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Styled: Secrets for Arranging Rooms, from Tabletops to Bookshelves
The ultimate guide to thinking like a stylist, with 1,000 design ideas for creating the most beautiful, personal, and livable rooms
It’s easy to find your own style confidence once you know this secret: While decorating can take months and tons of money, styling often takes just minutes. Even a few little tweaks can transform the way your room feels.
At the heart of Styled are Emily Henderson’s ten easy steps to styling any space. From editing out what you don’t love to repurposing what you can’t live without to arranging the most eye-catching vignettes on any surface, you’ll learn how to make your own style magic. With Emily’s insider tips and more than 1,000 unique ideas from 75 envy-inducing rooms, you’ll soon be styling like you were born to do it.
It’s easy to find your own style confidence once you know this secret: While decorating can take months and tons of money, styling often takes just minutes. Even a few little tweaks can transform the way your room feels.
At the heart of Styled are Emily Henderson’s ten easy steps to styling any space. From editing out what you don’t love to repurposing what you can’t live without to arranging the most eye-catching vignettes on any surface, you’ll learn how to make your own style magic. With Emily’s insider tips and more than 1,000 unique ideas from 75 envy-inducing rooms, you’ll soon be styling like you were born to do it.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published October 13, 2015
333 people are currently reading
1565 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews
January 3, 2016
This was kind of all over the place. "Styling" is generally something you do for photos, not for actually everyday living in your home, but the book seemed to want it both ways. But you CAN'T just like, leave a group of lemons (with leaves still on the stems!) sitting on your counters 100% of the time. They'll go bad, you guys, and if they're being used as decoration they're not being used in your drink. And how you style things for photos to put on Instagram is not the same as how you make your home a place that makes you happy and comfortable and functions well for the life you want to lead. Those aren't the same thing, and some tricks suggested here work for both, but not nearly all.
I love Henderson's blog, and I like her tone, but it's one thing for a blog post and another for a book. The text and the jokes in this book are not going to age well, the references are very pinned to this specific moment in time. There's also a lot of frank discussion of how to stage things for "your social media followers," which, that's real, I get it, and yet it never fails to make me feel like an alien living on a planet I don't quite understand.
All the photos were beautiful, every room was gorgeous, but all the rooms/homes THEMSELVES were beautiful, with great architectural details and real wood floors, and for me, that makes this strictly for admiring, not for implementing. Show what styling can do for someone in a builder basic apartment with textured walls they can't paint and terrible light fixtures they can't remove and popcorn ceilings and wall-to-wall uglyass carpet. Anyone can make a beautiful space look nice.
I love Henderson's blog, and I like her tone, but it's one thing for a blog post and another for a book. The text and the jokes in this book are not going to age well, the references are very pinned to this specific moment in time. There's also a lot of frank discussion of how to stage things for "your social media followers," which, that's real, I get it, and yet it never fails to make me feel like an alien living on a planet I don't quite understand.
All the photos were beautiful, every room was gorgeous, but all the rooms/homes THEMSELVES were beautiful, with great architectural details and real wood floors, and for me, that makes this strictly for admiring, not for implementing. Show what styling can do for someone in a builder basic apartment with textured walls they can't paint and terrible light fixtures they can't remove and popcorn ceilings and wall-to-wall uglyass carpet. Anyone can make a beautiful space look nice.
February 25, 2016
I don't want to rate a book poorly just because I don't find it aesthetically pleasing, but that's where I am with Styled. And ultimately, I didn't think it was better than just ok (hence the 2 stars).
I get what Henderson is going for, and I had high hopes when I looked over the pages of style examples in the beginning. Unfortunately, I didn't see many of those various styles represented more than once or twice total in the resultant book. The majority of the styles that were shown, I just didn't really care for. I think I liked two or three out of the whole book. That of itself is no reason to downgrade a book: it's not Henderson's fault I don't care for her style. Or my fault, really, as there's no fault at all in not liking the same things. I was just hoping for a more well-rounded set of style offerings, and I did not find it here.
In case anyone cares, I would characterize Ms. Henderson's style (and these are my words, not hers) as Expensive And Ecclectic Flea Market Mish Mash with a dollop of Instagram-Worthy Lighting and Vignettes. If this is YOUR style, then this is definitely a book you should look into. If it's not, then move on.
I'd like to add: another reviewer pointed out the (over)abundance of nudes in Ms. Henderson's decorating. Personally nudes aren't particularly to my taste, although I don't hate them. I just don't care for that aesthetic in decorating. In this book, there are a LOT of nudes. As in, practically every other page. Is decorating with paintings of nudes in style now? Huh. Guess I'm doomed to be off-trend, lol.
I get what Henderson is going for, and I had high hopes when I looked over the pages of style examples in the beginning. Unfortunately, I didn't see many of those various styles represented more than once or twice total in the resultant book. The majority of the styles that were shown, I just didn't really care for. I think I liked two or three out of the whole book. That of itself is no reason to downgrade a book: it's not Henderson's fault I don't care for her style. Or my fault, really, as there's no fault at all in not liking the same things. I was just hoping for a more well-rounded set of style offerings, and I did not find it here.
In case anyone cares, I would characterize Ms. Henderson's style (and these are my words, not hers) as Expensive And Ecclectic Flea Market Mish Mash with a dollop of Instagram-Worthy Lighting and Vignettes. If this is YOUR style, then this is definitely a book you should look into. If it's not, then move on.
I'd like to add: another reviewer pointed out the (over)abundance of nudes in Ms. Henderson's decorating. Personally nudes aren't particularly to my taste, although I don't hate them. I just don't care for that aesthetic in decorating. In this book, there are a LOT of nudes. As in, practically every other page. Is decorating with paintings of nudes in style now? Huh. Guess I'm doomed to be off-trend, lol.
September 25, 2019
There were many tips and tricks in the book that I found interesting and useful. However, there also were many rules only created to make a room ready for photoshoots which were not practical in real life and didn’t make any sense to me and made it hard to determine who audience was.
September 23, 2019
a really fun decor book to peruse through!
December 11, 2024
I loved "Secrets from a Stylist" when it was on, and have enjoyed reading Emily's blog off and on, so I was really excited when I saw she had written a book. That excitement made the book's disappointment that much more disappointing.
It's always frustrating when design "experts" say that there are no rules or that rules were made to be broken, and then proceed to give you a list of their rules. Sad to say, Henderson falls into this trap, as well.
The "style diagnostic" was fun; who doesn't love quizzes? But all of the photos seemed to showcase very similar styles. Emily does tend toward a cluttered look, and though "minimalist" is one of the styles in her quiz, there weren't many (any?) good examples of it in the photos.
There were a lot of nude paintings/sculptures within the designs, and that's just so not what I'm into. I'm not terribly annoyed by one here or there, but this book is filled with them. It was a bit much.
As much as I normally enjoy her style, if only for inspiration, there wasn't one design in this book that I really, truly liked. In addition, all of the basic guidelines for design can be found in other design books or on the web.
It's always frustrating when design "experts" say that there are no rules or that rules were made to be broken, and then proceed to give you a list of their rules. Sad to say, Henderson falls into this trap, as well.
The "style diagnostic" was fun; who doesn't love quizzes? But all of the photos seemed to showcase very similar styles. Emily does tend toward a cluttered look, and though "minimalist" is one of the styles in her quiz, there weren't many (any?) good examples of it in the photos.
There were a lot of nude paintings/sculptures within the designs, and that's just so not what I'm into. I'm not terribly annoyed by one here or there, but this book is filled with them. It was a bit much.
As much as I normally enjoy her style, if only for inspiration, there wasn't one design in this book that I really, truly liked. In addition, all of the basic guidelines for design can be found in other design books or on the web.
October 16, 2015
I've been eagerly awaiting this book since I discovered and became obsessed with the blog a month ago. It's more technical-feeling than the blog, in that the blog is full of whimsy and personality and such, while the book basically deconstructs the reasons for placing items a room where they are so that photos of it would look good in a magazine. There's enough practical information on how to approach decorating your own place that I'm satisfied, though I suppose ultimately what I really wanted was a book of just room makeovers. There's a good spread of styles, though, and I enjoyed doing the style quiz, even if the scoring system didn't seem to work well for me (and I remain a little peeved that for a question about which city you'd love to live in the most, "Thailand" was listed as an answer...I'm going to assume that was just an oversight). Anyway, still a good read if you've enjoyed looking at people's homes on design blogs and such but want someone to break down what "balance" is or how to pick a color palette more than just "do it by feel."
March 31, 2023
Meh. Just... meh. Not bad, but not especially good either.
I forgot I had read this one and read it again. I'd probably give it three stars this time. It's fine, not amazing.
I forgot I had read this one and read it again. I'd probably give it three stars this time. It's fine, not amazing.
June 21, 2025
Update 2025: I acquired a copy of my own so of course I had to read it.
Update 2023: I needed to read this again, and it’s still really great.
This is just great inspiration. Probably my favorite pages were the ones where she showed an empty room next to how she styled it, and walked us through the rationale. There are also glorious pages of just—inspiration. I have been out of the styling loop during the school year and now I’m all inspired and stuff to make my house pretty for the summer.
Yes, she recommends that you begin by describing your style as “modern bohemian romantic” or whatever. Just ignore that. And yes, this was written during the height of all-white-everything kitchens with pops of color. Her spaces are not necessarily practical, but they are beautiful. The point is how she moves a room from clean to delightful, WHICH SHE DOES. 😍
Update 2023: I needed to read this again, and it’s still really great.
This is just great inspiration. Probably my favorite pages were the ones where she showed an empty room next to how she styled it, and walked us through the rationale. There are also glorious pages of just—inspiration. I have been out of the styling loop during the school year and now I’m all inspired and stuff to make my house pretty for the summer.
Yes, she recommends that you begin by describing your style as “modern bohemian romantic” or whatever. Just ignore that. And yes, this was written during the height of all-white-everything kitchens with pops of color. Her spaces are not necessarily practical, but they are beautiful. The point is how she moves a room from clean to delightful, WHICH SHE DOES. 😍
May 10, 2016
Lots of eye candy here. Basic designing info -- I thought it would be a better look at how to create vignettes, since it is about styling, but there's a whole lot of "identifying your style" and other kinds of stuff going on too. Nothing that stands out from most of the other design books on the market. Great if you are an Emily Henderson fan, but most of what's pictured caters to a pretty specific design style.
November 29, 2018
I went into this kind of skeptical, but I actually really enjoyed it. She gives lots of little tips about how to arrange the furniture and decorations you already have in your home so that it looks cohesive and interesting. I especially liked the idea of creating vignettes all over your house to showcase your favorite things and weird interests. There are also tons of pretty pictures of inspiring rooms.
August 29, 2020
Головна мета цього картинкотексту - показати як за допомогою переставляння, додавання, перевішування і навіть переливання (а куди і для чого це невеличка інтрига) можна трансформувати набридливий простір до кімнати мрії. І все б нічого (хто ж любить гудіння 24/7), якби не одне, але важливе але - авторка працює з уже ідеальними приміщеннями, квадратура яких дозволяє розгулятись не лише фантазії. Вона весь час моделює середовище, яке й так не потребує складних маніпуляцій, воно просто стоїть і чекає, а коли ж на той диванчик ще понакладають подушечок. А повертаючись від товстих гаманців і речей у стилі власного помешкання, можна сміло закривати такі поради, бо в реаліях 12 - 15 м кв. дуже навряд чи влізе стільки антикваріату, скільки його вмістилось на сторінках видання.
September 5, 2023
I’m actually using this book to review her newer book The New Design Rules since that one isn’t on goodreads 🤷♀️ I’ve read both though and like her style a lot. It’s not really one particular style but she shows how to pull off several design styles.
I mostly read these for the pictures but I liked reading the blurbs too. Always up for a design book just for getting ideas so this was fun!
I mostly read these for the pictures but I liked reading the blurbs too. Always up for a design book just for getting ideas so this was fun!
May 11, 2018
Меньше слов и больше фотографий
Эта книга не поможет разобраться в стилях, но научит красиво расставить барахло на полке и сделать супер фото для инстаграм) советы понятные, фотографиии красивые! Мне понравилось)))
Эта книга не поможет разобраться в стилях, но научит красиво расставить барахло на полке и сделать супер фото для инстаграм) советы понятные, фотографиии красивые! Мне понравилось)))
July 21, 2024
soooo turns out if you are not reading a book you own for like 7+ years, there's probably a reason why 😃
it was boring? like it wasn't a book about decorating or interior design, it was a book about styling and interior photography. sure, I've found a few ideas, and got inspired by some of the photos, but that was not an achievement of this book in particular - i could easily get the same result by looking at Instagram or pinterest. and it probably would've been more useful since the functionality is not a thing in this book - the number of times I looked at the design in confusion cause it's literally a fire hazard (ahem, fireplace remake!?) or it wasn't useful in any way you look at it is just countless...
do not read this book. i mean it literally: while the rooms shown are at least somewhat interesting, when you start reading what ms. henderson has to say about them, they are ruined. not sure if i just don't like her writing style or it was that badly translated (read it in russian - a rare case of me still owning a book in it, but hey, it was a gift by someone dear to me!). most of the time when i found something interesting in the image, only then reading the text would be valuable. never the other way around.
also, maybe it's the stylist's taste, or maybe it's that the book was written in 2016, and interior trends have changed quite a bit since then, but I found a few of the ideas even tasteless (gasp). it's probably the first, i know, i know, but still...
either way, I'm glad i finally got this book over with and that i managed to find some value in it, but i wouldn't have missed literally anything have i not. needless to say, do not recommend!
it was boring? like it wasn't a book about decorating or interior design, it was a book about styling and interior photography. sure, I've found a few ideas, and got inspired by some of the photos, but that was not an achievement of this book in particular - i could easily get the same result by looking at Instagram or pinterest. and it probably would've been more useful since the functionality is not a thing in this book - the number of times I looked at the design in confusion cause it's literally a fire hazard (ahem, fireplace remake!?) or it wasn't useful in any way you look at it is just countless...
do not read this book. i mean it literally: while the rooms shown are at least somewhat interesting, when you start reading what ms. henderson has to say about them, they are ruined. not sure if i just don't like her writing style or it was that badly translated (read it in russian - a rare case of me still owning a book in it, but hey, it was a gift by someone dear to me!). most of the time when i found something interesting in the image, only then reading the text would be valuable. never the other way around.
also, maybe it's the stylist's taste, or maybe it's that the book was written in 2016, and interior trends have changed quite a bit since then, but I found a few of the ideas even tasteless (gasp). it's probably the first, i know, i know, but still...
either way, I'm glad i finally got this book over with and that i managed to find some value in it, but i wouldn't have missed literally anything have i not. needless to say, do not recommend!
July 31, 2016
Some good tips about balance, colour, and grouping, when styling vignettes. (A vignette in interior design terms is a small pleasant-looking arrangement of objects clustered together.)
However, I still did find some items too small for the furniture they were placed on. And some of the colour palettes and wallpaper prints were just downright ugly. Which means the author wasn't following her own advice; or, just goes to show that balance, colour, etc is 100% a matter of personal taste and opinion.
Handy to pick up at the library for some ideas and inspiration, but personally I wasn't too impressed with the sense of aesthetic conveyed.
However, I still did find some items too small for the furniture they were placed on. And some of the colour palettes and wallpaper prints were just downright ugly. Which means the author wasn't following her own advice; or, just goes to show that balance, colour, etc is 100% a matter of personal taste and opinion.
Handy to pick up at the library for some ideas and inspiration, but personally I wasn't too impressed with the sense of aesthetic conveyed.
January 19, 2016
This book jumped out at me from a new book display at the library – probably the books displayed on the cover and the subtitle including the word "Bookshelves" caught my eye. I was surprised to find it mildly interesting since I have zero interest in style – my type usually being comfortable and cheap. There is a survey included at the beginning to find one's personal "style." My type turns out to be "Zen" which is one step above minimalist. Lots of other pictures of bookshelves and books as decorating props. My preference remains reading -- beats shopping any day.
December 18, 2017
I was excited about this book at first: wow - I'm going to find out what my "style" really is and how to achieve the Look! But I'm afraid I was disappointed. I answered her quiz questions and came out "minimalist" (wrong!). I searched through the book - it's beautifully illustrated and presented - but I couldn't find rooms that illustrated how "minimalist" or anything else for that matter, could be realised. That said, however, just prowling through the pictures will probably give you some useful ideas and styling tips. I just kept feeling as if something was missing.
October 20, 2018
Did not finish. This book is a complete waste of time. She's a stager, not a true interior designer/decorator. No one could actually "live" in any of the rooms pictured in this book. Her style quiz makes no sense at all. None of the possible answers to the quiz questions would apply to the average person. I cannot believe I was on a waiting list for this book. Even more unbelievable is that she is on television.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 16, 2018
I was hoping for a book that would help me decide where to put the ottoman, but this is a book about how to arrange art and cluttery objects so that they look nice.
There are a lot of comments about impressing people with your objects and arrangements. This makes sense if you are staging your house for sale, but not if you are having friends over for dinner. I'm sure those comments were meant as jokes, but I still hope the author can make better friends someday.
There are a lot of comments about impressing people with your objects and arrangements. This makes sense if you are staging your house for sale, but not if you are having friends over for dinner. I'm sure those comments were meant as jokes, but I still hope the author can make better friends someday.
February 18, 2019
This book is less about designing and creating beautiful spaces, and more about how to tweak such spaces to be more Instagram-able (which maybe I should have surmised from the title?). The style quiz was totally baffling, but overall there were a lot of beautiful homes and spaces displayed in the photos, alongside some fun ideas and takeaways on how to freshen your space using things that are already in it.
March 20, 2024
I didn’t really find this book useful. It was nice to look at and had some interesting tid bits, but the majority of it was not. It’s more towards styling a room, in my opinion, without intend to live in it and bring it life. It’s more suited for real estate staging or magazine photo ops.
The style “quiz” in the book was fun to take. But even that I feel was missing something because someone can definitely have a blended style.
The style “quiz” in the book was fun to take. But even that I feel was missing something because someone can definitely have a blended style.
April 5, 2018
A solid 3.5 stars. This is the single most helpful book I’ve found about how to actually arrange stuff in your house, and it encourages using things you have rather than buying all new trendy decor. But it also seems focused on styling for pictures rather than places people actually live. The author’s blog has been more helpful for ideas in real spaces rather than photos.
July 22, 2020
I didn't get much out of this book. I guess it's just a style preference, but almost every room in these pages looked absurdly cluttered to me. Even beyond the aesthetics of it, how does one function in a kitchen whose counters are filled up with lamps and vases and framed artwork leaning casually against the backsplash?
October 28, 2020
If I felt the need to leave a pair of trendy shoes artfully tossed in the corner so my guests could get an idea of my personality, I'd reevaluate my friendships. And my life.
Henderson needs to work on editing. Each vignette had just a few too many items, and each room had too many vignettes. The result was a cluttered and messy looking space.
Henderson needs to work on editing. Each vignette had just a few too many items, and each room had too many vignettes. The result was a cluttered and messy looking space.
November 1, 2021
Horizontal art books + vertical plant + sculptural element = stylish coffee-table vignette.
Stylish vignette + teenager + exciting Arsenal match =smashed vignette on floor.
Emily Henderson has a lot to teach us about styling our homes for Instagram, if not for everyday life.
( The quiz was a waste of space, by the way. It said I was a minimalist. No.)
Stylish vignette + teenager + exciting Arsenal match =smashed vignette on floor.
Emily Henderson has a lot to teach us about styling our homes for Instagram, if not for everyday life.
( The quiz was a waste of space, by the way. It said I was a minimalist. No.)
February 4, 2017
3.5 stars
May 23, 2019
I did like it in the end. I think the text and the photographsbwere well put togegher and she was able to explain all the parts of the design through visuals! That’s a biiig plus!
July 11, 2022
I loved this book for someone who is just starting to think about how to style a space. There were a lot of practical tips, a lot of eye candy and ideas, and a lot of resources. I will be buying this to use as a reference guide and for inspiration as I embark on decorating my first home.
February 20, 2020
This was excellent, I loved the tips and tricks if styling. There was a lot of good information about different styles and many beautiful examples.
February 15, 2021
The perfect inspiration as I take a new look at my home and decor. Loved the visuals, info, and lovely insight.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews