Feather your nest this fall

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.

Love Where You Live: At Home in the Country is an interior decorating book by Joan Osofsky and Abby Adams.  Osofsky owns a well-known “lifestyle store” in upstate New York, and she is known for a modern country style.  If you like a cozy but sophisticated country look, this book may give you some inspiration.

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.”