I have such a love of home décor and organizing books, I constantly have one that I am reading or re-reading. Also, I am always recommending or loaning books from my stash. Just ask my sisters, there is always an organizing book that I love to go along with their gift. Today, I have rounded out my top ten favorites. All these books cover a vast variety of topics and some that I reach for often.
Cozy White Cottage – by Liz Marie Galvan
This book has so many great ideas to make your home cozy and how to love where you live. There are so many nuggets of information and doable DIY projects. I believe everyone’s home should be their favorite place and I love how she gives ideas on how to spruce up items you may already own. I absolutely loved the chapter about outdoor living as that is often overlooked. Anytime I am feeling like our home could use a little cozying up, I refer to this book and instantly get some inspiration.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up – by Marie Kondo
Unless you have been living under a rock, you must have heard about this book. Although, I don’t agree with her entire concept of decluttering and living, this truly changed my mind-set on the items in our house. After reading this book and a few others, I did an extreme purge of our entire house, and the amount of items that did not “spark joy” and we were able to get rid of, was astounding. What I did not agree with or follow, was the order in which to go through my items and purge. Aside from this, it is a great perspective on the items we have in our homes.
The Lazy Genius Way – by Kendra Adachi
I truly think that this book is the most life changing on the list. Every single one of the Lazy Genius Principles, was like a lightbulb! This is one of those books I will read yearly just to refresh my perspective and how I look at things. The concept of asking the magic question of: What can I do now? Can help tremendously when dealing with the pain points of the day. Here is an example: In the morning or when the kids are eating lunch, I ask myself what I can do to make supper prep easier on myself considering that is typically during the witching hour. Something as simple as setting ingredients out, browning meat, or even filling a pot with water can do wonders for my sanity. If you only pick one book on this list to start with, this is it!
A Simplified Life – by Emily Ley
My favorite thing about this book is the writing exercises at the end of each chapter. I think I finished this book in about two days, so it is a very quick and easy read. Before reading this book, I had always considered myself an organized person, but this really opened my eyes to simplifying my life. It made me think of several ways I can better simplify various areas. Emily also covers a vast variety of topics including; finances, hospitality, and simplifying your schedule. Something else to note, Emily has a whole line of products that are wonderful and so well thought out and made.
The Complete Book of Home Organization – by Toni Hammersley
This was my very first organizing book that I purchased about 5 years ago. I guess you could say it was my gateway and I have been obsessed ever since. There are over 166 tips and ideas, so the book sure is chuck full of inspiration. Reading this book, was also, a great way to find other organizing bloggers that I still follow today. The first time I read this book, I was a bit overwhelmed and remember thinking I needed to organize my whole house in one weekend. I quickly realized that was not practical. Instead, I try to focus on one room or area at a time and re-read that chapter to gain some inspiration. This book really will get the creative/organizing juices flowing.
The Cozy Minimalist Home – by Myquillyn Smith
There was a phrase from this book that was a complete Aha! moment for me. She referred to herself as becoming an accidental “stuff manager” and goes onto explain how she was constantly looking through stuff, organizing stuff, packing away stuff, moving stuff around, and piling up stuff. I re-read that section of the book, probably, about 4 times. Once I read that I thought omg that is me! That is what I am! That is what I am doing with our stuff! It really opened my eyes with ways to decorate our home that is unique to us. The ultimate goal in creating a cozy home, we love, is to fill it with items and things that we cherish, not things we think other people will like. She also, gives a step-by-step process on how to deconstruct a room and then recreate it in a style you love.
The Prepared Home – by Melissa George
With all the crazy things going on in the world the last couple years, I have been really thinking about being more prepared and trying to be more self-sustaining in certain areas. Reading this book, I got so inspired! Melissa breaks it down into categories, and ways to plan depending on where you live in the country, or what natural disasters you are more prone to. She even gives plenty of ideas on where to store these items if you are short on space. As I was going through the book, I highlighted things I knew I wanted to act on and remember. Now, I have a list of to do items, and to get items and I can chip away at it little by little.
She Made Herself A Home – by Rachel Van Kluyve
First off! Rachel’s house is so dreamy! Her book has a mix of photos from her house and other beautiful homes. One of my favorite features, at the end of each chapter, there is a list of 5 must haves for that room. Throughout the book, you will find several tidying tips but, at the end I really enjoyed the top ten organizing tips. Also, as someone who loves a good budget DIY I appreciated the chapter about finding the best deals. I cannot say enough, how well put together this book is, it was truly a joy to read.
I mean, would any list honestly be complete without Joanna Gaines book? Although, I probably would never decorate a room in the funky way she does, this book covers a vast majority of styles. It really covers any and every decorating style and helps to mix and match those styles. One of the coolest things is showing you how to trouble shoot problems and how to fix them. The book itself is an art piece and would look beautiful sitting on a coffee table or shelf. I believe, this book will speak to, and inspire anyone, no matter your decorating style.
The Home Edit Life – by Clea Shearer & Joanna Teplin
I read their first book, and it was so much fun to look through, I had a hard time relating to the projects. It was, however, so much fun to see a sneak peek into celebrities’ homes. Their second book was more for us common folk in mind. The little quiz at the beginning was so fun and gave some insight into how funny this duo is. Most of the products they use are from The Container Store which can get expensive if you have several rooms to organize. The ideas are great and most of the time I can find less expensive options elsewhere. This book along with the others, would make great additions to your home library!
There are so many wonderful home decorating and organizing books on the market it was hard to narrow it down to just 10. Let me know if there is a book I should check out! I always love book suggestions. All of the books on this list have served me well and continue to give me inspiration with the ever-changing needs of our little family. The homes I love the most and are most drawn too, are the ones that look like they were decorated over time and are a true reflection of the family living there. Ultimately, we all want beautiful, organized homes, that function well. I hope you all enjoy these books as much as I did!
XOXO,
Krisa