

"William Mangold’s Interiors Theory Primer is a next-generation addition to the literature on interior design, providing a solid theoretical foundation for a discipline often underexplored. This book explores pressing topics such as the climate crisis, social justice, and the evolving influence of media and technology on interior spaces. It also stays rooted in traditional design principles, encouraging readers to critically assess the spaces we design and inhabit. Mangold empowers readers to view design as both a critical and creative practice, positioning interior design as a key discipline for tackling the challenges of the 21st century."

Cotter D. Christian, Dean, School of Constructed Environments, Associate Professor of Interior Design, Parsons School of Design, The New School University.

"Mangold’s Interiors Theory Primer provides the much-needed theoretical framing for the interior design discipline at a time when understanding and shaping spaces has never been more critical. By mapping the disciplinary terrain of interiors—both as designed and inhabited spaces—the book positions interiors as a distinct yet interconnected area of inquiry. Organized into three thoughtful sections, it addresses foundational issues of experience and inhabitation while tackling emerging socio-political issues that will shape the future of interiors. For academics and professional designers, this primer serves as both a guide and a framework, articulating the value of interior thinking and its profound contributions to creating meaningful spatial and human experiences."

Tina Patel, Associate Professor, Interior Design, Kent State University.