Young House Love by Sherry and John Petersik

Design ideas for every style, skill level, and budget, from the beloved couple behind YoungHouseLove.com

This debut book by bloggers Sherry and John Petersik is filled with hundreds of fun, deceptively simple, budget-friendly ideas for sprucing up a home. With two home renovations under their (tool) belts, 5 million blog hits per month, and an ever-growing audience since the launch of "Young House Love" in 2007, Sherry and John are home-improvement enthusiasts primed to pass on a slew of projects, tricks, and techniques to do-it-yourselfers of all levels. Whether an experienced decorator or a total novice, on a tight budget or with money to spend, any homeowner or apartment dweller will find ideas for his or her own home makeovers here. Learn to trick out a thrift-store mirror, spice up plain old roller shades, "hack" your Ikea table to create three distinct looks, and so much more.

Packed with 243 tips and ideas--both classic and unexpected--every project pictured was exclusively executed for the book (so there are no photos that you've already seen on the blog). With more than 250 photographs and illustrations, this is a book that readers will return to again and again for the creative projects and easy-to-follow instructions in the relatable voice the Petersiks are known for. Adding a little wow factor to your home has never been more fun!

This is a hard book to review. There isn’t a plot to possibly spoil. I suppose there is a kind of setting. The reason I picked up this book in the first place is the characters, who are also the authors, plus their dog named Burger and their daughter named Clara. See I already love them from their blog, also titled Young House Love. I did actually flip through this book when I got it for my birthday in May, but I didn’t even think about writing a post then, oops. To give you an idea in May the Petersiks had just announced that they were moving to a new house. They actually moved in May, now there is actually a bouncing baby boy on the way. So when I first flipped through this book we had just left the house where it was made and were entering into a new blank canvas.

Now I have read through it again and it is fun to see where very similar ideas have already popped up in the new house. To give even more perspective I moved into my first house in August. No I didn’t clutch the book to my chest through the whole process. I do wish that I had taken more photos. Most of the initial projects were pretty clear. There are still some clear ones, like replacing all the yellowed cream outlets with white. It is also getting to the point that we can do some more wants and plan the long term ones. I tried to tab some of the ideas I like that I think Ben will like and apply to our house. The tabs go all across the top and down the side. There are more I like that I don’t necessarily see a space for.

This book isn’t about telling you what to do. It is about getting you thinking on what you could do. As a new homeowner I like that a lot of the ideas are more inexpensive ideas that can help make a home your own without a complete redo, but there are also ideas for when you get to the bigger items. High on my list are number 38 (backsplashes), there are several ideas for refreshing kitchen cabinets, or take for instance number 97 (closets). I want to do their idea of making a house notebook to keep up with paint colors used, etc. Though actually right now I am having a hard time figuring out how to organize all of the to do items and the inspirations to go with them! I have pinterest but I also need to link that to the to do list and the numbers in Young House Love.

I also think the book would be excellent for people who have been in their homes awhile and need a new look, something fresh. There were things I really liked the idea of for the apartment before we moved. That is the advantage of non-permanent ideas. A lot of the ideas can go either way. If I haven’t sold you on the book then start following their blog and I think you will be sold on it.