Carter is a big fan of light neutral shades, which put an emphasis on textures and unique objects. "When carefully executed, white helps create a logic and continuity that will relate rooms seamlessly to one another," he says. "The calm palette reinforces the experience and a cohesive flow throughout the house, and against this backdrop, people and life take center stage."

Carter's Nuts and Bolts of Good Design

One of the most useful parts of the book is a cheat sheet at the end of each chapter — lists of issues to consider when planning each space and suggestions.

Flooring. How does one mix items like this classical bust, ornately carved antique table, well-worn Oriental rug and modern Zig Zag chair? Through careful color cohesion and material choices, like this dark hardwood floor, which contrasts, complements and ties in with various pieces.

A few of Carter's flooring nuts and bolts:

• Consider installing a special padding or a cork subfloor for sound absorption. Hard surfaces on an upper level can be noisy below.
• Consider the durability of flooring materials in high-traffic areas.
• Specifying the direction of the flooring, if optional, can visually enhance the sense of space.

Rugs. Carter is a master at choosing the right rugs and layering them. Some of his advice for choosing and placing rugs:

• Consider: Is there a hearth, a pattern on the floor, floor vents that can't be blocked, doors that won't be able to swing open over a thick rug?
• Try flipping antique rugs over, as the beautiful patterns are still there but are more faded and subdued.
• Layering an antique rug atop a natural-fiber rug is similar to framing a beautiful piece of artwork.

Clothing storage. For closet and dressing room storage, Carter says:

• Decide if you want to see all of your clothes at once or conceal them behind doors.
• Figure out if you will be moving your clothes seasonally.
• If you will need easy access to suitcases, plan to leave room for them.
• Think about adding an accessible iron and ironing board, a full-length mirror or three-way mirror.
• Mount rod heights based on your actual pant/dress lengths instead of at the standard heights.

Kitchens.

• Think about whether you need a place where kids can hang out and watch food prep.
• Decide whether or not you want to be able to close off the kitchen after food prep while eating dinner.
• View the full slab when selecting the stone for your countertop or backsplash, as many stones have veining that may not appear on a small sample.
• Consider a foot pedal for sink operation.
• Review all appliance specifications to determine if there are any special power or plumbing requirements.
• Consider adding a wine refrigerator or a refrigerator drawer for kids' snacks.

Lighting. In a girl's room, Carter combined table lamps and wall sconces for bedtime reading. Here are some more things to think about when placing lighting:

• Consider adding outlets in the floor so that floor lamps will "float" in a room. Complete your furniture plan first so that you know where to place the outlets.
• Avoid placing light switches, alarm controls and thermostats in the middle of a wall that could otherwise be used for art.
• Make sure antique sconces are up to code and pay particular attention to the size of their backplates.
• Consider adding dimmer switches to create ambience.
• Figure out placement for ceiling lighting, then figure out if your fixtures will need extra interventions overhead, such as heavy-duty junction boxes or wood supports for heavy fixtures.

Carter has been a very busy man; in addition to writing this book, he has a line of lighting for the Urban Electric Co., has recently added more colors to his Benjamin Moore paint collection and has been preparing for the opening of his first home boutique in Washington, D.C.