Staying In & Reading Up: New Books and Blogs to Keep You Busy and Inspired

The US Postal Service continues to vow that, “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night [or the coronavirus, for that matter] stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” Similarly, online stores never seem to close. While “social distancing,” then, during this surreal time, why not order in some home decorating inspiration for your next project? Here are five new books, scheduled to drop in March, to get you started.

The Elements of a Home: Curious Histories Behind Everyday Household Objects, from Pillows to Forks by Amy Azzarito

How fun! Amy Azzarito, a design historian and former managing editor of Design*Sponge, investigates the origins of everyday home objects in this delightfully illustrated book full of fascinating stories. Can’t travel to Europe, Asia, or Africa? In these pages you can learn how napkins got their start as lumps of dough in ancient Greece, or how Plato created one of the earliest alarm clocks using rocks and water.


Bloom Wild: a free-spirited guide to decorating with floral patterns by Bari J. Ackerman

The maximalist in you will love Bari J. Ackerman’s insights as to how layering pattern, texture, and color can invigorate your interiors. She’s a fabric and interior designer with more than 16 licensed collections of Bari J. fabrics and branded goods. In her new book, she goes bold with advice on using florals to infuse interiors with energy and joy.


The Perfect Kitchen by Barbara Sallick

Waterworks cofounder Barbara Sallick dives deep into every aspect of the kitchen—from surfaces and finishes to storage, cabinetry, and hardware—in this authoritative book on creating the kitchen of your dreams. Essays by top chefs about their kitchens, gorgeous photography, and insights from esteemed designers add to this valuable resource. Creating today’s kitchen as a multi-purpose social space, used from morning until night, can be a daunting task…this book will help.


She Made Herself a Home: A Practical Guide to Design, Organize, and Give Purpose to Your Space by Rachel Van Kluyve

Crate & Cottage blogger Rachel Van Kluyve takes readers gently in hand in her new book on creating a home—on a budget—that’s uniquely you. Tap into your creative side with confidence as Van Kluyve guides you through every space in the home with ideas adaptable to any design style. She also taps inspiration from other popular home décor bloggers.


Shed Style: Decorating Cabins, Huts, Pods, Sheds & Other Garden Rooms by Selina Lake

Who isn’t thinking about a she-shed or he-shed right now? A place to escape to for creative projects, potting and gardening, or just for peace and contemplation? Well-known garden and interiors stylist Selina Lake shows readers how. Thinking of a traditional gardener’s potting shed? A writing space? An artist’s studio? Lake delves into sheds, cabins, huts, and greenhouses around the world, providing lots of inspiration for all of us dreaming of a private outdoor hideaway.


Now, a brief look at blogs. If you aren’t yet following Mad About the House, Design Hunter (for all things rustic, minimal, and British), House of Brinson (with the indefatigable renovators, the Brinsons), or Young House Love (packed with DIY tips and tutorials), now is the time. And don’t forget about our own Lisa Peck, co-founder of LiLu Interiors and selected for High Point Market’s Design Bloggers Tour, whose blog includes designing your interiors with intention and vision, as well as for spiritual and physical wellness.

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