Nicola Harding - (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Harding takes the principles of English interior design--a decorating style beloved throughout the world for its embrace of color, whimsy, and true comfort--and deploys them with a universal appeal in her debut book, which features a selection of her most celebrated projects.

Having moved around a lot as a child, Harding has always been interested in creating homes that evoke a sense of belonging. After designing several homes for herself, what began as a passion grew organically into a thriving career. Today Harding is known for her quintessentially British, reassuringly familiar interiors that mix traditional charm with rich atmosphere. A sense of meaning comes from deftly weaving together expertly sourced antiques and luxurious fabrics, married with craftsmanship that has a particular significance--for example, a supplier who works in a village near where a client grew up, or antiques from local dealers. 

With a calming, nature-inspired palette, Harding's residential projects embrace English country-house coziness and radiate a warmth that makes each place feel personal and well lived in, while her hospitality commissions are bold and spirited, often inspired by literary or historic characters. This first book delves into Harding's design philosophy, which, at its heart, prioritizes human experience above all else.

Review Quotes

House Beautiful Best New Design Book of 2025: "After moving frequently as a child, designer Nicola Harding became enchanted by the idea of "home" as a place of permanence. Fittingly, her new book kicks off with her current family home, in the layered English style that is her calling card. The entire volume is a master class in pattern mixing and playful palettes."

Veranda Best New Design Book to Buy in 2025: "If you are looking for a quintessentially British design book, look no further than renowned designer Nicola Harding's whimsical debut. Each page shows readers how to put together a home that evokes a sense of belonging, with lessons on mixing vibrant colors and luxurious fabrics, as well as incorporating antiques and furnishings that illustrate craftsmanship."

"When it came to infusing personality, Harding didn't hold back. [She] knows what it means to make a house feel like home. As the daughter of a helicopter pilot, she moved frequently, living in the U.S., Germany, and across the UK. "Creating that feeling of home for myself became hugely important," she says--this sentiment now defines her approach to every project. It's also incorporated into her first monograph, Homing Instinct." -- Elle Decor

"When one of the most notable English interior designers working today publishes her first book, it's a must-have. Harding is a master, producing vibrant yet comfortable interiors all rooted in the personal. She has trained her eye on stand-out residential projects for the well-heeled and well-known, but also on hotels, private clubs, and restaurants. No matter the venue, it feels like the best version of home. For that reason, "Nicola Harding: Homing Instinct," by Nicola Harding and Busola Evans ($60), is a must-read." -- Mansion Global (NYC)

"British designer Nicola Harding's first book showcases her quintessentially English style. Her homes are both cozy and vibrant, equally suited for the British countryside or storybooks. She deftly melds old and new, whether that's a client's existing pieces or vintage finds, but makes it all look cohesive and quite charming. --AG" -- Elle Decor

"In British designer Nicola Harding's first book, she shares her fearless yet inviting approach to color, employing it--along with pattern, texture, antiques--to bring a welcoming warmth and engaging beauty to the wide range of homes she's designed, from a Tuscan retreat to a handsome Georgian townhouse to a new build. This beautifully written book explores what Harding describes as the alchemy of home, and reveals how she deftly devises each element to "unlock the soul of place." It's as lovely to read as it is to pore over." -- Frederic

"For more color inspiration, Harding's book, Homing Instinct (Rizzoli, September 2025), delves deep into her passion for making spaces that feel truly like home, using color to create moods and manipulate space. "Color is my magic toolkit," she says." -- Better Homes & Gardens

"In Homing Instinct, designer Nicola Harding pulls back the curtain on the layered, lived-in spaces she's known for--rooms where a bold paint color can feel as cozy as a quilt, antiques sit happily alongside flea-market finds, and every corner is designed with both beauty and life in mind. The book is as much about mood as it is about materials, offering a blueprint for how to create homes that feel soulful rather than staged. One of its most transportive chapters takes us to a historic Tuscan villa, where an American-Italian couple wanted a second home that could toggle between quiet family time and full-blown entertaining. Harding's answer? A house that embraces both: equal parts sanctuary and stage, with craftsmanship and character at every turn." -- Domino

About the Author

Nicola Harding is a renowned British interior designer. Founder, in 2007, of the London-based industry-leading design studio Nicola Harding & Co., her work spans restaurants, private members clubs, and hotels as well as the homes of leading figures from the film and music industries, artists, politicians, and royalty. Christine Van Der Hurd is a British textile designer whose career spans some fifty years. She has worked with an international clientele that includes Kenzo, Osborne & Little, Liberty, Kit Kemp, Yves Saint Laurent, and many more. British Nigerian journalist Busola Evans is an interiors specialist. She is deputy chairperson of Women in Journalism and a steering committee member of United in Design, set up in 2020 to address the lack of diversity within interior design.