Love the Home You Have: Simple Ways to…Embrace Your Style *Get Organized *Delight in Where You Are

by Melissa Michaels

What if the house of your dreams is the home you have? Meet Melissa Michaels, creator of the popular blog The Inspired Room and the best contentment coach you’ll ever meet. With humor and candor Melissa reveals how to transform your rooms (and your life) from plainly livable to fabulously lovable.


Like a perfectly overstuffed chair, Melissa’s encouragement beckons you to get comfortable and then get creative as



find beauty in the ordinary
discover your style and let it shine with simple ideas
entertain possibilities and people with more gratitude and joy
gather inspiration in the 31-day Love Your Home Challenge
leap from dreamer to doer with confidence

Much more than décor! This is your invitation to fall in love with the home you have and embrace the gifts of life, people, and blessings right where you are.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Christian, Design, Interior Design, Audiobook, How To

226 pages, ebook

First published March 31, 2015

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Melissa Michaels is the author of The Inspired Room (theinspiredroom.net), one of the top decorating blogs on the web for the past eight years. The Inspired Room reaches over 600,000 readers each month and was voted Better Homes and Gardens Readers' Favorite Decorating blog in 2014.

Melissa (along with her home and The Inspired Room) has been featured in top publications and magazines online and in print. Through The Inspired Room blog and her upcoming books (Love the Home You Have, March 2015, The Inspired Room, October 2015), Melissa offers a refreshing perspective on finding contentment in creating an authentically beautiful home, right where you are.

She lives with her husband and family near Seattle, Washington.

Reviews

[Leo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had completely forgotten that I listened to this about a year ago but my listening experience was completely different this time around. I'm in a process of trying to do a lot of changes in my home, life and economy and perhaps I was more open for a book like this. While I still agree it's not about everything you need to know it was still a rather cozy but still a learning tool about home and organizing your home. I found her personal stories about moving many times and what it lead to but also her love for looking at other people's houses is something I can relate to. Love looking at different ones on my walk around the town.
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Listened to the audiobook and found it to be quite interesting. Did have a few things I'll think about and was quite pleasant ro listen to. But it wasn't as life changing (or more like apartment changing) book guide I had hoped for

[LM Huffman · Rating 2 out of 5]

A LOT of fluff; suggestions are bland. Would have benefited greatly from some before and after photos. I guess the self-deprecating conversational style works on a blog, but not in a book (at least for me).

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

April 2015 marked the 10-year anniversary of when we bought our house, so this book came into my hands at a perfect time in my life.

Our home is on the smaller side, built in the 90s, and has its flaws (and, thanks in part to two busy little boys, its signs of wear and tear). As a result, despite my attempts to be grateful for what I do have, it's hard to not get envious to see friends, family, and neighbors upgrade to bigger and often brand-new houses. The message of this book is just what I need to fight those negative feelings.

The tone of this book is so encouraging and friendly. It reminded me a lot of The Nesting Place by Myquillyn Smith (which I loved). Often I find myself feeling overwhelmed by the perfection of design books and Pinterest; this book brought the opposite feeling for me. There's a lot of grace (and humor -- I laughed at the mullet analogy) in this book. I'm excited to do the 31-day challenge now and am already falling back in love with the house my husband and I picked all those years ago.

[Brianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I debated going between 3 and 4 stars for this one, largely because my only real grip with this book (besides it taking me goddamn forever to finish, through no fault of the book's) is the large amount of Christianity involved. There's a lot of mentions of inviting God into your home, using the happiness granted through God to do xyz, blah blah, etc, but here's the thing: I opted for the 4 star review instead of the 3 because I absolutely should have known that was coming. She's a pastor's wife. While I'm more familiar with her books than her blog, simple research could have told me she was super-Christian and that it had a lot of bearing on her work. So, this was discomfort I could have spared myself with some simple research, and truly to her credit, she's not as beat-you-over-the-head as I may be making it seem.

That said, the bulk of this book was sweet, warm and relatable in terms of learning to love your home as it is, now. There's a lot of talk about simplifying routines and possessions without delving into the maniacal Kondo-esque ridding spree that so many home-related books can set us off on if we're not careful. I appreciated the overall tone of camaraderie that Michaels is good at building - you pretty much have to be to make a blog work nowadays - and how readily she offered up her own self-perceived flaws rather than projecting the image of perfection we so often see (the story about her hiding from a ringing doorbell is the most relatable thing I've read this side of Samantha Irby). Overall, this was a good read and I do feel like I gained not only some perspective but some new ideas to implement in my home.

[Rachel Downing · Rating 4 out of 5]

The reason I “borrowed” this book was merely to try to figure out HOW the process works to get one on my kindle. I randomly chose an available book. But when I successfully got it on my kindle, I started reading it, and immediately began enjoying it. I love our home, not because it is a home that attracts attention, but simply because it fits us and we are completely content here. I enjoyed this book very much, because it reflected many of my own thoughts and feelings about a home; a comfortable retreat for my family and friends.

[Emily Schatz · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took this book awhile to get started for me because the author spent a lot of time on principle-type statements that sounded good but whose content was difficult to identify. Minus one star for that.

Once it did get going, however, I found myself scribbling down to-dos and organizing principles to remember, because I was feeling motivated, inspired, and understood.

The last book I read on homemaking was by a professional organizer. I figured out from her that I get a lot of storage decisions right, and tuned out her advice about scheduling and routines because I was happy faking that till I made it, thanks very much.

Two kids later, my husband is in the middle of grad school while working full time, I'm working part time from home with almost no childcare and busy with church and other community things, and faking it isn't working so well anymore. This book's most helpful achievement was that it gently waded into and kindly rebuked my resistance to organizing my time. Melissa Michaels broadened my idea of what constitutes a routine, pointed out how certain forms of regularity promote peace and flourishing in a family, and demystified the process of organizing time, creating rituals, and embracing the flow of seasons.

The book did contain statements about the purpose of the home that I sometimes found puzzling...perhaps because I live in an urban setting where it's hard for the nuclear family to be self-sufficient, and even to carve out its own physical space. Still, its affirmations of the goodness of life, right where you are and not in some distant dream, were encouraging in a couple of ways: promoting personal decorating over its more consumerist cousin, and validating the root desire for a beautiful space.

Since this is the first book of its kind that I've found and it connected with so many areas I've been struggling to figure out, I recommend it gladly.

Four stars.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so sweet and encouraging! I love Melissa's blog so I actually preordered this book and I am so glad I did. It is such a great encouragement to love my home, hilarious stories written with her great voice, and such awesome doable ideas to make my home even more loveable. I don't read too many decorating books or blogs so I'm not sure how this book would compare, but it's awesome, you will love it!

[Tina Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad I hung through the first few chapters which were about the author's various homes. There was good practical advice for the second half of the book. I got several good takeaways so that make is worth reading, but I think you could also probably read her blog and get as much.

[Rosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, this is a very good book, full of lots of helpful points. However, I failed to really connect with the author. The book seems to be more for someone who with the messy, cluttered home which she often refers to, someone who is discontent with their home and always wishing their life/home was different. As I don't have a problem in those areas, I found it hard to really relate to some of her content. On the contrary, the person who recommended it to me found it very helpful and one of the best books she's ever read.

The author did have some great thoughts throughout the book. Many of the things she said were reminiscent of Myquillyn Smith's books but with a different style.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so good. It's nice to read books about homemaking where the author suggests using what you have or doing things on a budget. I really think I'll be coming back to this book in the future.

[Relyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Relyn Rating: 2.5 stars

This book was nice. It was stocked with ideas for loving on your home. None of them were totally original, but it was still sweet.

[Amy]

This book is so inspiring and is the book that I wish someone would have handed me when we purchased our little house. It is all about making the most of the space you are in and learning to love your space… no matter what kind of space it is. Melissa lived in some spaces that definitely were not her dream homes before settling into the home she is now. She takes you on that journey and shares those real thoughts about those spaces and how she made each home her own.

Melissa’s journey towards loving her home echoes the same journey we have been on with our own little fixer upper. This book is BEAUTIFUL and filled with humor and wisdom about the journey towards loving your home. There is a Biblical slant to it, but it isn’t preachy. If you struggle with loving the space you are in, she really shows you how to make the most of whatever your situation is. I love that this book isn’t about upgrading or buying more, but making simple switches to make your space more enjoyable. Their journey is relatable and her personality shines in this book.

I don’t promote books because people are my friends, I promote them if they are good.

This one is good.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Michaels, who maintains a blog called The Inspired Room, has collected some of her most bland ideas in this 2015 paperback.

Here's a "gem": "Decluttering is the best route to a more peaceful home. Removing excess anything from your home frees you from what weighs you down and creates more space for what you really want in your life." (page 94)

The final pages of the book contain a "31-Day Love Your Home Challenge," including "Home Gratitude" [Take a day to appreciate your home]; "Less Is More" [Clear and clean all of the horizontal surfaces in your home. In one day?]; and "Make It Pretty" [Take 15 minutes to clean and shine everything in your kitchen.]. Other days' challenges are less demanding: create a list of 20 things you like about your home, line a dresser or desk drawer with pretty paper, and pamper yourself by taking a walk or going out for coffee.

The tone is encouraging, but you won't learn anything new.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Love the Home you Have, Melissa Michaels gives all women permission to be content with the homes they have, patient in what they do to change their homes, and thoughtful in setting priorities on what is most important about their homes. Although there is food for thought for all ages, I think this book speaks especially to young women setting up their first homes, and overwhelmed by all that they think they must have in order to be happy in their homes. Chapter titles include "Goodbye, Unrealistic Expectations," "The Freedom of Authenticity," and "Love What You Have (Even When You Don't Like It.") The author includes helpful suggestions for organization, decluttering, and cleaning. This is a book to read and re-read. There's even a 31-Day Love Your Home Challenge with a daily thought provoking suggestion, with room to write down your reflections. I highly recommend this book!

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't believe that my divine calling is to build a home for my family.

After I got over the unexpected God references in this book, I found it to have some nice insights about working with what you have to create a welcoming, comfortable home.

In hindsight I should have read up on the author, or checked out her blog a bit more before buying this book. Mea culpa.Now you know!

[Stephanie Kreiner · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is geared to and probably relevant for a young woman starting out in her first home. So, what I did was to skim through it.

A couple of things I didn't like:
She never addressed women living on their own.
She constantly said that she didn't have any money.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book took 211 pages to say what they could've said in 20. It really did have any practical tips for decorating or organzing a home, nor much about anything real in the author's life.

[Britt · Rating 1 out of 5]

No.

I thought it would never end....just... never. I really did want to love this book. It seemed so promising :( but it was on repeat.

[Beth Lusk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love that it teaches contentment and living in your own means. While also making your home your haven 👌

[Nicki Hinkle · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an enjoyable read! Despite the fact that we hand selected our floor plan, tailored the plans to utilize all possible space as efficiently as possible and purchasing new furniture for my brand new home, I'm often at odds with the design and functionality of my dream home.
While this book was a little "churchy" for me, any reference to God did not detract from the author's message on how to love your home.
I loved the fact that the author has lived in so many different types of homes and had so much wisdom to share. I loved that she struggled with the same stuff I do when it came to loving her dream home.
Most self-help books seem to tell you to just "trust your instinct" or "be bold" or something generic, but this book was very different. It was more of a textbook on how to rekindle your love of your home and creation of your personal sanctuary. I loved that there were antidotes about the fails because it made the author more human/relatable.
And I adored the fact that this was not another Pinterest-obsessed DIY venture. This was about reorganizing and caring for what you have, not worrying over what you want or don't have.
I have moved several times over the past 10 years. Every move has taken me a step up from the previous location, but they were not all perfect. My first rental was upstairs, over a furniture store. It had external, non-covered stairs that were a death trap, no laundry facilities and baseboard heat to go along with 1960's style carpet and paint. We did what we could in the bounds of the rental agreement, but learned to work with the color scheme instead of fighting it. Learned to purchase external cabinets and storage shelves so they could move room to room as the needs changed.
Our second rental was amazing. It was in a very nice neighborhood and was highly desired rental real estate. However, upon moving in, we realized that the front door jam didn't actually meet the door or the wall and you could see people walking by your door! It was unsafe and literally my worst fear come true. How can this crappy door stop someone from breaking in? Or just watching me through the crack?! But after some DIY videos and a couple attempts, my fiancee was able to replace the entire door jam, making it even more secure and allowing me to enjoy the comforts we moved into.
Our final move (so far, LOL) has been into our custom built 1100 square-foot home. We sold off items we did not wish to move into the new space and gave away anything leftover that didn't "jive" with the new space.
We were left with a sterile, empty space. I was in heaven. My other was in hell. He craved functionality and comfort and I craved space and creative headspace. Over the past three years, we have discussed every purchase and designed every room together. Yes, there are some colors I wish he wouldn't have thrown in and yes there are some lint creating towels he wished I hadn't added, but overall the space is now a reflection of "us" growing together.
I look forward to using these tips as we continue to fill out our home's needs.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It may be true that your home reflects your personality. I prefer to think that my home reflects my focus. My focus is on my kiddos and their schedules - not in my home. I picked this book up thinking that this book would help me decorate so that it looked like an adult lived in my house. That's not really what this book is for.

Michaels talks about clearing clutter rather than organizing it and creating a purpose for your home and the spaces in your home. I like her ideas, start small, plan a purpose and execute it, clear clutter and be grateful for what you have. Think about how you want to use a space and have it reflect that use.

My decorating need is more fundamental. Don't get me wrong, I need to declutter, but one half of the main floor of my house is for the dogs. Literally. Their kennels are there, there is only one couch - that the dogs sleep on. I don't know what to do with that room that the dogs won't destroy or coopt.

I was a little put off by the place of God in her home. I wasn't expecting it, but it didn't bother me too much. I think her advice is sound and I appreciated it. Unfortunately, after following her advice my home will look like a less cluttered, tidier version of the college student housing unit that it kind of looks like now. I'm just not good at creating vignettes and where something lands in my house is where it will be for the next 10 years.

I guess I'll be needing a different book for that.

[Rachel Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of those "right book, right time" situations. My home/town burned down in November 2018 in the Camp Fire in Northern California and my sister got this for me when she came to help me get settled into my new rental/life. It took me a long time to read it, but it's because I would read maybe a page and have SO MUCH to digest that it took forever to finish. But I marked SO MANY passages that I will reefer to again and again! It such a lovely, optimistic, and practical outlook to a happy life no matter your situation. Everyone should read this book! I don't say that lightly. I feel like I could recommend it to ANYONE!

I also bought Melissa's design book The Inspired Room and read that after finding out it existed. Another wonderful book I'm happy to have for a reference as I design my new home.

[Britta · Rating 2 out of 5]

This writer is like a modern-day Martha Stewart. At times, she tries to trivialize "homemaking" and make the reader feel okay about thrift store finds and the messes of daily life. Yet, she has some ideas that remind me of June Cleaver and leave me asking her,"Seriously?" I will take away some good ideas from this book, and it is appropriate for my life right now, but I would generally only recommend this book to perfectionist stay-at-home moms. The chapters were so repetitive that she could have written the same thing in half the pages.

[Laura Shelton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two & a half stars. It wasn't all bad. Maybe self-help books are just not for me? There always seems to be too much repetition &, as another reviewer put it, too much fluff.

There are some cute anecdotes & thoughtful advice here but all of the truly worthwhile tips could easily be compiled into a list... which she does in the form of a 30 Day Challenge at the end of the book... In short, this feels a little like a drawn-out blog post with a click bait title.

Also, was anyone else surprised by all the God references?

[Jami Balmet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book. I really thought I would love this book. But I felt like I didn't connect with the author. I got a few quick ideas and some inspiration for making my home a haven, but overall, the book wasn't very practical. If you've never thought about your home being a haven or decorating with things that are personal to your family, then you might like it better then I did. Overall the contents of this book could have been boiled down into one or two really good blog posts.

[Joyce Brantner · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book, though a bit redundant, encouraging contentment with the house you have while suggesting tips on decorating, dealing with clutter, and making small and large changes in our spaces as well as our attitudes.

[Laurie Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fluff. Read the title, and done, you've got the main idea down . I finished it because it was short.i guess if you like Pinterest with no pictures except calligraphy of home-sweet-home quotes, it has a happy vibe.

[Melanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Perhaps because I’ve been a homeowner for years, I found this a bit dull and mostly common sense. I didn’t really find any ideas that wowed me. Maybe a good source for a new, young homeowner. A bit blah for me

[Dana · Rating 1 out of 5]

twice as long as it needed to be; repetitive; too general

[Hayley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book consisted of mostly stuff I've read before, and felt like old news with a Christian spin. Not for me.