Want to brighten things up a bit, but need some inspiration? Look no further than your local bookstore or library where you will find bookshelves filled with all different types and styles of decorating books. There is sure to be one that will inspire you to action – to help make your home, rooms, or space go from drab to fab in no time.
Reading a good book is the perfect winter stay at home indulgence, so pick out your favorite book, grab your favorite soft and cuddly throw, and a mug of hot chocolate… and begin to get inspired.
The Better Homes and Gardens New Decorating Book
BH&G has been a decorating resource that readers have turned to for more than half a century. Like its predecessors, the Tenth Edition features plenty of instruction, hundreds of ideas, and clear interpretation of design guidelines that generations of readers have come to expect. But this new edition of the classic decorating book also reflects today’s approach to decorating—mixing styles for personal expression with an awareness of budget.
Organized in two parts, the first section is filled with room-by-room decorating guides and home tours to cover broad sweeps of decorating topics. The second section is organized by integral design topic: color, furniture arrangement, flooring, lighting, etc. Plus, inviting photography is complemented by workbook-style illustrations to help novice decorators understand the application of design concepts to specific rooms.
The editors of Southern Living magazine, the arbiter of great Southern style for more than 40 years, bring you Southern Living Style, the definitive guide for creating unique, but approachable, interiors infused with a Southern vibe and the patina of a space created over time. From rooms in which we LIVE, WORK, EAT or RETREAT, Southern Living Style takes you on a tour of the most inspired rooms that have graced the pages of the magazine. Rooms are deconstructed to highlight the key components to achieving a particular style.
Readers will love features such as “5 Ways With…(wallpaper, mirrors, etc.)” which provides new ideas for common materials or accents; “Reclaim It!” turns grandma’s attic finds into updated treasures; and “Solutions” bursts throughout provide the “411” for a myriad design dilemmas. Helpful resources include: the Editors’ “Black Book” of favorite designers, retailers and other resources; Room Planning Guides; hanging guidelines for lighting, artwork, photos, etc.; and a glossary of helpful “decorator speak” terms to help demystify the design process.
The Perfectly Imperfect Home
By Deborah Needleman
Over the years, founding editor in chief of domino magazine Deborah Needleman has seen all kinds of rooms, with all kinds of furnishings. Her conclusion: It’s not hard to create a relaxed, stylish, and comfortable home. Just a few well-considered items can completely change the feel of your space, and The Perfectly Imperfect Home reveals them all.
Ranging from classics such as “A Really Good Sofa” and “Pretty Table Settings” to unusual surprises like “A Bit of Quirk” and “Cozifications,” the essential elements of style are treated in witty and wonderfully useful little essays. You’ll learn what to look for, whether you are at a flea market or a fancy boutique—or just mining what you already own.
Celebrated artist Virginia Johnson’s original watercolor illustrations bring the items and the inspiring rooms of world-famous tastemakers to vibrant life. Styling tips and simple how-tos show you techniques to put it all together to create, say, a beautifully made bed (the fast way and the fancy way), an inviting reading nook, or an effortlessly chic display of pictures.
According to Deborah, the point of decorating is to create the background for the best life you can have, with all its joys and imperfections.
Happy Chic Colors
By Jonathan Adler
No one has a happier sense of hue and pattern than Jonathan Adler! Inspiring readers to be fearless in their decorating choices, Adler guides us through color-drenched rooms, from True Blue and Going Rouge to Champagne Sparkle. Every chapter is devoted to his thoughts on one color scheme, and he reveals his go-to paint chips, favorite fabrics, and personal color muses, like Diana Vreeland and Grace Jones.
Happy Chic Accessorzing
By Jonathan Adler
Chic with humor and style—that’s Jonathan Adler’s way, and here he reveals the secrets of achieving his unique look. Crafting sentences as dexterously as he does ceramic vases, Adler takes us on a whirlwind tour through gorgeously styled interior. Organized by type of furniture (bed, bookshelf, dining table, dresser, table), Adler divulges all the tricks and tips needed to artfully arrange anything in one’s home.
Decorate: 1,000 Design Ideas for Every Room in Your Home
By Holly Becker
In Decorate, the world’s top designers and leading decor experts including Kelly Wearstler, Amy Butler, Jonathan Adler, and many others come together to share over 1,000 professional tips, ideas, and solutions for every room and every budget. Written and compiled by Holly Becker, founder of the hugely popular design blog Decor8, and Joanna Copestick, acclaimed lifestyle writer, this intensive home decor program combines beautiful inspiration with nuts-and-bolts how-to for stunning results. More than 500 gorgeous color photographs provide motivation while line illustrations, checklists, shortcuts, and floor plans make it easy to get started. For those looking to make the most of their home and create stylish interiors,
Undecorate: The No-Rules Approach to Interior Design
By Christiane Lemieux
Jettison the old rulebooks about home décor and “undecorate” your space. As the founder and creative director of DwellStudio—which is famous for its brightly colored, graphic textile designs for home furnishings—designer Christiane Lemieux challenges tradition in a quintessentially American way, championing a fresh, unconventional approach to creating a beautiful and comfortable home. Lemieux emboldens readers to push aside stuffy, professionally-designed décor, showing them instead how to infuse their own personality into their home.
Undecorate profiles twenty homes from all over the country, revealing their owners’ love of imperfection and penchant for surprise and unusual juxtapositions while inspiring readers to follow their own whimsy and practicalities in their personal spaces. An anglophile creates an English manor in Hollywood, mixing British flea-market finds with midcentury furniture. A car fanatic turns a vintage Airstream trailer into a master bedroom and situates it in the middle of a vast industrial loft in downtown Chicago. A couple transforms a log house in Nashville, Tennessee, by blending their modern and eclectic styles with the home’s rustic charm. Though the designs differ widely, the spaces all express an open-minded attitude. Some homes embrace their contexts, while others transcend them. All are shaped by instinct and imagination and share innovative ideas that readers can use to organically and elegantly create their home to match their lifestyle and tastes.
Lemieux gets to the essence of the homeowners’ distinctive styles, pinpointing the transformative ideas, thoughtful details, and useful solutions that make each home memorable. With more than 200 full-color photographs, Undecorate will both inspire and guide homeowners to a new outlook on home design.
Design Sponge at Home
By Grace Bonney
The long-awaited home décor bible by the beloved design blogger
“Thank you,” wrote a reader to Design*Sponge creator Grace Bonney, “for teaching me that houses don’t have to be frumpy and formal. They don’t have to be matchy-matchy or rigidly modern.” They can just be comfy and unique and reflect who you are, no matter how small your budget or space.
That reader is one of the 75,000 unique daily visitors to Design*Sponge, who make it the most popular design site on the web.
• Home tours of 70 real-life interiors featuring artists and designers
• Fifty DIY projects, with detailed instructions for personalizing your space
• Step-by-step tutorials on everything from stripping and painting furniture to hanging wallpaper and doing your own upholstery
• Fifty Before & After makeovers submitted by readers of Design*Sponge—real people with limited time and realistic budgets
• Essential tips on modern flower arranging, with 20 arrangements
With over 700 color photos and illustrations and projects that are customizable, relatable, and affordable, this is the democratizing design book everyone has been waiting for.
Home Love
By Megan Morton
Ever wonder why some rooms come together while others seem lost? The use of color, furniture, objects and arrangement fall into place with ease (and within your budget) as you learn how to maximize every room’s potential, turning frustrating experiences into accomplished satisfaction. Written by acclaimed Australian stylist, Megan Morton, you’ll feel like you’ve made a friend with her down-to-earth camaraderie and expert guidance. Chock full of inspiring ideas, clear photos and endless resources, Home Love is sure to become your go-to guide for all things decorating.
