House Rules

We all want a home that is as much tailored to our lives as it is inviting (and impressive) to guests. House Rules helps you achieve both, encouraging you to develop and elevate your personal style, putting it into practice with the tenets of interior design.

In House Rules, Emma Beryl Kemper, principal of her eponymous interior design firm, breaks down this often intimidating topic, defining 100 insightful rules to help you transform your space into a home you’ll never want to leave. Organized into categories—some broad, like Gathering Inspiration and Space Planning, others more distinct and detailed, like Window Treatments and Coverings—these guidelines include tips on every step of transforming your space. If you don’t know where to begin, Rule #1 eases you in with creating a mood board. Time to change up your walls? Rule #36 helps you avoid choosing paint or wallpaper that clashes with other colors already present in that room. When you need a quick tweak, Rule #99 explains the impact a single throw pillow can have on a room. Want to set the mood at your next dinner party? Rule #52 is all about uplights and how to implement them.

Whether you prefer a sleek minimalist vibe or a colorful eclectic bohemian style, Emma’s rules apply, and they will bring your vision to life. Adorned with chic, painterly line drawings throughout, this book will look perfect on display in your living room—once it’s designed to perfection.