Making House a Home: My Top 10 Books to Inspire You
"Home is where the heart is," as the old saying goes. And as homeowners, we all strive to create a space that not only reflects our personal style but also nourishes our soul. But sometimes, the process of turning a house into a home can feel overwhelming and even daunting. That's where books come in. In this article, we will explore my top 10 books that will not only inspire and guide you in the art of homemaking but also help you create a space that truly feels like "home." From design and decor to organization and self-care, these books offer valuable insights and practical tips that will transform your living space into a sanctuary. So, cozy up and get ready to discover the power of words in making your house a home.
#1: The Art of Home: A Designer Guide to Creating an Elevated Yet Approachable Home
Whether it's through her thriving design business, Studio McGee, her popular Netflix series, Dream Home Makeover, or her online community of over five million followers, Shea McGee has shown the world how the principles of high-end design can be applied to any home. As the title of her new book suggests, designing rooms for maximum impact while also remaining approachable to any who enter is an art. But it's also a skill that can be learned because it's inside each one of us.
Get it HERE.
#2: Call It Home: The Details That Matter
The details can make a room. The bullnose edge of a marble countertop. The wood grain and color of the flooring. The particular pleat of the drape. Amber Lewis, the esteemed designer known for her signature California-inspired style, obsesses over the tiniest of features to create her eclectic, laid-back look. In Call It Home, she shares her secrets to choosing and applying fabric, paint, finishes, tile, flooring, and more for a beautifully designed home, shortcutting the often-overwhelming decision-making process.
Get it HERE.
#3: My Hygge Home: How to Make Home Your Happy Place
Hygge (pronounced hoo-ga) is the art of surrounding yourself in comfort and is at the core of Danish culture in creating a happy space. With simple tips based on new research from the Happiness Institute in Copenhagen, this book reveals what makes a happy home: including the difference between space and size, the importance of lighting, and how to foster better connections with our loved ones. No matter how much space you have or what your budget is, Meik explains how you can use color, light, and space to create your happy place and celebrate coziness the Danish way.
Get it HERE.
#4: Made for Living: Collected Interiors for All Sorts of Styles
Designing a room with all the vibes comes down to how you layer your décor. The more you can mix the elements of your room—your pillows, objects, patterns, and lighting—the more finished it’ll feel: not too new, not too old, but just right.
Known for her eclectic approach that stems from her California cool, Amber Lewis trains your eye in Made for Living, offering friendly advice on everything from nailing that perfect shade of paint to mismatching patterns with wild abandon to choosing a stone finish for new countertops. These pages will help you design a home that's made to be lived in.
Get it HERE.
#5: Homebody: A Guide to Creating Spaces You Never Want to Leave
In Homebody, Joanna Gaines walks you through how to create a home that reflects the personalities and stories of the people who live there. Using examples from her own farmhouse as well as a range of other homes, this comprehensive guide will help you assess your priorities and instincts, as well as your likes and dislikes, with practical steps for navigating and embracing your authentic design style.
Get it HERE.
#6: Live Beautiful
Beautiful design isn’t just pleasant to look at; it improves the quality of our lives. In Live Beautiful, Athena Calderone taps into her international network of interior decorators, fashion designers, and tastemakers to reveal how carefully crafted interiors come together. She also opens the doors to two of her own residences.
With each homeowner, Calderone explores the initial spark of inspiration that incited their design journey. She then breaks down the details of the rooms—like layered textures and patterns, collected pieces, and customized vignettes—and offers helpful tips on how to bring these elevated elements into your own space.
Get it HERE.
#7: The Interior Design Handbook: Furnish, Decorate, and Style Your Space
Frida Ramstedt believes in thinking about how we decorate, rather than focusing on what we decorate with. We know more today than ever before about design trends, furniture, and knickknacks, and now Frida familiarizes readers with the basic principles behind interior and styling—what looks good and, most of all, why it looks good.
The Interior Design Handbook teaches you general rules of thumb—like what the golden ratio and the golden spiral are, the proper size for a coffee table in relation to your sofa, the optimal height to hang lighting fixtures, and the best ways to use a mood board—complete with helpful illustrations. Use The Interior Design Handbook to achieve a balanced, beautiful home no matter where you live or what your style is.
Get it HERE.
#8: Down to Earth: Laid-back Interiors for Modern Living
Lauren takes you beyond the basics and invites readers to incorporate the main components of her familiar design aesthetic: nature, easy living, and approachability. She wants to help you create a home where humble materials and found objects are celebrated, a home in which both style and soul might endure throughout the years.
With evocative photos and substantive design advice, Down to Earth focuses on creating a lifestyle that inspires creativity and functionality. Chapters here include Point of View; Timelessness; Something Old, Something New; Nature; and Simplicity. Lauren believes that creating a home means creating the lifestyle you want—relaxed, unplugged, natural, and full of beauty.
Get it HERE.
#9: Elements of Style: Designing a Home & a Life
Elements of Style is a uniquely personal and practical decorating guide that shows how designing a home can be an outlet of personal expression and an exercise in self-discovery. Drawing on her ten years of experience in the interior design industry, Erin combines honest design advice and gorgeous professional photographs and illustrations with personal essays about the lessons she has learned while designing her own home and her own life—the first being: none of our homes or lives is perfect.
Get it HERE.
#10: Arranging Things
We all desire our rooms to look attractive and reflect a considered approach. Now we have the mastery of Colin King to help us elevate our spaces into environments of personal creativity. Image after image, readers will discover how Colin works his magic when arranging objects on coffee tables, mantels, bookshelves, bedside tables, windowsills, and more. Through a series of anecdotes and visual essays, Colin unpacks his intuitive and deeply personal process, meditating on scale, proportion, palette, and texture. It’s not about buying new things, but rather about dusting off old favorites and seeing them with fresh eyes—looking beyond intended use to discover deeper meaning in the everyday. There’s always the element of chance while contemplating new arrangements again and again. Styling, readers will discover, is a metaphor for life and a daily practice to be honed over time.
Get it HERE.
In conclusion, creating a home that truly feels like a personal sanctuary is a journey that requires continuous learning and inspiration. As we have explored in this article, books can be powerful tools in this process, offering valuable insights and perspectives on design, organization, and personalization. From "Live Beautiful" to "The Art of Home," these top 10 reads are sure to ignite your creativity and help you transform your house into a home.
But let us remember that a home is more than just a collection of furniture and decor. It is a reflection of who we are, our values, and our cherished memories. As the famous quote by Maya Angelou goes, "The ache for home lives in all of us. The safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned." So let us embrace the process of creating a home that speaks to our unique selves, and let these books be our guides along the way.
Until next time,
