Instructional Services Librarian
Chat with a Librarian
Interior Design Research Guide
Welcome to the CCA Libraries guide to interior design research. This site helps students and faculty find the resources they need for their academic and creative practices, including links to subscription databases and other research tools. This guide directs you on how to find the best books, articles, design materials, and images, plus examples of how to cite sources in your work. If you have any research questions, ask one of CCA's librarians. We are here to help.
Research Databases for Interior Design
These resources are our best bets for interior design research. They represent just a few of the databases licensed by the CCA Libraries for student, faculty, and staff research. You can also check out our complete list of online resources.
Articles from Journals and Magazines
The following databases are the best bets for researching interior design topics. For more information on using these resources, please see the "Find Articles" page.
- Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals
A comprehensive index of citations from articles in architecture and design journals and magazines, useful for finding content both online and in print.
- JSTOR
Scholarly articles from hundreds of journals in a wide range of academic subjects, including art and design.
- Art & Architecture Source
Full-text articles and citations from journals and books related to fine, decorative, and commercial art, as well as architecture and architectural design.
Online Encyclopedias
Begin your research by seeking background information about your topic using reference sources (enyclopedias, dictionaries, and handbooks). Some reference sources are available in print in the CCA Libraries. Other reference resources are available electronically.
Reference sources are helpful. They . . .
- offer introductory information
- define key terms
- help you focus your research topic
- Bloomsbury Design Library
A wide-ranging set of materials on the history of various design disciplines, includes an Encyclopedia of Design, ebooks, and profiles of specific designers.
- Encyclopedia Britannica
The complete academic encyclopedia, related articles, images, and Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.
- Oxford Art Online
Art encyclopedias and dictionaries online, including full-text access to the fundamental Grove Dictionary of Art.
Books and Videos
Our library catalog is a listing of all the physical materials in the CCA Libraries collections, including books, print magazine subscriptions, videos, and product samples. Search here to see what to discover what books or other resources might be available to checkout from CCA Libraries.
Construction Materials
You can learn more about materials used in design and construction through the Materials Connexion database and search our collection of material samples.
- Material ConneXion
Provides a global, cross-industry perspective on materials, sustainable alternatives, and their potential uses. To create a personal account and unlock additional features use Registration Key: ySzId1600875790
Images
Artstor is a collection of millions of high-resolution reproductions of art, design objects, and architectural drawings.
- ArtstorHigh-resolution digital images for the arts, architecture, humanities, and sciences. As of 2024, all Artstor content is now hosted on JSTOR.
Recommended Websites
The following external websites offer additional information and resources for Interior Design.
- International Interior Design Association (IIDA)IIDA, "The Commercial Interior Design Association" provides resources, information, and support for interior design professionals and students.
- IIDA Northern California ChapterThe Northern California chapter of IIDA organizes local events and supports professionals and students in the Bay Area and elsewhere in Northern California.
- American Society of Interior Designers (ASID)Research and resources provided by ASID.
- International Federation of Interior Architects/DesignersA global not-for-profit professional organization supporting interior architects and designers.
- Interior Design Educators CouncilProfessional organization focused on the "advancement of interior design education, scholarship, and service." Publishers of the "Journal of Interior Design."
- NEWH: The Hospitality Industry NetworkNEWH is a professional organization for the hospitality industry, providing networking opportunities, scholarships, and other opportunities.
- Designing in Color (DCo)DCo is a "collective of architects and designers of color" that organizes and presents educational programming, workshops, and research to support designers of color in partnership with students, professionals, and educators.
Digital Archives and Collections
- Archigram Archival ProjectAn academic project to make the highly influential design work of Archigram (1961-1974) available for free online.
- Arts & Architecture OnlineA website devoted to digitizing the influential Arts & Architecture magazine. A&A brought West Coast modernism into the mainstream from the 1940s-1960s. Note that Simpson Library also has print copies of A&A's complete run.
- DocomomoDocomomo is a non-profit organization dedicated to the documentation and conservation of buildings, sites and neighborhoods of the modern movement.
- Marcel Breuer Digital ArchiveThe Marcel Breuer Digital Archive represents a collaborative effort headed by Syracuse University Libraries to digitize over 70,000 drawings, photographs, letters and other materials related to the career of Marcel Breuer, one of the most influential architects and furniture designers of the twentieth century.
- Online Archive of CaliforniaDetailed descriptions of archival collections held in California libraries, museums, and archives, including the personal papers of many influential California architects.
Archives and Museums
- UC Berkeley Environmental Design ArchivesThe work of more than 200 historically significant San Francisco Bay Area architects and firms are represented in their collections. These include drawings, plans, specifications, photographs, audio-tapes, personal papers, business records, furniture, art, models, and artifacts.
- MAK Center for Art and ArchitectureLos Angeles-based museum and artist residency program located in the iconic Schindler-Chase House.
- Center for Architecture + DesignSan Francisco gallery focused on architecture, design, and urban planning.
- Architecture and the City FestivalSan Francisco's unique, annual festival of architecture and design, featuring lectures, tours, and exhibitions every September.
- SPURSan Francisco-based member-supported think tank focused on urban planning and advocacy.
