The Nesting Place: A Book Review

I can't tell you how many times the following words have flowed quickly out of my mouth when a guest arrives at our home for the first time: "Please ignore the paint color in this room, we hope to get around to painting it soon.  And I'm sorry for the rip in our couch, we are currently saving up to get a new one." 

If anyone new comes to our home, I am the first person to point out everything negative about our home.  It's like I need to give an explanation for why something looks the way it is before someone looks at it and they judge me.  It's twisted and weird, but I constantly do it.   

That's why I love Myquillyn Smith's book, "The Nesting Place," because she doesn't just give tips on how to decorate your home, she invites you to evaluate how you view your home in general.  She also provided some VERY convicting words of wisdom like this one:

"Stop apologizing for your home, it makes guests feel uncomfortable, it encourages discontentment, and your husband could be hurt if he feels you apologizing for what he's provided."

Yeah, I'd say I needed to hear those words.  Instead, Smith encourages imperfections in our home, saying "imperfections play an important role, they put people at ease and people feel they can be real... when a home is perfect, I start thinking of myself and wonder if I can move a pillow or I worry about how to act."

And she then proceeds to break down the purpose of the home, asking how you want people to feel when they visit your home.  Do you want it to be a place to connect?  Then prioritize good conversation and plenty of comfortable seating.  Do you want it to be a place of inspiration?  Then pay attention to what inspires me and start collecting inspiring mementos.  By her asking these simple questions it led me to think what is the priority in my home?  After writing down some notes I decided that an important one is having plenty of space for Jake and his friends to place.  So, we did something as simple as switching the direction of our carpet and our coffee table so Jake had more carpet space to play on the floor (and let's be honest, so I could sit down with him, too!)  because we have all wooden floors in our home.

She also gives some great practical tips:

• Move the furniture around- easy and cheap way to change the look of your home
• Make your home useful for the life stage you are at
• Home is less about stuff and more about people
• Take risks
• Quiet the room: remove all but rugs, furniture, and drapes.  This lets you see the room and what it really needs- new drapes, new paint, etc.  Then, try to find a signature piece for that room.
• Start in the room you spend most time in then determine the purpose for that room
• Don't buy sets, buy unique pieces that you can change

I could write SO much about this book, but these are the big things that really stood out to me from her book, as well as all the beautiful pictures!  I love her perspective on the home and would highly recommend to anyone picking up this book- plus I hear you can get it on kindle for $2.99 right now which is a steal :)