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House & Bounty

Interior Design Book Review: Collected, Volume 1

May 31, 2021

I am a big fan of Sarah Richardson (you probably know this if you’ve been reading here for a while). Sarah, in my mind, makes design approachable and doesn’t take design too seriously. She’s meticulous and thoughtful, but her designs are playful, and she’s not afraid to take risks. Over the last year or so, she started releasing volumes of her latest book series, Collected. Honestly, I hesitated to purchase it because I was already so familiar with her projects. I wasn’t sure there would be anything new for me, but I was totally wrong, and it is amazing.

The first volume is titled: City + Country. The theme throughout the series is pairing opposites and showing those design styles in the same book. I would definitely put myself in the “country” category. Everything about the lifestyle and design aesthetic fits me perfectly, but who doesn’t love visiting a city!? And I enjoy the more modern and sleek aesthetic, even if it’s not how I want to live everyday life. The book is full of so many gems. Here are some of the reasons why I love it.

Other Designers & New Projects

As I mentioned, I was already familiar with most of Sarah’s work (well, at least what she shares on her website and social media). To keep the book fresh, Sarah included other designers like Sophia Burke and Susana Simonpietri. They bring a different but complementary aesthetic to the book. I wasn’t familiar with these designers, so all their spaces were new to me. Sarah also included a couple of her projects that I haven’t seen before (usually collaborations), but Sarah’s island house is featured heavily as it should be…because it’s freaking amazing!

Presented Project-By-Project

The book has two general sections: City & Country. Within each section is a series of projects. The book highlights the designer, location, and basic information about each house/project (size, bedrooms, bath, and, usually, a fun fact or two). This added information gives a sense of the project’s overall scope and provides more context when looking at the pictures. Sarah gives a little background on each project and then calls out clever things about the design. It gives more information about the project but usually focuses on take-home points, so readers can implement some of those design elements in their own homes. I also appreciate that there are usually exterior pictures of the homes. I know that the focus is on interior design, but I wish more books, more designers, and novices included the house’s exterior. I like to see how it all works together.

Commercial Spaces are Included

Spack dab in the middle of the book, between the City & Country projects, is a couple of commercial spaces. I know residential spaces are most applicable to readers buying this book, but I love commercial design, too. I wish more books or Instagram accounts focused on it. Those spaces can be fun, take more risks and demonstrate design concepts (I think it’s hard to fill a large space!)—three cheers for this section.

Highlights Women Artists

One of the best ways to make any space interesting and personal is to add unique art. For a long time, I felt like there were only two choices: big box store art or “art show” art. I didn’t love either option. Nowadays, there are so many ways to find artisans and purchase directly from them on the internet. I love that Sarah highlights some of the women artists that she enjoys. She includes artists with a wide range of prices, so there is something for everyone’s budget.

Overall Impression

Just like everything Sarah does, the book is great. Her writing is friendly, the design tips are good, the book is organized well, and the pictures are pretty. In addition, the book is super affordable (half the cost of other design books). It’s a great addition to the library and I constantly find myself flipping through the pages and reading her tips.

Filed in: Book Review • by Jenny • Leave a Comment

Interior Design Book Review: Made for Living

April 26, 2021

Okay, I love Pinterest and use it all the time, but design books hold a special place in my heart. For whatever reason, I never tire of looking at them over and over and over again. Each time I find something new to appreciate. Plus, I love reading about design. Design books aren’t cheap and many aren’t sold in brick and mortar stores. I’ve made a goal to build an interior design library for myself and thought I would share the book reviews here.

The inaugural book is “Made for Living” by the prominent Amber Lewis. The book was just released in October of 2020, but it’s already a classic. It’s a quick read that you can get through in an afternoon or two. The writing is conversational and casual. The photography is gorgeous and the featured interiors are inspiring. Amber gives advice throughout the whole book to help the reader achieve her style. But there are several other design gems that would appeal to anyone (not just those trying to emulate her style).

Picking the Perfect White

First, her section on white paint is the best I’ve ever seen. There is so much discussion on the internet about how to pick the RIGHT white paint, but there isn’t much info given beyond designers sharing their favorite ones and touching on undertones. I haven’t seen any articles that tell you the factors which influence a white-paint decision. Amber gets into the nitty-gritty details about this. Undertones, of course, play a role, but she talks about the importance of light, environment, and feeling. If you are feeling stuck on picking the right white, bookmark this section of her book. You won’t be disappointed.

Mixing Shapes

An interesting concept that I never really thought about before, at least consciously, is the impact of mixing shapes in a design. This is something that people may do unconsciously, but reading her explanation for why mixing different shapes matters made so much sense. It shined a light on something I never really thought about.

Shopping Vintage

If you are familiar with Amber, you already know her brand is synonymous with vintage. So it’s no surprise that the book goes into great detail about vintage shopping and the things you must keep in mind. You don’t need to have access to Round Top Texas to be able to use her tips. They’ll help you at your local thrift shop or flea market.

No Filler, Only Facts

Lastly, her room-by-room suggestions are straight to the point and pack a punch. There’s not a lot of filler here and each tip is thoughtful and right on target. Some of these tips may feel familiar (use durable flooring in a mudroom), but you’ll walk away with some new ones too.

Overall Impression

As I mentioned, this book is already a classic. I was familiar with most of the pictures in the book (there may have been a few projects that I haven’t seen), but nothing felt surprising or new. It’s nice (and educational!) to have Amber discuss the details of the project and the thought process behind the design. It gives you a sense of how the spaces came together. Overall, a beautiful book with useful information.

Filed in: Book Review • by Jenny • Leave a Comment

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It's finished! My MIL's laundry is all done and sh It's finished! My MIL's laundry is all done and she is very happy with how it turned out.
We had to put our problem-solving hats on this wee We had to put our problem-solving hats on this week. As we fitted the first piece of beadboard, we realized that the floor was sloped and the baseboards were uneven. So when we rested the beadboard on the baseboard, it was unlevel. We actually called it a day without finishing any work and went home to think about how we could tackle this problem. We came up with three possible solutions. Swipe to see what we considered doing (spoiler alert - we went with option number three!). 

#orcfall2021 #orc #laundryroommakeover #diytips #beadboard
The wallpaper is installed! It came out wonderfull The wallpaper is installed! It came out wonderfully and is holding up great so far (many loads of laundry have been washed and dried and the wallpaper looks exactly the same as the day it was installed). Of course,  I made a cartoon because that's what I do when I wallpaper. 

#OneRoomChallenge #OneRoomChallenge2021 #laundryroommakeover #wallpaperlaundryroom #cartoon
The design plan is up on the blog! This time arou The design plan is up on the blog!  This time around I'm using one of my favorite wallpapers and I can't wait to see how the room comes together.  Right now,  the room looks worse than when we started (swipe for the pictures). 😬 But that's part of the process,  right?? 

#OneRoomChallenge #OneRoomChallenge2021 #orcfall2021 #orc #laundryroommakeover #diywallpaper #diyhomeimprovement
I'm back again for another one room challenge! Thi I'm back again for another one room challenge! This time we're renovating a laundry room for a client (really just my mother-in-law!). On the blog,  I take you through the design process that I've used for myself the last couple of years and how it played out with this project.

#OneRoomChallenge #OneRoomChallenge2021 #laundryroommakeover #smalllaundryroom #interiordesignprocess 
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The Halloween season is upon us! That means pumpki The Halloween season is upon us! That means pumpkins as decorations and Halloween costumes! Every year I come up with 4 super easy costumes that I would totally wear. One is always a famous interior designer. It's super niche, but hey, that is part of the fun! Check out the blog for 2021 costume ideas.   

#halloweendecorations #halloweencostume #falldecor #falldecorations #pumpkin
The dining room renovation is all done! It was a s The dining room renovation is all done! It was a slow process as Jeremy and I wanted to make sure the board and batten was just right. In the end, the room feels completely transformed, and we are enjoying our "new" dining room. Don't forget to check out the before picture to see how far it's come. Lots more information and pictures on the blog. 

#beforeandafter #beforeandafterinteriors #diningroom #diningroom #diningroomdecor #diningroomdesign #diningroominspo #homerenovation
It's funny what little things in life make me happ It's funny what little things in life make me happy. Recently, it has been wallpaper samples. I spent the last couple of weeks searching for affordable green geometric wallpapers for an upcoming project. I quickly added 15+ samples to my shopping cart but eventually narrowed it down to the top 7. While you can peek at some of the samples I ordered above; I wrote a post on my blog with all my favorite ones. Bonus – All the wallpapers are non-woven and unpasted. I have found this type of wallpaper to be really DIY-friendly.  More project details to come soon! 

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