Young House Love: 5 Ways To Add "Love" To Your Home + their Book!

We're not so secretly OHBSESSED with Sherry and John from Young House Love. Not only are they adorable, and beyond sweet, but they have insanely good style and now all that adorable, sweet, stylish goodness has been infused into their new book Lovable Livable Home. And in honor of their newest page turner, they're lending their expertise to adding L-O-V-E to your very own digs. Anyone who recommends letting your freak flag fly is alright in our book!
From Sherry and John... As avid do-it-yourselfers, we're no strangers to putting the usual blood, sweat, and tears into making our house both beautiful and functional. But in the end, we've found it's the spaces you put the most soul into - the ones filled with personal touches and meaningful choices - are the ones where you feel most at home. This combination of form, function, and meaning is at the core of our new book, Lovable Livable Home, so today we're sharing 5 ways to make your home give you all the feels.

1. Let your freak flag fly


No you don't actually have to fly a flag in your living room, but you shouldn't be afraid to enthusiastically embrace things that make you happy. Quirky, personalized rooms are often the most fun and most special to you. Even if your mother-in-law or the mailman might not "get" something, you're the one who lives there, so it's all good. If some throwback childhood creation (like that weird pottery you made in camp when you were 9) makes you smile, give it a prime spot on your bookcase. And if you want to paint your built-ins emerald green when the rest of the world would seems to be going white, #yolo.


2. Add meaning to your walls


Nothing makes a space feel more homey and less bare/random/abandoned than getting some art on the walls. We're always fans of framing sentimental items like a vintage black & white family photo, or on an old yellowed index card with a family recipe on it (you can blow it up at a copy shop and frame it to give it more presence). Sweet kid art can also make a room feel a lot more like home, and cutting the mat into a fun shape can take toddler scribbles to the next level.


3. Hock or hack anything anger-inducing


Consider donating or selling anything that makes you mad/sad/frustrated - or try to see how you can change it to work for you. Life's too short to live with broken things, stuff you just plain don't like, or items that aren't as functional as they could be. So if you're always stubbing your toe on your too-large nightstand (which is a pretty crappy way to start your day) you might want to craigslist that sucker and hang a narrow floating shelf in its place to eliminate the threat of everyday foot damage. And if you have dark wood cabinets and long for open shelving, who says you can't take the doors off and use some colorful fabric or paper to freshen things up?


4. Give yourself permission to splurge


There aren't very many things in our house that have been super-splurges, but it's no surprise that those few spendier items (like a big old Persian rug, a wood inlay dresser, and an original painting from an artist we adore) are some of our things we treasure most. There certainly is something to the whole "mix high and low" adage, and while there are tons of places you can pinch pennies, sometimes a room just feels kind of blah until you save up and add that one "booyah!" piece to the mix. So resisting the temptation of small, instant gratification purchases that (like another pillow or candle) can eventually add up to a stash of savings to put towards a more coveted splurge item that will bring you more lasting satisfaction.


5. Don't give up on hand-me-down furniture too quickly


We all know the feeling of getting some old item passed along to us and not exactly loving it like a piece you've chosen yourself. But before you dismiss something for being all wrong, give it a chance to worm its way into your little heart. If it doesn't jive with your other furnishings as is, consider ways to use parts of it or adapt it - like removing a heavy bookcase or mirror from the top of a dresser so it's less hulking and has cleaner lines. You can also refinish a piece with fresh paint or stain to help tie it into other pieces that you already have. Updating the hardware or topping old pieces with more modern accessories can also help revive stale hand-me-downs, and you can even rethink it's purpose - like turning an old weathered dresser into a bathroom vanity by adding a slab of stone and a vessel sink to the top.

Click here to order Lovable Livable Home!


Be sure to check out Lovable Livable Home and for some fun face time with Sherry and John (and cookies we hear!) look for their book tour headed to a town near you!
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