Book Review: Lovable Livable Home

Lovable Livable Home by Sherry & John Petersik

Published by Artisan Books

 

The blogging world at large is absolutely, without a doubt, familiar with John and Sherry Petersik, authors of the massively popular DIY and design blog: Young House Love. Together with the rest of the world, I watched John and Sherry decorate their first house, and then their second house, chronicling every detail of the renovation and decoration on their blog. Their blog success resulted in their first book, New York Times best seller Young House Love.

 

In their new book, Lovable Livable Home, Sherry and John give readers tons of approachable DIY projects and big picture design ideas for dealing with classic challenges in every room: creating showcases for collections, tackling storage needs, taming computer cables, and how to grow a gallery.

 

The married duo have been called the King and Queen of DIY, and have capitalized on their unique creative genius with not only books, but product lines for Target and Home Depot, even a small stint on HGTV. They paved the way for other popular DIY blogs, and have given millions of readers the encouragement and inspiration to tackle their own projects through tips and tricks they've learned along the way.

 

The book is filled with great advice, awesome DIY projects, and beautiful photos of the finished spaces that John and Sherry have carefully created with a little know-how, and a lot of faith!

 

Before

 





After - The Petersik Family in their Living Room

 

Now in their third home, Lovable Livable Home showcases many of the before and after photos of each room of this home other homes they've owned and helped design, as well as those that illustrate their specific point of view on design. Tips range from creating the fireplace surround (seen above), picking paint (including the specific colors they used) and how to get a curated look with your accessories.

 

Some of my favorite spaces in the book:

 Photo Credit: ISO Photo Studio (Owners: Sarah and Jason); Lovable Livable Home

 

Isn't this homemade playhouse adorable? Lovable Livable Home includes the blogs and websites of homeowners used in the book, along with an extensive source sheet in the back. It's a great way to find new blogs for inspiration. The above playhouse was created by Sara & John of parcelandfrock.blogspot.com.

 Photo Credit: Todd Wright (Owners: Joey & Jeff); Lovable Livable Home

 Photo Credit: Todd Wright (Owners: Sunny & Read); Lovable Livable Home

 Photo Credit: Julie Soefer Photography (Owners: Nicole & Jason); Lovable Livable Home

A great book for those looking to have a friendly, beautiful, well-organized home who love DIY! Take a closer look, and get your copy via the amazing link below:  



Book Review: The Dogist

The Dogist by Elias Weiss Friedman

Published by Artisan Books

 

There are few people in the world who don't smile when they see pictures of dogs, and I don't trust the few people in the world who don't smile at pictures of dogs. Since I know none of you are among that group, I knew that it would be a real treat this Saturday morning to share with you a cute little coffee table book that is primarily that: brilliant photos of adorable dogs!

 

First, the Dogist is the brainchild of photographer and Philadelphia native, Elias Weiss Friedman. Now living in New York City, Friedman has makes his living combining two of his favorite things: dogs and photography. Author of a wildly popular blog, Friedman took to the streets of New York City, a place filled with people to catch their 4-legged friends in action!

 

The secret for capturing these amazing images? A squeaky tennis ball, and a pocket full of chicken jerky. Enjoy!

 



Dino, French Bulldog, 3-months old; Brooklyn, New York - Photo Credit EWF

 

Piggy, Boston Terrier, 2-years old; New York, New York - Photo Credit EWF

 

Nelly, Red Nosed PitBull Terrier; New York, New York - Photo Credit EWF

Chelsea, Terrier/Poodle Mix, 5-years old; New York, New York - Photo Credit EWF

Bruni, French Bulldog / SUPERMAN; Brooklyn, New York - Photo Credit EWF

 

The book is really a delight for dog lovers, with 1,000 cute faces from puppy to wise old hound. The Dogist is the perfect book to gift the pet lover we all know, and a great book to keep in our own library. I dare you to pick this one up without immediately forming a great big smile! Grab your copy, and a gift copy for a friend via the Amazon link below.

 

Book Review: The Kinfolk Home

The Kinfolk Home: Interiors for Slow Living by Nathan Williams

Published by Artisan Books

I really love looking at interior design from other countries. Whether that be in blogs, shelter publications, design portfolios, websites, or in this case, books; I feel like getting a keen look into the homes of others in our world, and I mean that globally, can help us shape our own aesthetic without the expense of first class travel. That's exactly what Nathan Williams' new book: The Kinfolk Home does. It gives you a first class ticket, at the price to check a bag, into 35 homes across 5 continents that embody the values of living with our most beloved belongings, the things and people we simply can't live without.

Now, some of you may be familiar, and some of you may not. But, Kinfolk is actually a lifestyle magazine, published quarterly by Ouur. This book, authored by the editor and chief of Kinfolk is a collection of those images compiled in their shelter mag founded in 2011, with contributions from Copenhagen to Kyoto.

What I love about this book, is that you aren't just invited in these 35 homes dotted along the globe. You're introduced to their owners, the curators of the look, and given a sort of "free pass" to walk about their home and enjoy their collections. Let's take a little look-see, shall we?

The Kinfolk Home, Photo credit: Pia Ulin

The house of Jenni Kayne and Richard Ehrlich in Los Angeles, USA

 

The Kinfolk Home, Photo credit: Pia Ulin

The house of Jenni Kayne and Richard Ehrlich in Los Angeles, USA

 

The Kinfolk Home, Photo credit: Pia Ulin

The house of Jenni Kayne and Richard Ehrlich in Los Angeles, USA

 

The Kinfolk Home, Photo credit: Anders Schonnemann

The house of Jonathan & Annabel Tuckey in London, UK

The Kinfolk Home, Photo credit: Anders Schonnemann

The house of Jonathan & Annabel Tuckey in London, UK

 

The Kinfolk Home, Photo credit: Sharyn Cairns

The garden courtyard of Khai Liew & Nichole Palyga in Adelaide, Australia

 

The Kinfolk Home, Photo credit: Kristofer Johnsson

The house of Joanna Laven & David Wahlgren in Stockholm, Sweden

If you're ready to globe trot, with a cup of your favorite coffee and no passport, then take a closer look at The Kinfolk Home. Filled with design that ranges in aesthetic, but is wholesomely personal and honest, this beautiful design book will be a favorite, I'm sure. You can grab your copy via the Amazon link below.