The Nesting Place: It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful
- Downloads：1393
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-15 05:31:16
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Myquillyn Smith
- ISBN：0310360951
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Kelly Gesker
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Not what I expected。 In fact， I thought it would be the exact opposite: a woman telling me how to decorate in an orderly， Christian way。 What I found instead was permission to create a loving and fulfilling home。 Period。 Fantastic book。 Looking forward to putting this advice to work。
Easty
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A friend of mine recommended this book - she said she reads it over and over again when she needs inspiration。 In a sentence， it's all about not having the perfect home and how to live with what you have。 Pure and simple。 Shopping vintage shops and yard sales and upcycling outdated items is what makes this book so special。 As she says， it's all about connecting to your surroundings and making it work - for you！ A friend of mine recommended this book - she said she reads it over and over again when she needs inspiration。 In a sentence， it's all about not having the perfect home and how to live with what you have。 Pure and simple。 Shopping vintage shops and yard sales and upcycling outdated items is what makes this book so special。 As she says， it's all about connecting to your surroundings and making it work - for you！ 。。。more
Elizabeth
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Myquillyn’s first book - also the story of this family’s life before the time of the white farmhouse that we are familiar with now。 Super cute look at her design style and also of note is that she was a renter for the book and spreads shot by various magazines。 I prefer the cozy minimalist she is now but loved seeing her evolving style & peek at her life。 She’s one of my favorites！
Danni
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maybe I should decorate for easter today。
Rachael
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The beginning of this book dragged on and on with what felt like really dumb advice。 The second half got much better， adding actually good advice for decorating a house and making it feel like home。 The end also had a call for simple contentment that I appreciated， as contentment is something I am continuing to build in my own life during this time。 Overall， a good and quick read， but you have to get through， or skip， the melodrama that starts it off。
Abby Jones
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Having read all three of Myquillyn's books， you can tell this is the first one， which isn't a bad thing， but the writing isn't as sharp and the advice is more generic。 Also some of the pictures were so cluttered with stuff。 Every wall， shelf， table， everything was covered with stuff。 It was almost anxiety inducing。 You could easily tell this was pre-cozi minimalist。 They're was nothing minimalist about it。But， in a way， that was part of the charm of this book。 You get to see how she herself has Having read all three of Myquillyn's books， you can tell this is the first one， which isn't a bad thing， but the writing isn't as sharp and the advice is more generic。 Also some of the pictures were so cluttered with stuff。 Every wall， shelf， table， everything was covered with stuff。 It was almost anxiety inducing。 You could easily tell this was pre-cozi minimalist。 They're was nothing minimalist about it。But， in a way， that was part of the charm of this book。 You get to see how she herself has grown， changed， and found something that works for her。I appreciated the overall point of this book: home is what you make of what you have。 It was something I was not good at in our second apartment。 I didn't strive to make it home cause I didn't think we would be there long。 This book really goes to work on that attitude。 I also appreciated the idea of things not being perfect （we wait on perfection and we're never gonna do anything） and using things as they work for your family， not according to some random rule。 Plus， she's very encouraging to just jump in and try things。 She really takes the fear out of decorating。 Make those nail holes！ Plus， plus， she gives general advice on working when you have a tight budget。Overall， this book didn't have the impact that Cozi Minimalist and Welcome Home did。 But it has the seeds of then， good advice on seeing beyond the obvious solution， encourages playfulness and quirkiness， and challenges lies of perfection。 I'm glad I read it！ 。。。more
Nicole Smeltekop
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OMG， so helpful in moving past overwhelmed with decorating to having it be a fun adventure。
McKenzie Koenig
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I loved this book！ Myquillyn is the “big sister” we all need who gives advice on how to make a house a home。 I could see how this book wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of Joe， but if you care or want to care about making your house work to serve you and the people who live in it， then I recommend this book to you。
Lisa Dirom
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I enjoyed reading about the author's life and her insights， but I was disappointed that there weren't more specific ideas for decorating my home and more photos。 I enjoyed reading about the author's life and her insights， but I was disappointed that there weren't more specific ideas for decorating my home and more photos。 。。。more
Rebecca
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I read this ages and ages ago but GoodReads just recommended it to me so I realized that I had never marked this as "read"。 Doing that now！ I originally found this guide by accident- I had never heard of Myquillen or read her blog - but I was getting into home design and discovered the genius of The Nester。 （And having just recently read "Cozy Minimalist Home" I can say that Myquillen's style and advice have evolved some over the years， but that's life， especially in a field so impacted by trend I read this ages and ages ago but GoodReads just recommended it to me so I realized that I had never marked this as "read"。 Doing that now！ I originally found this guide by accident- I had never heard of Myquillen or read her blog - but I was getting into home design and discovered the genius of The Nester。 （And having just recently read "Cozy Minimalist Home" I can say that Myquillen's style and advice have evolved some over the years， but that's life， especially in a field so impacted by trends。） Still， much of the information here is TIMELESS。 Don't assume you have to live with the builder-grade light fixtures that came with your house。 Don't leave your fireplace an ugly naked brick color because your aunt （or neighbor， or painter or whoever） thinks painting brick is horrifying。 Don't assume that because you are a renter， or you don't have much money， or you have little kids， or etc etc etc you can't live in a pretty space。 You can。 Myquillen shows you how， and how to get over the idea that making your house look good is not a worthwhile pursuit。 She is not a trained designer and she doesn't pretend to be， but she is SMART and I have read this book close to a dozen times。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Desarae
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I loved this book！This is not a how-to， DIY， do-this kind of decorating book full of theory and trends。 No， this book is all about the HEART of home， the WHY we decorate， and the HOW to get you where YOU want to go， not where trends and home designers say you should be。I love the real， authentic， freeing approach she brings to this whole idea of making a house a home。 I will forever attribute this book to finding my happy place with my current home。 I have been in my very first， all to myself ho I loved this book！This is not a how-to， DIY， do-this kind of decorating book full of theory and trends。 No， this book is all about the HEART of home， the WHY we decorate， and the HOW to get you where YOU want to go， not where trends and home designers say you should be。I love the real， authentic， freeing approach she brings to this whole idea of making a house a home。 I will forever attribute this book to finding my happy place with my current home。 I have been in my very first， all to myself house for 4 months and I still had naked walls and a pile of unpacked boxes in the dining room。 I was stuck。 The space didn't look like what I had envisioned， but mainly it didn't FEEL how I wanted it to。 I just couldn't make headway on the boxes because most of them were decoration and home fluffing stuff， and a collection of books I didn't know where to put。The first night I picked up this book， I was only part way through when something the author said made me pause， reread the sentence， and then sit for a few glorious seconds as an epiphany hit me。 That very night my sister came over and helped me swap two rooms and completely rearrange my house。 And you know what？？ It felt so RIGHT。 Just by thinking outside the box （because dining rooms are usually used for， you know， *dining* right？） Not only did I put to better use the two rooms in question， but just by flipping the furniture in the rooms I was able to create an entirely new space that made me sooo happy， and open up the other space to create a much better gathering atmosphere。 It all flowed so much better and put an ill used room to much better use and will actually suit my needs a thousand times better。 It was amazing！！ I was finally excited about my house。 In reading this book， I realize I was stuck for fear of doing it wrong， I was working within a box of how things should be or have always been， or the way mom did it， or the way this friend does it， and I hadn't given myself room to find what really worked for ME。 I changed my thinking on that and stepped into a freeing excitement that allowed me to move around， explore， and take risks。 I made over a few pieces I liked， but didn't love， and am SO happy with my results！ Like you says， you can't mess up something you don't like in the first place。 I also overcame my fear of putting nails in the wall （I love how she addresses this in the book） and realized things don't have to be permanent， but a house moves and breathes and flows。 Permanency can mean stagnation， and that's not what a HOME is supposed to be。 I will definitely recommend this book to all my friends who are setting up house， struggling with their home space， or just need a fresh， freeing perspective！ 。。。more
Jodi
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This book is full of wonderful decorating advice but also wonderful life advice。 Myquillyn is vulnerable and open about her own story， struggles and successes making it so， so relatable and encouraging。 So much more than a decorating book！
Kerliza
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Oddly enough I am giving this book 4 stars because in chapter 2 the author describes some of the dumbest choices she made leading to financial debt。 This can serve as a cautionary tale。 I could not believe the foolish real estate decisions that were made。 But if you want to know how people screw themselves read this book。
Liz
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Encouraging and fun reminders that creating a beautiful home is really about creating a home that you love。 Some useful tips and good inspiration！ I love the real-life photos of a lived in home， rather than a hundred pictures of a staged model house！
Linda
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Cute， modern shabby chic style。 Lots of great photos， not a lot of how-to。 The author has a breezy， engaging style that's easy to read。 Cute， modern shabby chic style。 Lots of great photos， not a lot of how-to。 The author has a breezy， engaging style that's easy to read。 。。。more
Leya Delray
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This book， People。 THIS BOOK。 Where do I even start？？ I have loved everything I have ever read by Myquillyn Smith， but so far， this is my favorite。 I absolutely adore her writing style， which is a mixture of funny， inspiring， and practical。 This book was no exception。 I was first introduced to her work several years ago when I read her book "The Cozy Minimalist Home，" but at the time I didn't yet have my own house to decorate。 Now I do， and although I did a lot of work at the beginning， and got This book， People。 THIS BOOK。 Where do I even start？？ I have loved everything I have ever read by Myquillyn Smith， but so far， this is my favorite。 I absolutely adore her writing style， which is a mixture of funny， inspiring， and practical。 This book was no exception。 I was first introduced to her work several years ago when I read her book "The Cozy Minimalist Home，" but at the time I didn't yet have my own house to decorate。 Now I do， and although I did a lot of work at the beginning， and got certain rooms the way I wanted them， on others I sort of stalled out once I got to an "ok" point。 Reading "The Nesting Place" completely re-invigorated me to dive back in， with a new perspective and new ideas。 And I LOVED what she said about taking some time to just think about what things have always made you happy， ever since you were young， and incorporate those into your decor。 When I did that， I suddenly realized why it was that I have （so far） still refused to take down the Christmas decorations， although it's well past time。 I LOVE WHITE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS！ And I don't want to pack them away。 Well， thanks to this book， I have now figured that out。 So I can behave like a normal human being now and put away my Christmas decor， knowing that I have big plans to incorporate white fairy lights into my regular so I won't have to miss them all year。 Oh yeah， and her ideas for how to do things on shoestring budget with thrift store finds and lots of creativity are AWESOME。 Ahem。 Did I mention I love this book？ 。。。more
Claire
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My takeways: Don't wait for your dream house or a big budget to create a home you love。 View imperfections as opportunities for creativity。 Take risks and experiment。 DIY things and buy secondhand， but also figure out what is important enough to you to spend more money on。 Don't forget the purpose of your home -- it's not to look magazine-worthy at all times， but rather to be a welcoming， joyful space for you， your family， and those you extend hospitality to。 My takeways: Don't wait for your dream house or a big budget to create a home you love。 View imperfections as opportunities for creativity。 Take risks and experiment。 DIY things and buy secondhand， but also figure out what is important enough to you to spend more money on。 Don't forget the purpose of your home -- it's not to look magazine-worthy at all times， but rather to be a welcoming， joyful space for you， your family， and those you extend hospitality to。 。。。more
Juliana
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I really appreciate Smith’s perspective in her other books。 This book is definitely before she got her idea of minimalism and the photos definitely show it。 I do appreciate her ideas of loving the space where you are， and I think it would be a good book for someone who is in a rental situation。
Jane H
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This didn't necessarily have a ton of how-to information， but it was such a sitting， comforting read。 It was just like a delightful hug for my soul， much needed during covid times with 4 of us in a small home。 This didn't necessarily have a ton of how-to information， but it was such a sitting， comforting read。 It was just like a delightful hug for my soul， much needed during covid times with 4 of us in a small home。 。。。more
Marsha
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Really enjoyed reading this book about a new-found interest of mine - home-making。 The author gives practical ideas to make your house a home where you are content。
Shaya Clark
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Not very helpful。 More of an essay on coming to terms with real life and close up shots of things that don’t actually have anything to do with home design。
Sarah
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Feel good and inspiring。 The decorating was not my style。
Annie
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If you have a home that isn’t Pinterest worthy and you feel less-than， you need this book。
Emily
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I loved that she didn't say go buy new everything or 85 billion drawers to organize all your things。 Her styled photos weren't my style， but I think that was part of her point。 Looking forward to her most recent book after this reading。 I loved that she didn't say go buy new everything or 85 billion drawers to organize all your things。 Her styled photos weren't my style， but I think that was part of her point。 Looking forward to her most recent book after this reading。 。。。more
Lynn
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Beautiful photographs and practical tips on finding contentment in your home and using what you have to embrace the good and bad of each house you live in
Amanda
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I recently read Myquillyn Smith's first two books。 This one was a disappointment。A few reasons:First， the book starts off describing the saga of the author and her husband's "Thirteen Homes and Counting。" Basically， a lot of financial irresponsibility and lack of stick-to-itiveness。 I won't sugar coat that I hold a pretty high standard when it comes to living within one's means and financial responsibility。 I don't have a lot of patience for credit problems based on choices and "stuff。" There wa I recently read Myquillyn Smith's first two books。 This one was a disappointment。A few reasons:First， the book starts off describing the saga of the author and her husband's "Thirteen Homes and Counting。" Basically， a lot of financial irresponsibility and lack of stick-to-itiveness。 I won't sugar coat that I hold a pretty high standard when it comes to living within one's means and financial responsibility。 I don't have a lot of patience for credit problems based on choices and "stuff。" There was some complaining and what sounded a lot like ungratefulness mixed with the irresponsibility。 To be fair， the author's attitude and finances do get better。Next， as a home design book， it's already dated， and just not my style。 Busy and bought。 Temporary and disposable rather than timeless。 Definitely not earth friendly， which doesn't do well with my soul。 Plastic spoon laurel wreaths。 just。 no。 I was surprised by quotes and paragraphs that are almost exactly the same in the author's next book。 It's as if that book （which I liked more） is actually just a new and improved version of this one， remarketed。 Except where it's a direct contradiction。 Example: In this book the author says， "Every home could benefit from a gallery wall。 They are easy to create and fun。。 There's no wrong way to do them。"In her next book， "Now， a few words of wisdom about that gallery wall you're dying to create。 Gallery walls are one of the most complex design challenges you'll ever undertake。"A case of Live and Learn？ or Flip-Floppy？ I'm on board with the message for embracing imperfection。 I'm a nester by nature。 But this book mostly just told me about Myquillyn Smith and her rollercoaster financial and housing background。 And then a cool trip she got to take。 Her next book offers more solid design advice。 Unfortunately though， this one kind of robbed a bit of its merit for me。 Just say no to plastic spoons。 。。。more
Loree
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Good book to skim like a magazine and glean an idea of two。 I agree with her principle of things don’t have to be perfect to be beautiful， in the home or anywhere。
Steffanie Kamper
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I really enjoyed this。 Already getting ideas around my house。 I plan to read her other books asap。
Esther
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Authentic and helpful but heteronormativeWhat I liked about this book:- Gorgeous pictures of the author's many previous homes and current home， which make the stories and examples come to life- Has a great philosophy （it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful）- Nice focus on finding what works for each person， not in just replicating someone else's style or buying everything from a catalogue page- Not too materialistic， takes budget constraints into account， as well as lots of advice and enc Authentic and helpful but heteronormativeWhat I liked about this book:- Gorgeous pictures of the author's many previous homes and current home， which make the stories and examples come to life- Has a great philosophy （it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful）- Nice focus on finding what works for each person， not in just replicating someone else's style or buying everything from a catalogue page- Not too materialistic， takes budget constraints into account， as well as lots of advice and encouragement for renters- Acknowledgement of the huge privilege it is to have a home and be able to decorate it- Honest account of the author's own experiences of hardships and financial difficulty- Examination of attitudes we bring to our homes and the author's struggle to deal with her discontentWhat I didn't like:- It's super heteronormative， which even for a book by a Christian blogger， I wasn't really expecting。 Everything is framed for a reader who is a woman and has a husband。 。。。more
Amber Martin
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