The Nesting Place: It Doesn’t Have to be Perfect to be Beautiful. The tagline of this book says it all. Do you know Myquillyn Smith? After you read this book you will feel like you do, and you definitely should.
Myquillyn blogs at www.thenester.com and also wrote the book The Nesting Place: It Doesn’t Have to be Perfect to be Beautiful. I think I found her first through her gorgeous Instagram feed. Her interiors are so well done, with just enough quirk to make them really interesting. But what I love more than her style is her vulnerability. It’s something you don’t see often in the design/blogger world. More than just DIY tips or how to find the best thrift items, Myquillyn’s book shares her heart behind decorating as well as photos that make decorating feel attainable for you and me.
Behind the Pretty Pictures: Giving Up on Perfect
This book was such an interesting read. Myquillyn starts the book with the story of her life and the 13 homes she’s lived in. A lot of the homes were rentals, and I believe she lives in a rental right now. Of course her blog and book are full of ideas for decorating your home, but what I loved most about this book was her mindset about decorating. I know I’ve felt a hundred times that I would love my home if I could get some of the rooms finished (they never will be), if my kids would get old enough not to mess it up (they won’t ever), and if everything could just be magazine perfect all the time.
The only problem is you can’t DIY yourself into loving your home. No amount of painted furniture or stenciled pillows will make you more content with what you have. Creating a beautiful project may bring temporary satisfaction, but unless you look at your home through the right lens, you’ll quickly wonder why you’re still annoyed with your space. – Myquillyn Smith, The Nesting Place
Myqyillyn talks a lot about what a home really is: a haven, a place to enjoy family and friends, a place of comfort and warmth. There are so many lovely photos in this book, and while some of them are “magazine perfect”, others surprise you when you look closer. You will see well loved furniture, kids and dogs, piles of laundry, and yet it all still looks good. I really loved this chapter on giving up on perfect and focusing on the beauty in the everyday.
Risk: Take Some and Pass It On
I am not a risk taker. It is so much more comfortable to play it safe, to do the expected, to stay between the lines, Until it’s not. Until you realize that a lot of the fun in life is in the unexpected and outside the lines. I’ve taken a lot of risks this year, and while they haven’t been crazy risks (no sky diving for me), they have pushed me outside of what I was comfortable doing and I’ve found a lot of joy on the other side. I want my home to reflect my new willingness to take risks too. I loved what The Nesting Place had to say about taking risks:
We assume that when others chose that bold color or bought that vintage sofa, it didn’t feel like a risk to them. Since it feels scary to us, we stop…What if we decided home was a safe place to make mistakes, take risks, play, and be who we want to be? – Myquillyn Smith
Myquillyn is quick to say that not all of her risks turn out well, but that the things she loves the most about her home were definitely risks. I love the idea of thinking of my home as a playground. What would I try if I wasn’t worried about what other people would think, about resale value, about messing up?
The Nesting Place
I could share snippets of what I learned from each chapter of this book, but this post would get a little bit too long. Instead, I’ll just encourage you to check out Myquillyn’s book. I first read a copy from the library, but it was so good I had to own it. Be sure to read the chapter Lovely Limitations: When Buts Get in the Way that talks about how to overcome obstacles like money, renting, and having too many options, as well as the chapter on contentment. You will have a whole new outlook on your home just as it is.
Thanks for reading! If you’d like to see more books recommendations, check out the What I’m Reading page!
