Title: Home Rules: Transform the Place You Live Into a Place You’ll Love

By: Nate Berkus

Good for: Anyone who wants to give their living space a face-lift, big or small

The main reason I was drawn to this book was because of Nate Berkus.

I remember when he would appear on Oprah and redecorate a room in someone’s house, or reveal tricks and tips for enhancing a space.

Every time Oprah got that glint in her eye, slowly introducing Nate and rattling off his impressive design resume, I would get excited and think, Yes! I’m so glad it’s not an interview with some random TV actor nobody cares about! This is news we can use!

I always enjoyed watching Nate’s big reveals, and needless to say, they were totally awesome. I would feel inspired to jump up and redecorate my own home—in my head, at least. Kids + Redecorating = Hahaha you’re kidding, right? No worries, though, watching the reveals was lots of fun, too.

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READING HOME RULES FEELS MUCH LIKE LEAFING THROUGH NATE’S OWN PERSONAL IDEABOOK FOR HOME DECORATING, AND HIS COLOR SCHEMES AND IDEAS STAND ON THEIR OWN. YOU’RE NOT TOLD THEY’RE GOOD BECAUSE SOMEONE ELSE THINKS THEY ARE.

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The Skinny: Home Rules is a lot like one of those Oprah episodes, except it’s much longer and more enjoyable. You can flip back and forth between room ideas, color palettes, and fabric and paint swatches.

Reading Home Rules feels much like leafing through Nate’s own personal ideabook for home decorating, and his color schemes and ideas stand on their own. You’re not told they’re good because someone else thinks they are.

The book is full of before-and-after photos of different rooms in your home, and changes that can be made in an hour, in a day, or in a weekend.

Pros: The layout, large titling, cute color scheme, and colorful photographs will be the only thing keeping you from putting the book down and actually trying out some of Nate’s ideas! (Example for bedroom design: “Make every night feel like a night in a fantastic hotel”–don’t you just love that?)

Cons: Looking up from the book, you may not know where to start decorating in your own home!

Bottom Line: Home Rules: Transform the Place You Live Into a Place You’ll Love is a fun, inspiring book–and really, whose home couldn’t use a pick-me-up? Check it out!