This in-depth history of the interior design of ocean liners surveys the transient history of interior design in relation to the development of passenger shipping, from commissioning by the line owners, methods and sources for the original creation of designs through to its construction, use and influence. It is a short-lived branch of architecture and design, lasting an average of fifteen years. As the design and taste mirrors and reinforces cultural assumptions about national identity, gender, class and race, not only did the interiors of ocean going liners reflect the changing hierarchies of society and shifting patterns in globalization, but the glamour and styling of the liners were reflected back into the design of interiors on land.

Combining design history, architecture history, material and visual cultures, Designing Liners is a richly multidisciplinary work for those studying or researching this application of interior design.