The Design Cookbook

For Christmas, my sister surprised me with a copy of "The Design Cookbook: Recipes for a Stylish Home," by HGTV's Design on a Dime star Kelly Edwards, who is also know (by me) for being my sister's roommate in college. Small world, right?

Image from Amazon

Anyway, very tangental personal history aside, I love the concept of a decorating cookbook; the "recipes" for redecorating your home in 5 minutes and designing like a celebrity are genius. The real star of the book, however, are the full-color photos. For each room in your home, the book depicts several different "lifestyles." For example, the living room section features six types of living room: Kid-Friendly, Convertible Studio, Neutral Reading Room, Eclectic and Colorful, Chic Bachelor, and Symmetrically Beautiful.

Love the ceiling in the living room on the right. And the golden piglet.

The book also includes some DIY projects (shower curtain, bathroom mirror, wall art, coffee table, rug, headboard, etc.) that look pretty fun and not too technical.

Love this idea for DIY paint chip wall art.

All in all, this book would be great for anyone looking for home decor or renovation inspiration.

Paging through it made me want to redo my bathroom immediately, as all the bathrooms in the book are completely gorgeous. Kelly's writing and design sensibility are both very approachable, and I think most people, regardless of their personal style, would find the book useful. "The Design Cookbook" is available from Amazon. Get cooking!