Young House Love: 243 Ways to Paint, Craft, Update & Show Your Home Some Love

by Sherry Petersik, 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!

Genres: Nonfiction, Design, Crafts, Interior Design, How To, Adult, Reference

336 pages, Hardcover

First published November 5, 2012

About the author

Sherry and John Petersik are the married duo who chronicled their home improvement adventures on the hit DIY blog Young House Love, which spawned a New York Times–bestselling book of the same name, as well as product lines sold by Target, Home Depot, and more. They live in Richmond, Virginia, with their two young children and a feisty Chihuahua named Burger.

Reviews

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I LOVE this blog, but their book is now a bit too dated to be useful to me. I also enjoyed their doggo on many of the pages!

[Kaethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is going to seem weird, because I don't really share the Petersik aesthetic which is modern and a little minimal. Nor am I crafty. The idea of filling my home with perfect vignettes, tablescapes, and curated shelves doesn't appeal to me. We have way more stuff than an family of four requires, and our taste is practically Victorian with all the inherited old furniture. My primary home-decorating interest involves dragging boxes of stuff off to the Friends of the Library book sale and the thrift shop.

Nonetheless, I am charmed. I'm not going to do any of this, you understand. I don't need ideas for how to fill frames with something, anything. We have more framed art than we can figure out where to put it, because most of our walls space is filled with bookcases, natch. Despite how NOT ME this is, I love looking. There is color, and lovely photographs, and perhaps most of all, an endearing commitment to making their home the sort of space they love. I can't help respecting how thoroughly they do them.

Library copy

[Rachel Smalter Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always have fun skimming through designy magazines, blogs and TV shows, and the Young House Love blog is no exception. The Petersiks are a super talented, creative duo whose whole house transformations are lovely and inspiring to those of us who like to daydream about taking on our own house projects.

As with many blog-turned-book deals, I was curious to see what kinds of projects would be included in the book that we hadn't already seen on the blog. There were lots of cute ideas about how to build your own headboards, paint your own picture frames, hack IKEA furniture, and turn virtually anything into artwork. I definitely saw a couple of projects that made me think "oooooh, gotta try that!"

Ultimately, though, I think the best stuff still lives on their blog, because the Petersiks' real talent lies in applying their magic to an entire room from start to finish. That's where the payoff is -- a payoff that's just missing from the book. Instead, the book feels more like a random assortment of crafty projects that one could just as easily discover by spending an afternoon on Pinterest. Fun to flip through, but nowhere near as exciting or aspirational as the Young House Love blog.

[Lindsey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Do you have pinterest or the internet? Ok, then save yourself $25 and skip this book. I think I spotted 2-3 original ideas in the entire book, and everything else was a rehash of something I've already seen. Worse, the book is very short on direction or instruction. It's just simple projects inspriation. Don't expect to learn anything.

[Debbie Wentworth Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young House Love is an upbeat, vivacious, and fun read full of ideas on fixing and freshening your home. Sherry and John Petersik give clear instructions on ideas from reupholstering chairs, making curtains, choosing paint, decorating, to upgrading the outside. Although the Petersiks' ideas primarily appeal to younger readers, even older readers like me can glean plenty of great ideas.

[Nupur · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading Young House Love (the blog) for a while, and I like Sherry and John's voice- funny, dorky, warm and humble. The book has a similar voice. I like that the tips are grouped into rooms; while reading, I could visualize my own spaces and see if any of the tips were useful for me.

On the whole, I like their style of decoration- clean and bright with a touch of whimsy but much of their artwork (eg. displaying keys to previous homes) is far too sentimental for my tastes.

Some easy ideas that I can see myself using right away:
1. Papering the back of bookcases
2. Stenciling a rug
3. Chalkboard paint on a coffee table/tray/bar cart
4. Painting thrift store finds (furniture, mirror frames, lamp bases)
5. Reupholstering dining room chairs
6. Hanging fabric as art

Once Lila is a bit older, I will certainly set up a rotating art wall for her drawings.

All in all, a fun book to browse through!

[Mallory · Rating 2 out of 5]

Copied and pasted from Facebook:


I bought the nook book for $2.99. It was probably less appealing electronically, for starters, which I know isn't their fault. I felt like a lot of the projects were silly or not worth being listed as a suggestion. And I hated how they were like, "paint a lamp lime! Or eggplant! Or turquoise! Oh, but gray, white, or chocolate would work too." Like, "hey, did you know you can paint a lamp any actual color?!" I dunno, their blog has not been much fun lately. Maybe I'm getting tired of their taste.

[Bridget Hanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love John and Sherry’s Instagram and their blog… while their style is quite different from mine I feel like they embrace their living spaces with a down-to-earth approach and a lot of whimsy. This book was fun to flip through like a magazine… I feel like John and Sherry’s style has matured significantly from when this was published, and many of the projects are things I would never do. It’s a bit dated. But I was impressed at how approachable they made things feel… while I’ll probably only tackle a few of the 243(!!!) ideas in this book it made me feel brave, like I COULD do this stuff if I tried. I think that’s worth a lot.

[Bryn Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I don't share their same taste in style, this book does elicit inspiration to "think outside the box" when it comes to refreshing your home & decor, working with what you already have for the most part.

[Elizabeth Nordquest · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found their blog last week (via Pinterest, of course) and guess what? They're done blogging! I read the last few posts and looked through their house tours and thought they both had an interesting approach to decorating so I got their book.

It's fine. Had I read this in 2012 or in conjunction with their blog perhaps I'd be blown away. Their conversational tone is cute (a little annoying in the intro because it's soooo "funny"), but I really like that they keep it real. They know their projects may not fit everyone's tastes and they keep it simple. They also do a good job breaking down each project by time and cost.

Probably due to Pinterest, most of these ideas weren't new and I wish they showed more of the completed projects within an entire room layout. Oh well, I guess that's what the blog is (/was) for!

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've long been a fan of Sherry & John Petersik's home blog, Young House Love (formerly, This Young House). The book extends the familiar conversational style that the Petersiks are so well known for, and offers up a buffet of home DIY projects.

I especially like the abundance of photos in each project, guiding through the process. No matter what one's budget is, the Petersiks have a project for it. Advocates for thrift shopping, secondhand stores, and discount home stores (ie. HomeGoods, Habitat ReStore); many of the projects rev up something that you already have, or can come across for minimal expense.

Petersik style is fresh, young, modern; but, the techniques used could easily work for any decorating style.

[Aleks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so excited to get this book, I actually squealed when I got my hands on it! As a fan of the Young House Love blog I have been waiting for this to come out for what felt like forever. When I got the book I quickly skimmed all the projects and starting making notes and plans for my own home. I love how these projects are totally easy and financially realistic to do. The book is well written and organized with handy ratings of each project based on ease, expense and time. And even if you are a religious follower of the blog you will still see new and exciting projects that you'll be excited to try.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, fun read by the YoungHouseLove bloggers.

First off, they're adorable. The book is written just like their blog and has some good ideas, though me being very uncrafty makes me doubtful I'll actually try any of these ideas.

I do love their attitude that you should love everything you put in your house. So I indirectly took their advice and have finally made an appointment with an interior designer to help us out with a few rooms. Perhaps she can incorporate some of their ideas for me.

[Katrina (trinakb) · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many great home decorating and easy renovation ideas. I love that they really think outside of the box and make the projects doable for even the beginner like me. I also love that the Petersiks are frugal like myself and they rate the price of each project; they really considered the wallet of their followers when they wrote this book. Even though their style tends to be more modern than mine I have found many of their projects adaptable, and I plan on trying to implement many on my own, Thanks Sherry and John!

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like to think that reading this book will make me a super decorator, one with a really cute apartment. I should note that my apartment is definitely not decorated nor is it very cute. I would love to try some of the ideas in this book, like gluing patterns of tissue paper on a canvas to make geometric DIY art, but I know that if I were to try it would just look like something a second grader made. That being said, there are some really basic ideas that I gleaned from this book, like having a box with a lid to store your remote controls. I mean, who does that? But it's such a good idea!

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a great book to buy someone (or yourself) who has just moved into their first home/apartment, or for someone who loves to do diy projects on a budget. There are a ton of ideas on making your own home decor, re-purposing just about anything, how to hang art work, to stenciling your walls. I did think there would be more in this book about renovation of houses because that is a big part of their blog and their background, but nevertheless I wouldn't hesitate to buy this book. It would make a great house warming gift!

[Leah Hortin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed the book. Sherry and John definitely stay true to their blog voice. Some of the ideas are really good, some are good refreshers for other things I've seen. It's a lot of just little tips and tricks so don't go in expecting anything revolutionary. My husband and I are currently in the process of buying our first home so I'm sure I'll be referencing back to this quite a bit (Painting a front door! Styling bookshelves! Painting furniture!).

[Phoebe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't a novel.

I just wanted to clear that up. It's a decorating DIY book, but I loved it enough to write about it.

It is mostly pictures. I still I found it very well written. Each project is outlined succinctly and clearly. Easy and fun to read, yet full of useful information.

This would be a great book to give as a gift to anyone from new homeowner, someone moving into their first apartment, or your mother-in-law whose living room could use a serious update.

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has the same practical, fun, goofy feel as the YHL blog. It offers a lot of home projects organized by room, good pictures, and clear description of the time, money and energy required for each idea. Some of the concepts were similar to things they have done in their own home, but they offered new versions of the idea for fresh inspiration. This was a quick read that I know I will refer back to in the future.

[Kricket · Rating 4 out of 5]

my boss just introduced me to this book and its blog. i'm house-shopping right now and getting so excited to nest and do things that aren't allowed in rentals. this is a great source for inspiration, and i like that they're upfront about how much things will cost and how long they'll take.

update: had to read again now that i actually own a house. soooo many things to do.

first read: october 2013
second read: november 2015

[Kristie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book wasn't quite what I was expecting. It is really a do-it-yourself manual for mostly inexpensive upgrades to your decor. I think this book would be great for a new couple starting out in their first home and trying to decorate on a budget. It has some great ideas for updating rooms and individual pieces, though some of the ideas I wouldn't want to try because they would be difficult to change if you wanted to update the rooms again in the future.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fan of their blog, I knew I was going to like their book before I cracked it open. It's full of relatively quick and mostly inexpensive ways to "paint, craft, update, and show your home some love." Most ideas are unique from their blog, so readers of their blog get something fresh. John and Sherry are hilarious and quirky, which makes their book (and blog) very fun and enjoyable.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that this book and the ideas are for normal "paycheck to paycheck" folks! So many home decor books include projects that either cost hundreds or that you need to have a garage full of expensive tools to accomplish. I got many good ideas from this book!

[Meleofa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love their blog, and this book is great! Lots of inexpensive and fun ways to change your house into your home. I loved it. It's on my wish list.

[Shawnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like this book. It's full of easy and inexpensive ideas. I found a few small projects and gifts that my dad is going to work with me. :)

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought this one I liked it so much! Not a rehash of the blog, which is a refreshing change. Love having so many projects and tips all in one place.

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a big fan of the Petersiks, and am proud to say they also call the Richmond, VA area their home.

I enjoyed looking at this book, because it had a lot of great ideas and some gorgeous color choices, but unfortunately for me, I am not much of a DIY-er. I was hoping they would explain to me how their rooms came together. I want to know how decorators know X will look good next to Y. While I loved the end results of their rooms and most of their projects, some of which are very clever, I'm just not a crafty/maker kind of person. For me, the thrill is in the hunt for buying the item I want (at a good price, of course!), rather than deriving satisfaction from having created it myself. I wish there had been more "this is how you make your living room look good" type of information, and fewer "this is how you can make an Ikea table into a shelf" type projects.

I'd definitely recommend this book to someone who is budget conscious, likes to decorate with bright colors, and is interested in DIY projects to spiff up their home. I would also recommend their website, which I visit from time to time. Even more great ideas there.

I remain a fan of their work, but this particular book just wasn't what I was hoping it would be. I think they have another book out, so I'll take a peek to see if that's more of what I want.

[Liz Townsend · Rating 4 out of 5]

Currently going through a book purge when I came across this book. I bought it in 2012, paged through, and put it on a shelf. I know, I know- totally goes against Sherry and John’s minimalist mantra now. At the time I had exactly zero beans to do any projects, but I had lots of high hopes for doing projects when I bought my house.

Cut to 2022, when I find myself paging through in an attempt to Marie Kondo my book shelf. I learned I should have done some of these projects 10 years ago- or at least sometime in the last ten years. Some of these tips are things I’ve sort of learned on my own as I have decorated my spaces, and some were good reminders. I’m pretty sure Pinterest has come out since the book was OG published, and while I liked a lot of stuff in it, I don’t think it fits my style anymore.

Side note: a tip to create your own art— draw a pic of your partner with a sharpie? We are def doing that for our next date night and placing them on the mantle!

[Kathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have put this book back at the library I work at a few times and I have always considered checking it out. During covid-19 quarantine I borrowed the ebook. Maybe the print copy reads better, but I was unimpressed by this book. It seemed to be mostly about framing anything to become wall art. It had a few ideas for out of the box decorating, but nothing that applies to my current lifestyle. I was hoping to maybe find some good diy ideas to do during lockdown, but I walked away with nothing. I do agree with another review that this is maybe a better blog than book. But maybe someone else will come up with some good ideas from it for their house.

[Book Club Belles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! Completely full of DIY projects and affordable ways to refresh your home without breaking the bank. John and Sherry Petersik's write in a familiar, easy-going style that puts no pressure on the reader (even if these two do have a wildly successful home blog). Even though I can't do a lot in our rented apartment, I had fun reading through this book and daydreaming about the projects I'd like to try out once we do have a home. I think this book is for anyone looking for a fun refresh of any room in their house - and who doesn't have a thousand (or even one hundred) dollars to spend. I planning on checking out their blog next!