Interior designer Leslie Banker grew up learning the trade by her decorator mother’s side. The most important thing her mother taught her was that thinking like a decorator means focusing on developing the story of the space and its inhabitants. That story is what gives a place style, depth, character, and its own unique look, as well as—most importantly—makes the people who live there happy. Think Like a Decorator shows readers how to do just that.

Banker teaches readers how to drill down and articulate what appeals to them. She explains how to drop anchors for the project, whether it’s a favorite paint color or an inherited family piece, and what is essential to living comfortably in a home (hint: enough chairs at the dinner table). Banker also covers how to identify what is not working currently (the pile of backpacks that grows at the end of each day in that neglected corner) and how to solve the inevitable issues that will arise (the paint color that turned garish on the wall).

Witty and entertaining, with Q and As from noted designers including Alexa Hampton, Tom Scheerer, Amanda Nisbet, Katie Ridder, and Christopher Spitzmiller, Think Like a Decorator is, ultimately, about how to live happily and well at home.