Create the Style You Crave on a Budget You Can Afford: The Sweet Spot Guide to Home Decor

Message I sent to the author: Hi Desha! I wanted to share with you a funny long story about how your book manifested its way into my life! I don't know if you remember me but I work at Estey and I see you around town quite often with your daughter. A couple of months ago I saw you out and about and thought to myself "she always has such great style and such a great way of carrying herelf...I wish I knew her secret". A couple of days after that, I was sorting through some newspapers for recycling at work, and your face in the paper popped right out in front of me--hey I know her! I said. I read about your upcoming book and your blog and thought "I gotta look into that!". long story short I put it in the back of my mind...then last week your daughter came in to get her teeth cleaned and told me that your book was for sale at everyone's books...that was my sign right there as I JUST found an old gift certificate I had to the bookstore there...this afternoon I went and there was a parking spot RIGHT in front of the store. When I got out to go fill the meter, a man came over to me and gave me his ticket to use. When I walked in the doors I discovered what looked like your very last copy...it seems the Universe really wanted your book in my life. I'm reading it right now and of course I LOVE it. I'm sorry if this is a rambly, long post but I just wanted to say thank you for writing such a great book and that there really is magic out there that brings things together for us .

Enjoyable and well written + eclectic interiors. Lots of photos but most are a bit underexposed and murky which is a shame and I have to wonder if the publisher is at fault. It would have been 5 star otherwise.

Desha Peacock's book proves that if you want to be your own interior decorator, you won't necessarily have a fool for a client. This attractive book is packed with helpful tips and loads of photos. It both challenges and inspires us to surround ourselves with the things that are most meaningful in our lives and shows, step by step, how to accomplish this.through the use of mood charts and color palettes. The photos of creative DIY decorators from around the country show some incredible creativity and serve as a catalyst for readers, who likely will feel compelled to start right in on a re-do. And, this would be the perfect book for those just starting out on their own in a new house or apartment.

"Get it used and/or do it yourself" basically sums up her solution to limited funds, and I can't say I was all that impressed with her advice to throw your budget out the window if you find that "perfect piece" and it's way over budget. That kind of defeats the whole point, doesn't it? If you already make it a habit of shopping at Goodwill and thrift stores, Peacock's advice probably won't teach you much.Her "inspiration" stories were certainly eclectic–I can't imagine anyone I know, even the more eclectic ones, actually creating most of these spaces (and several weren't very practical). The only two things in all 245 pages that I found inspirational or helpful were her discussions of colors and mood boards.To sum up: Nothing all that special really. Glad I borrowed it from the library first.

This book is lovely and inspiring. It's truly a book for anyone and everyone interested in creating their perfect, true home, and it's put together in the most unique and creative way. The author interviews several different folks from several different places and photographs their homes. They discuss their lives and inspirations, and you understand and see their connection to their homes, how they make them beautiful, how they make them their own. It's intentional, organic, approachable, and totally real.

When I pulled it out of the package, I was glad it was a thick book. However, 75-80% of the book is just interviews with people about their homes, with a few pictures for each. They don't really go into too much detail about the pieces in the photos either, most people answer with general feelings about their space and things like that. Many of the homes look very similar and some are very plain, like a Pottery Barn catalog. Finally you get to the end and there is some semi-helpful advice, if you've never seen a color wheel and other basics. The real advice from the author is not really there. I get a lot more out of watching home tours by Apartment Therapy or Architectural Design on YouTube, because they go over the how and why of each piece and the overall space. I went through this book in about 30 minutes after opening it, I'll be passing it on to someone else since it's not something I would pick back up again. One great book for decor and re-reading is the first Domino magazine book, the green one. That one I have kept for years and re-read it dozens of times.

A wonderful book! Desha allows us into the homes of creative women across the country to see how they are finding ways to create their own sweet spot, proving that no matter your budget you can {and should} live surrounded by those things that bring you joy and comfort. A must read for women looking to bring peace into their environments.

This book promises 'inspiration to explore your own sense of style', however, it only delivers if your sense of style is hobo flea-market hippie funkiness. Most of the examples and discussions are of the boho variety and very little of any other decor style. There are a few tips here and there about use of color, fabric types, etc., but mostly not a good guide if you are actually looking for help with creating your own style -- if that style is anything other than boho. What's so funny is that this a quote from Nate Berkus included in the preface -- a designer that is anything but budget or bohemian.