by Beth
Cronk, Litchfield head librarian
The weather
is getting colder and our opportunities to play and work outside are
dwindling. Maybe it’s time to turn our
focus to the inside of our homes. Our
library has some new books on decorating that might inspire you to update your
space.
Flea Market Fabulous: Designing Gorgeous Rooms with Vintage Treasures is a brand-new,
popular book by Lara Spencer, an anchor on Good Morning America and host of
“Flea Market Flip” on HGTV. Spencer
shows readers how to go through the steps of identifying the problems of a room,
coming up with a decorating plan, and then finding items at flea markets that
can be re-done to create the look.
Color: The Perfect Shade for Every Room is a new House Beautiful book by Lisa
Cregan. The book is organized into ten
chapters, each focusing on one color. It
features over 400 photos that demonstrate how to use various shades in bold and
subtle ways for different effects. I
expected the book to be about wall color, but it demonstrates the use of color
in furniture and accessories, as well.
Tricia Guild: Decorating with Color is another book to help with color
selection. Guild is a London-based
interior designer who works all over the world.
Her style is dramatic and glamorous, with combinations of bold
patterns. This book explains her
framework of five color families and shows how she combines colors and
patterns.
How to Hang a Picture: And Other Essential Lessons for the Stylish Home is a guidebook for
hanging, framing, and displaying art.
Jason Sacher and Suzanne LaGasa lay out simple, practical rules for
making your photos and prints look classy in your home. They even explain how to avoid ruining your
walls depending on what they’re made of: drywall, plaster, brick, and so forth.
A Beautiful Mess Happy Handmade Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to Painting, Crafting, and Decorating a Cheerful, More Inspiring Space is a long title that tells you almost everything you need to
know about the book. Authors Elsie
Larson and Emma Chapman are sisters who have a home decorating blog called “A Beautiful Mess”. They also have a
bestselling app for photos with the same name.
Reviews for the book have been mixed, even from those who enjoy their
blog. Some find it fun and inspiring,
while others think the directions for projects are lacking and the results
strange or not durable. One great thing
about checking a book out from the library is that you can read it and decide
if it’s something you’d like to buy to actually use for projects in your own
home.
In addition
to books, our library subscribes to magazines that you can use for home décor
inspiration. Country Living, House Beautiful, Midwest Living, Real Simple, and Martha Stewart Living are all
available in our magazine area. You can
even check out issues to bring home and read at your leisure.
If your home
is ready for a makeover this fall, stop in to the library for some books that
can help you find your style. As Jane
Austen said, “There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort.”