But Where Do I Put the Couch?: And Answers to 100 Other Home Decorating Questions

by Melissa Michaels, KariAnne Wood

Get Answers to Solve Your Decorating Dilemmas

When you have a decorating dilemma, do you wish you had an expert you could consult? How about two experts?

Popular home decor bloggers Melissa Michaels (The Inspired Room) and KariAnne Wood (Thistlewood Farms) are teaming up to tackle 101 top decorating questions from people just like you. Perhaps you've wondered about things like this:

"How do I style my bed so it looks special?"

"What's the best way to make a small room with low ceilings look larger and taller?"

"If you're decorating on a budget, what should you not skimp on?"

Filled with helpful photos and practical solutions, this convenient guide will be your go-to resource for home decorating queries.

Genres: Nonfiction, Design, Reference, Adult

224 pages, Unknown Binding

Published September 10, 2019

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

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whether it’s just one room or a whole house, decorating can be overwhelming. Where do you start? Where should the furniture be placed and how should it be arranged? How do you pull various pieces together into a cohesive and attractive room instead of the mishmash of odds and ends that seem to fill my rooms?

Everything you need to tackle the decorating process is covered here. The 101 questions cover common decorating issues and offer solutions to help you determine your style, arrange furniture, co-mingle eclectic pieces, incorporate heirlooms, and mix and match colors, patterns, and styles.

I enjoy reading these types of books but honestly, I don’t know anyone who actually has a home with rooms that look like these. Whether your home is large or small, old or new, there is always some problem to work around that isn’t covered and thus you never quite end up with the pictured look. Awkwardly placed windows, doors, electrical outlets, or heating and cooling vents are just some of the problems that you have to find your own answer to while still striving for a stylish and functional room.

So in the end, as with all decorating books, some tips will work for you and some won’t. But even still, there’s a lot of great information here that can help you transform your space into one that accommodates your lifestyle and reflects your personal style and interests, while pulling it all together into a coordinated, attractive home, even if it isn’t perfect.

[Teresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not what I was expecting and it was to preachy for me, a series of questions with answers that always start off with a long anecdote about how she lived it, dealt with it and loves it now. Then answers a 10 year old would know
No inspiration in the photos either unless you want all white everything.

[Mandy Crumb · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you like farmhouse decor, white dishes, galvanized containers, blue and white together then this one is for you! I am not that person with the exception of the white dishes.
The format of the book is that a person asks a question which is printed at the top of the page. What follows is the authors opinion of how to answer that question correctly. It is a brief overview of a lot of topics. My favorite part was looking at the pictures and realizing that someone made a recipe wall which blew my mind.
Recommend for someone who likes Joanna Gaines and her style.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I high-key enjoyed this book. It offered pleasant advice, had entertaining text along with it, and the photos were beautiful.

[Kerry Fountain · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful read - so many questions answered by professionals yet feels like a conversation with your best friend. I've never thought my home might actually have a style that makes sense. Love the permission here to embrace what makes my home and style unique.

[Deauna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, quick read that had some good tips. I became a bit underwhelmed by how, in the end, most of their advice boiled down to "have fun and design the way you want to because it's your house and you have to like it." That's all well and good, but also, the reason I'm investing my time in reading a book is because I WANT some style rules to guide me. I want my home to look more elevated and want to know how to attain that look. I know they were trying to add confidence and reassurance, but I was looking for more style rules and guidance.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher and true to KariAnne and Melissa's "easy breezy conversational" writing style, many of your decorating questions and frustrations are answered in a simple and doable way for any level of decorating expertise. As you read you will feel like your best friend dropped by at just the right time to give you help and advice.

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This guidebook is written in a question and answer format that offers inspirational suggestions to the reader, generally followed by reassurance extolling the virtues of doing your own thing, in the end there are no decorating rules per se, etc. This is a bit ironic when virtually all the decor shown, from walls to furniture, is WHITE, albeit very pretty. (They actually seem to be photos of the two designers' own farmhouse-y country style homes.)

[Mary Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring read for beginners, fans of the authors and those who need a bit of inspiration when beginning a new project after time away from decorating. I checked out from the library, not a book I would need to buy. An attractively packaged, photographed and easy to read book, however the inspiration is in the text, not the photos.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute book formatted with 100 question & answer prompts. As I got deeper into the book, I skipped reading the response paragraphs, which tended to be verbose, and headed straight to the bullet points. I would have liked to see more photos of the suggestions the authors made, and perhaps some more varied decorative styles.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is definitely a good book for those that are decorating challenged like me. The authors give you confidence to decorate in a way that you enjoy and not just follow a script from someone else.

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a collection of 101 design questions and answers and the authors do a great job giving quick tips to spruce up each area of the house. While a nice light read, I did wish there were more pictures describing the concepts the authors discussed.

[Annburnett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gives some low budget decorating ideas and answering some interesting questions to help you decorate your space.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of helpful decorating advice.

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

A flip-through sort of book of pictures with good advice on home decorating, identifying your personal style, and some practical tips on home remodeling projects.

[Michele Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the novice decorator - answers basic questions and provides ideas on common decorating problems. A good basic instruction manual for choosing furniture, paint colors, fabric, and more.

[Pía López Copetti · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a reference book of common-sense questions for interior decor. Certainly, it will inspire you to do changes.

[Liz · Rating 1 out of 5]

These rooms are so, so boring and ugly. A more accurate title would be, How to Decorate Without Color Using Mass Produced Art Accents and Zero Plants.

[Relyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a super-practical how-to-decorate book. Not a ton of eye candy, but so much information.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent interior design advice with a dash of unnecessary Christianity.

[Brindi Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some pretty good tips in here, especially if you're starting from scratch, per se. However, I found it did a lot more telling, rather than showing, and I was looking for more.

[Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good book with great photos. I wish so,etchings went a little deeper, especially when it came to colors and textures.

[Reanin Mcroberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was ok but i didn't actually figure out where to put the couch!

[Kayley Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This turned out to be more of a “look-book” than one where I really read the text. I found the advice to be a bit repetitive and no “new” information stuck out to me. Very pretty decorating though!

[Francesca Gunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

KariAnne Wood

I recently received an advance copy of this collaboration between The Inspired Room and Thistlewood Farms( Michaels and Wood). True to their decorating-diva selves, they once again nail it with all the answers to our burning questions such as how to actually plan a space and what to accessorize with so our rooms don't end up looking like hot-messes ( but still remain "us" and not look like everyone else's. )

So grab a cup of tea ( or Diet Coke) and have a seat with your two BFFs to discuss everything you really wanted to know about decorating. #butwheredoiputthecouch

[Ben · Rating 2 out of 5]

This isn't terrible, a little too affirmation-y. I wish it had more concise and easy examples, even diagrams of where to put things in a room. The decor featured in the book is a total snooze-fest. Every single room, surface, shelf looks exactly the same. I'm so sick of blue and white that I want to scream. Really, it made me not want to pay attention to their advice, which isn't bad, and I came away feeling completely uninspired.

[Rachel Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I borrowed this book from the library and I'm glad I did. It was really good and I may even check it out again, but I don't feel like I need it on my personal shelf. Like all books like this, there is a lot that applied to me, and a lot that wasn't useful. Overall inspiring and well written!

[Maria · Rating 1 out of 5]

Starts off good - she tells you where to put the couch! - but the "questions" become increasingly contrived and annoying as the book goes on. Can you pair leather with lace? I don't know, I'm not your mom.

[Tova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really practical decorating ideas.

[Pcox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great distraction from taking down the Christmas tree!