Books for Home Decor and DIY Lovers
Hi there! How are you? I have somewhat of a lengthy post for you today but I’ve been meaning to write it for a while. If you’ve been around, you know my love for books, decorating with them and reading them! There’s nothing like the real thing, right?!? Here are my favorite home books that you’ve probably seen in my house. Some are by designers, others by bloggers that have shared their homes and DIYs through story telling and beautiful interior photography.
Make Yourself at Home: Design Your Space to Discover Your True Self by Moorea Seal author of The 52 Lists Project and 52 Lists for Happiness. This is my most recent addition and is newly published. My dear friend who lives in Seattle sent it to me as a gift and I absolutely adore it because of it’s stunning images, eclectic style, and intriguing stories. Not to mention it’s also chalk full of actionable tips for its readers.
One of my favorite HGTV stars, Emily Henderson wrote Styled: Secrets for Arranging Rooms, from Tabletops to Bookshelves. Her design esthetic and styling process is very similar to mine and it’s a great styling resource for novice and experienced decorators.
The Wes Anderson Collection by Matt Zoller Seitz may not be a home decor book per se, but has amazing design inspiration for interior decorating. You can see how I used Wes’ movies as inspiration for our dining room bookcase.
The Inspired Room: Simple Ideas to Love the Home You Have is one of many books by Melissa Michaels, author of The Inspired Room blog. The beautiful book includes helpful tips and details with photo inspiration. Next on my book buying list will probably be The Inspired Room Coloring Book or Simple Decorating.
Elements of Style: Designing a Home & a Life a book by Erin Gates the blogger behind Elements of Style Blog. I use this gorgeous book as a resource guide for furniture, materials, and paint colors but it is full of expert advice on decorating with Erin’s trademark glam style.
The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living by Meik Wiking. A delightful little book with all the tips you need for cozy living. Like enjoying the little things, comfort, taking pleasure in spending time with family and friends, and well being. You can find how I put hygge elements into practice with The Easy Way to Bring Hygge Decor into Your Space.
The New Bohemians: Cool and Collected Homes by Justina Blakeney. If you don’t have this book in your library, you should! Justina is a designer, stylist, and DIYer who founded the daily lifestyle and design blog, The Jungalow (aka the plant whisperer). She just also released her new book, The New Bohemian Handbook: Come Home to Good Vibes. It’s on my Christmas wish list too!
The Nesting Place: It Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful by Myquillyn Smith. Love that tag line! You are probably familiar with her blog, Nesting Place, but did you know she also offers decorating courses? You can find the Cozy Minimalist course at thenester.com.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing and Spark Joy by Marie Kondo are both books I’ve studied cover to cover and inspired me to tidy up our home. Getting rid of clutter and staying organized is something I’ve always enjoyed doing but I learned even more with Kondo’s method. You can see how I implemented it with Decluttering and Organizing the Closet and Decluttering and Organizing the Kids’ Rooms the KonMari Way!.
Modern Mix: Curating Personal Style with Chic & Accessible Finds by the iconic designer Eddie Ross is such a fun read! Full of tips for creating a curated, global-eclectic home and also inspired my Eddie Ross Tablescape.
Domino: The Book of Decorating: A Room-by-Room Guide to Creating a Home That Makes You Happy . A classic home decor book that fills many decorators’ libraries and is oh so pretty to look at! It’s been around for a while now but still has beautiful and current inspiration.
Global Style: Exotic Elements in Contemporary Interiors by Lesley Dilcock. I purchased this book for research on global design and style. It may not be for everyone but if you enjoy learning about global decor, you’ll enjoy the interesting book!
Sweet Paul Eat and Make: Charming Recipes and Kitchen Crafts You Will Love by Paul Lowe. This book is made up of mostly yummy-southern recipes but there’s also some charming kitchen crafts.
Home Rules: Transform the Place You Live into a Place You’ll Love by Nate Berkus. Along side Nate’s modern classic style that is so beautiful, is a lot of practical tips and methods for DIY decorators in this book.
Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Crafts: An A-to-Z Guide with Detailed Instructions and Endless Inspiration. An oldie but a goodie! (Eight years is an eternity in the interior decor field.) One of my first home decor and crafting books that I still enjoy going through. A lot of the elegant DIYs can be done with your current crafting stash (if you have one!). And there’s loads of lovely inspiration for adding those special details to your home decor.
Martha Stewart’s Handmade Holiday Crafts: 225 Inspired Projects for Year-Round Celebrations by Editors of Martha Stewart Living. A fantastic and fun book to bring out for those special occasions and seasonal decor. Another beautiful decor recourse to have at your finger tips.
Are any of these in your home library? Have you bought any home decor or craft books recently? What are your favorites?