House Hushing: The Simple Method to Declutter and Decorate for a More Peaceful Home

by Myquillyn Smith

If you've ever found yourself in an endless loop of decorating and decluttering, you're not alone. We've been told that a peaceful home means a nearly empty home. But peace isn't found in emptiness; it's found in intention. Myquillyn Smith, the original voice behind House Hushing, will help you create a simple, storied home full of personality, without being overly full of stuff.

In House Hushing you'll learn to


● declutter backwards—a mercifully simple, revolutionary new way to make decisions about what should stay and what should go
● decorate quietly—make small, thoughtful shifts that major on impact
● style soulfully—personalize your space with pieces that matter
● live seasonally—recognize rhythms that help you create a home that supports your ever-changing life


House Hushing isn't about having less for the sake of less—it's about creating clarity, comfort, and beauty that lasts, so your home can finally feel like a place to rest, gather, and belong. It's time to finally hush your house.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published August 25, 2026

About the author

MYQUILLYN SMITH, also known as “The Nester,” is the New York Times and Wall Street
Journal bestselling author of Welcome Home and Cozy Minimalist Home.

For the past 17 years, she’s been encouraging women to embrace their space—imperfections and all—and make it their own. Her previous homes have been featured in Better Homes & Gardens, Ladies’ Home Journal, and Cottages & Bungalows. She recently purchased and redecorated a 1905 Queen Anne Victorian home in Morganton, North Carolina, the inspiration for her new book House Rules.

She’s never met a home she didn’t love. Find her online at TheNester.com and on Instagram @TheNester.

Reviews

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got through several stages of Marie Kondo-ing my stuff, but never quite finished down to the minimalist lifestyle. In House Hushing, Myquillyn Smith gives us permission to embrace a cozier home with more personal touches. The book includes a helpful "backwards decluttering" method for whole rooms, as well as checklists: if your room is "shouting," you should consider things such as the scale of furniture. Likewise, if your room is too sterile, there's a checklist of ways to add coziness, such as layering lighting. In all, it's a helpful reminder of the things that make where you live your home, how to imbue it with personality, and yet keep things calm and welcoming rather than too busy and chaotic.
My thanks to the author, publisher, @RBMedia, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook of #HouseHushing for review purposes. Publication date: 25 August 2026.

[Karen Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I definitely have a low clutter or stuff threshold so the premise of this book spoke to me, and I could immediately recognize myself in the introduction.

You like your old stuff and ornaments, cushions and rugs. Beauty matters to you. You want your home to be warm and inviting, but at the same time it should be simple and peaceful and easy to care for. However, minimalism is not for you.
You’re longing for peace for your home, a home with soul, and a breathing home with room for you and your family.
Is your house too loud, busy , overwhelming ..?, then it needs quietening or ‘hushing’ , using the author’s ‘Backwards decluttering method’, which is not the same as decluttering as the author is often at pains to remind us.

House hushing is about creating an environment that doesn’t make demands of you or make you feel inadequate. House hushing is a way to get rid of visual noise and chaos.

OK, so far so good. The introduction is long so I was really happy to start hearing the first practical tip at around 40% of the way through the book. This was an explanation of the author’s own method of ‘backwards decluttering’.

The idea of “backwards decluttering” is great but could be described in a few words:” empty a room and live with it for at least two days before you decide what you want to put back” . But then the method does assume you have a lot of excess living space such as a spare room / guest room or area that isn’t being used where you can temporarily place all the stuff from your now empty room.
Never mind, we’ll get past that and despite some strange examples of clutter the reader might have such as taxidermy and a cow hide rug, I was quite keen to get started despite not having a guest room to store everything in while I contemplate the peacefulness of my newly emptied out room.

I appreciated the short run through of the tips at the end of that section about backwards decluttering and was looking forward to more tips on house hushing, but the second half of the book is about decorating. Suddenly the book seemed alien to me as I have neither laundry room, snug, family room nor household staff. The amount of macrame and jute I need to remove from my house is already comfortably zero. And there’s certainly no room for a sofa in my kitchen.

Still, there were some unexpected positive takeaways from listening to this audiobook:
Firstly, Myquillyn Smith is a US American home decorating expert and she talks a lot about US homes so as a Brit I learnt a lot of American architectural and home vocabulary e.g. a Queen Anne Victorian house (not an oxymoron as it first sounded), and family room which I found out is not a living room. Also, drapes (curtains), credenza (sideboard) and yard (garden), etc.
Secondly, the narrator has a meditative soothing voice so this was a really nice book to listen to while gardening.

Overall it would make a great Ted Talk but for my liking House Hushing unfortunately doesn’t have enough substance for a whole book. Maybe I just need a bigger house and more stuff to be able to appreciate it more.

Thank you to RBmedia and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions are all my own.

[Tina Cavanaugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book feels like a sigh of relief - kind, gentle permission to quiet the loud voices of the STUFF in your house, and guidance HOW to do this in a way that is simple, non-threatening and actually fun!

Myqulillyn shares her personal stories and expertise in a way that invites the reader to come along for a wandering stroll through their own home, encouraging and nudging them to make it better with each step along the way.

In gentle, easy to follow steps, we are shown how to listen to the voices of our home and our decor, hush those voices temporarily, and then intentionally and purposefully add back in whatever is speaking to us at this particular season. I particularly appreciated the instant impact hushing has on a room, as well as the permission to add back in, as that last point can sometimes be a main impediment to decluttering: “But I love (insert thing here)!” That’s ok! You can put it right back if you want to! But also…if it isn’t serving that space or the feel you are going for in your home right now, you can choose to let it rest for a little bit, put it somewhere safe, and pull it back out when it’s ready to sing again.

This book breaks through the overwhelm with concrete steps to help your house as it is right NOW, and gives you the tools to follow your own personal style and needs, aligning your home to your family and your own image of beauty.

If your house is perfectly decorated and you always love how it looks and feels, maybe you don’t need this book - but for the rest of us, Myquillyn’s wise encouragement and gentle direction is JUST the ticket to a cozy, peaceful and beautiful home that is perfectly suited to YOU.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’ve never read one of Myquillin’s books, you are in for such a treat. She has the most peaceful, encouraging tone and approachable perspective on all things home. Reading this is like chatting away with a good friend over coffee about things that matter to you in your home, feeling like they totally get you, then leaving that chat totally energized and encouraged!

The concept of House Hushing is pure genius and when you read the way she breaks it down so simply, you will be inspired to immediately put her words into action.
It feels like a revolutionary way to make home what you long for it to be without it being one bit too much. And while that looks different from one home to the next, the concept is timeless and universal. It’s okay to want beauty AND calm. It’s been freeing for me, giving me permission to figure out what this balance looks like to me and walking me through how to make the balance I’m looking for an actual reality in my home.

Hands down, my new favorite home book. This is like Home 101. Read this before you buy/decorate/organize another thing!

[Brittany Roberson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t realize my house had been shouting at me: “water me, clean me, use me, fix me, move me, invest in me, read me, appreciate me.” (pg 27)

This book not only helped me recognize the visual noise, but also gave me the permission and the tools to hush it.

“Adding soul while subtracting clutter.”

Myquillyn gave me permission to:
- throw out the dying house plant I never liked to begin with
- take away the decorating clutter that had slowly taken over my bookshelves
- find throw pillows my family actually likes using
- relocate some of the books that were adding visual anxiety
- let my home breathe.

“It’s about creating a home that doesn’t constantly demand your attention so you can finally give that attention to the people and things that really matter.” (pg 32)

Grateful to Revell Books for an advanced copy to read!

[Ashley Southard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so excited for the release of this book simply because I love Myquillyn and her simplistic yet inspiring approach to design. I’ve been an avid fan of her podcast as well as the cozy community. I consider myself someone who can’t stand the clutter but also wants things to be beautiful, so this fit perfectly into my ideal design style.

I’ve struggled for so long with thinking that my house has to be filled with all sorts of things in order for it to truly feel decorated, but this book has helped jumpstart and reinspire me to see that that doesn’t have to be the case, and that beauty can be found in simplicity.

[Danyel Gooch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fell in love with Myquillin when I read the Nesting Place and Cozy Minimalist. Finally a decor style for me. I love space to breathe and pretty at the same time. I want a pretty kitchen that gives me space to cook. House Hushing is a great addition to the collection on curating your home to be a space that you love while serving the ones living there. I love the section on backward decluttering. It has inspired me to look a space that needs redone and help us in deciding what to keep and what to change. I highly recommend House Hushing for the needed inspiration and ideas to create and maintain your home.

[Leo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got the audiobook for review.

I have to admit I dont find my home "to loud" (cluttered) yet but ive recently tried to make an effort to make my home more homley and more me after years living in my apartment but lacking the interest to really decor it. I found the book very useful and many ideas to keep in mind as im making my gome more into my home. Liked the idea not being a minimalist but being careful not having a too loud of a home as I easily get ocer stimulated. Something between minimalism and maximalist.

[Laura Radway Mayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book the decluttering industry has been missing! In true Myquillyn style, House Hushing opens your eyes to the broader picture by looking at decluttering through the eyes of curating “home.” Reading this book won’t pressure you to throw everything away. You feel enough pressure to do that already (counterbalanced by the fear that you will regret getting rid of things). No. This book will show you how to name what matters in your home and make thoughtful decisions to create the breathing space your home (and family) needs. Brilliant!

[Amy Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been so excited to receive this book! Myquillyn’s other books are also some of my favorites. I love her approach to home and decorating. I’m eager to apply her house hushing method! She has such a gentle and encouraging way of approaching our homes that is inspiring but never adds pressure like many of us often feel from social media feeds. This book would be life-giving for any home! Highly recommend!

[Sadie Steffens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Myquillyn Smith is an automatic read for me, and House Hushing was another book that lived up to my expectations. I love her practical approach to home and life, especially because her methods feel low-stress, calming, and highly intentional. Since discovering her philosophy several years ago, I’ve found that my own home has become more personalized and cozy while still maintaining the less cluttered, minimal feel I want. In House Hushing, Myquillyn dives deeper into the decluttering and styling methods behind her approach to cozy minimalism, offering plenty of practical ideas without making the process feel overwhelming. I always seem to learn something new from Myquillyn, and this book was no exception. If you’re looking for a calmer, more intentional approach to creating a home that feels both cozy and uncluttered, I highly recommend House Hushing.

Thanks to RB Media, Myquillyn Smith, and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for a review.

[Jeannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

On a long road trip. I devoured this book about backwards decluttering - removing items from a room and living with it for 2 days before deciding what should return.

This is especially helpful for those who need a reset but aren’t sure where to start. The author gives language to how we feel in our homes and how to achieve what we want.

[Cori Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Access to peace at our fingertips! A pleasure to read a helpful book that lets me live in MY style (not adjust to theirs) AND helps me do it. Step by step. At last! A method that works for the everyday life! In looking for a way to simplify and perhaps declutter, applying what you read here will also help you find beauty right at your fingertips!

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again The Nester has provided exactly what is needed to make your home more peaceful and inviting to you, your family and friends. So excited to start putting some of this in play in my own home!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be my favorite book from Myquillyn yet! She is such a practical, encouraging, fun, creative, inspiring voice in the decorating world. I’ve been implementing her tools for years and House Hushing has really made a difference in how cozy and peaceful my home feels.