The highly anticipated follow up to the bestselling Cupcakes and Cashmere !
In Cupcakes and Cashmere at Home , Emily Schuman expands on the personal lifestyle advice that her fans loved in her first book and on her popular blog, with a focus on interior design and entertaining at home. The book features never-before-seen content and explores Emily’s accessible design philosophy for decorating and creating a fashionable personal space. In addition, the book includes DIY design projects and party planning ideas. Emily shows readers not only how to create space that is inviting, but also how to welcome guests and entertain in their homes with ease.
Unfortunately Cupcakes and Cashmere is another example of a blogger who got a book deal and has nothing new to share. Emily Schuman covers decorating, cooking, fashion, shopping, music selections, DIY and party planning but its all been done before. Does every blogger/author light Diptyque candles in a white sparkly bedroom or a living room with a Moroccan rug? But if you are an adult who doesn't already know how to make DIY spice jars or how to organize your fridge and wants to serve twinkies during retro game night this is the book for you. Or just get on Pinterest and keep your sense of humor.
Better than her first book but still not that great. Too much basic advice. I would rather have seen more of Emily's home and read about what she specifically did, not general advice about what you should do when decorating or entertaining. The pictures are nice but there's really nothing new here.
Every so often, I like to treat myself to a book by someone more glamorous than me, which tells me how my life can be as glamorous as theirs. With its glossy photos and short, well-spaced bursts of self-indulgent waffle, this ticked all my ‘lifestyle book’ boxes. I particularly liked Schuman’s little ‘vignettes’ of artfully displayed objects. Unfortunately, my partner would call a vignette, ‘clutter’, and tidy it away. However, I did buy an elegant bar cart after seeing how Schuman styled them - which means that my life has become more glamorous thanks to this book. Job done, Emily Schuman!
If you are very new to interior design or home entertaining you may find this book helpful. She covered a fair amount of basics but no new innovative ideas. If you are looking to elevate your home or parties from good to great, this may not be the best resource. The book was nicely designed, and is clean looking. However it doesn't show the entire room, it shows a small vignette ie her entry table, not the entire entry way. The theme parties are very basic, if you've never had a dinner/cocktail party this will be helpful. Again, if you looking to take it up a notch, you will be a little underwhelmed. Her writing style is warm and friendly and she strikes me as someone who would be approachable.
This book may be basic for those with homemaking and interior design experience, but for me, a live alone male, it was a valuable glimpse of how to live life at home as a work of art. It was very helpful to go through rooms one by one and entertainment situations individually to see how they can be fashionable and efficient.
I'm on a hunt for ideas for a home office. While this book didn't meet that need, I really enjoyed reading through Emily's ideas for home decorating as well as entertaining from home. I also appreciated the decorating suggestions she had for renting vs. owning as this is the first I've lived in a rental in 11 years.
Loved this. She gave some helpful tips for renters and home owners at the end of each chapter, LOVED THAT. Some of the items she talked about were out of my price range but that didn’t bother me. I liked the entertaining section at the back. So fun and loved all the ideas.
Love this author! A fun book whose pages you can pour over while in bed with coffee while brainstorming what to implement in your own home. Disclaimer: the author has impeccable but highly expensive taste.
I don't get it. I read this book and concluded with a firm and resounding "meh"..... I suppose it was alright to flip through and look at the pictures, same as you would a magazine. But how did this book gather a cumulative rank of 3.5 stars? That means some people, actually a lot of people, gave it 4 stars for Really Liked It. I just don't see it. The whole book was very much like her other book on personal style, just superficial fluff.
She is able to say everything that she needs to say on each topic in the space of one page. One page about paint colors, not the feelings that certain colors evoke or the appropriateness of specific colors in specific rooms. Just "if you're working with brights, keep everything else neutral and light." One page listed 8 things that "guarantee good sleep." One page of closet organization. One page? What am I supposed to do with my postage stamp sized 1935 closets in my 1935 home? Or my cashmere that is stored in canvas zippered bags with a cedar plank inside but is still showing moth-eaten damage? I thought it was odd that there was just as much space devoted to kitchen organization as there is to window treatments, as there is to purchasing candles. One page for each! Not that any of her favorite candles are actually named, just pictures of candles that you then can go find on the web.
But what really miffed me was that on page 120, part 2 kicks in. Part 2 is all about entertaining. It didn't say anything about entertaining on the cover?!? The entertaining section covers such things as music play lists, recipes for widely popular cocktails and Chex Mex, suggested attire (which for a Bagel Brunch & Movies is your pajamas, which she is pictured wearing), and a few other things.
I guess what really gets me is that her books make no real effort. No effort at research, no effort to be unique or original, no effort to cover any one topic in depth and offer a variety of suggested solutions. Honestly, I could have written this book in a weekend of staying home alone. So yeah, I'm jealous! Did she really got a book deal and became a published author by writing at such an amateur level that nothing is argued? Nothing explored in depth? Nothing is explained at length? Dang it! That could have been me! I COULD HAVE BEEN THAT AMATEUR AUTHOR! And I like to think I'd have done a much better job of it! Dang it!
Author and lifestyle blogger Emily Schuman offers practical and stylish advice in this book for designing a warm, inviting home, hosting friends and family, and elevating everyday spaces without sacrificing comfort and functionality. Overall, I think this book is best for someone very new to interior design and home entertaining, as she covered many basic ideas but nothing was innovative or super unique (I found some of her tips to be repetitive and underwhelming). I really like her light and clean style, but it must be noted that although her taste is impeccable, it is also very expensive and not super attainable for a young adult or new home-owner. My favorites parts of this book were her suggestions for renting vs. owning, creating the best layout for your space, and setting up a room when hosting a gathering. Emily's writing style came across as warm and friendly, and she strikes me as someone who would be approachable and non-judgmental when assisting with interior design. I wish I could hire her to re-decorate my apartment!
I love coffee table books. Maybe because I'm a more tactile, book-loving person, but I loved flipping through this book more than clicking through Pinterest for inspiration. And this is probably more than just your typical coffee table book. Emily has (at least) 2 books for your enjoyment. Cupcakes and Cashmere was first - named after her blog. Cupcakes and Cashmere at Home was my favorite of the two. Some of her tips gave me The Home Edit vibes, yet less focused on making everything into a rainbow pattern. There are all kinds of things within these pages - personal style, styling furniture with accents, food and drink recipes, party ideas, and more. I especially loved the rent vs buy pages in Cupcakes and Cashmere at Home. Overall, I really enjoyed these books! I also love that they go so well together aesthetically. #bookstagram #RebeccaReviewedIt
Before I picked up this book, I wasn't familiar with the Cupcakes and Cashmere blog or Emily Schuman. And honestly, this book didn't make me run to do a Google search for either. It was a fine book for what it was - a Dollar Tree find. She had some nice tips for home décor and entertaining, and a cute list list of suggestions for renting vs owning. The photos made a nice addition that provided a visual for exactly what she was referencing in each section. If you are new to homemaking or to entertaining, this could help you out...but so could some internet surfing.
I always like picking up these type of home/decorating books in Free Little Libraries because I find a few good ideas, but never enough for me to have bought them myself. I liked this one because it had part of it that was about how to follow all the tips for renting vs. owning. As someone who chooses to keep renting, it's nice to see different tips for rental properties specifically. I still hate rainbow organization, and am not as much a fan of neutrals as is the trend now, but found a few tips in here that I might even use.
Lovely photos but her life in LA is far removed from my London life. A light entertaining read but unlikely to help me plan the interior of a London terrace.
I might add I was totally shocked by her pigs in blankets recipe. Any Brit will tell you the blanket is made of bacon not puff pastry. She made nice sausage canapés not piggies in blankets. The males in my family (and the dog) would revolt if they were promised pigs in blankets and got pigs in pastry.
This is a beautiful little book about keeping your home organized and cozy. The photographs are bold and big and help you to envision what you might do in your own home. I remember skimming the first book a couple of years ago and really enjoying certain sections. This is an updated book about home etiquette and entertaining. I like the cozy feel that it gives for the home.
I rather enjoyed Emily as a blogger. I rather enjoy purchasing her items when I see them at my local T.J. Maxx or Marshalls. This book however was just not my cuppa. And it is no offense to Emily, our styles do not mesh. Also no offense to Emily, we do not entertain the same way. But it was definitely fun to look through.
Some pretty photos but nothing really eye-opening regarding home design. If you're going to pick this one up, the entertaining section will likely be more useful than the home design section -- lots of themed party ideas.
I said it once, and I will say it again, "oh Emily Schuman, how I adore you. You had me at cupcakes!" I will say though, I wouldn't reach for this book to reference and reread season after season as I do with the original.
It's so comprehensive, I love all the suggestions regarding decorating your home. Also , really loved the recipes and party suggestions. I am going to try all of them.
I didn't like this book as much as the original. There some cute ideas in there, especially around the party but it didn't really go deep or else used random lingo with educating the reader. Sometime she wrote about things with no correlating picture, which I found weird. This could have been better.
I had been waiting for this book to drop in the mail ever since it became available on Book Depository. I’ve been following Emily from Cupcakes and Cashmere for years and also own her previous book, and as soon as I found out she was making a book entirely dedicated to home, well, I just couldn’t wait to read it.
Much like its predecessor, Cupcakes and Cashmere at Home is a thing of beauty in itself. White and feminine with foiled text and real nice quality paper. I love Emily’s style of writing since it’s so accessible and reminds me of the way she writes her blog; not like an interior designer giving you instructions, but more like having a chat with a good friend about tips for decorating your home. The book is divided in two sections; decor & entertaining.
The decorating section really wasn’t anything special and I have to admit I was a bit disappointed. As someone who reads a lot of decorating books, sometimes it just seems that when you’ve read one you’ve read them all. They all have the same tips on layouts, coffee table styling and paint picks. I was most disappointed in the fact that there was hardly no full room photos, since I was expecting to see a bit more of her house. However, I loved the layout and style the book was done in, and this section did have a few nice little bits (I especially liked the tips for renters vs. owners at the end of every chapter).
The entertaining section for me was where the merit of this book really lies. She goes through different kind of parties from low-key casual nights in to fancier dinner parties and holiday parties. Each party includes tips for menu, drinks, decor, outfits and even a playlist for the evening. It’s unlike any other book that I own, and I can’t wait to try out some of the party ideas (retro game night and bagel brunch are definitely first on my list). I dream of one day being a great hostess with an aptitude for entertaining, and I feel like this book might be the first step in that direction..
If you can get past the saccharine title, this is actually a heartfelt and helpful book of decorating, design tips and entertaining ideas by the author of a blog that I appreciated for the author's casual and direct style and get real attitude (she has cats and acknowledges her choices consider and accept them with regards to couches and rugs). I particularly appreciated that in each section, she has a page of ideas for those who rent and a page for those who own; having someone acknowledge that apartment living choices are more constricted and require different considerations from those in their own home is much appreciated. I tend a bit more towards the traditional or somewhat eclectic while Schuman's proclaimed style is eclectic leaning toward a bit more modern, but I found enough cross-over to appeal. I hadn't read Emily Schuman's blog prior to picking this book up to browse at the library, but found myself appreciative enough of her writing to check it out and bookmark the site to read further.