Young House Love: 243 Ways to Paint, Craft, Update & Show Your Home Some Love [Hardcover]

Sherry Petersik (Author), John Petersik (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 5, 2012

Design ideas for every style, skill level, and budget, from the beloved couple behind YoungHouseLove.com

This debut book by bloggers Sherry and John Petersik is filled with hundreds of fun, deceptively simple, budget-friendly ideas for sprucing up a home. With two home renovations under their (tool) belts, 5 million blog hits per month, and an ever-growing audience since the launch of Young House Love in 2007, Sherry and John are home-improvement enthusiasts primed to pass on a slew of projects, tricks, and techniques to do-it-yourselfers of all levels. Whether an experienced decorator or a total novice, on a tight budget or with money to spend, any homeowner or apartment dweller will find ideas for his or her own home makeovers here. Learn to trick out a thrift-store mirror, spice up plain old roller shades, "hack" your Ikea table to create three distinct looks, and so much more.

Packed with 243 tips and ideas--both classic and unexpected--every project pictured was exclusively executed for the book. With more than 400 photographs and illustrations, this is a book that readers will return to again and again for the creative projects and easy-to-follow instructions in the relatable voice the Petersiks are known for. Adding a little wow factor to your home has never been more fun!

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Engaging, packed with gorgeous photos, and reassuringly realistic about both budget and skill level, Young House Love will inspire even the most un-crafty of homeowners to pry open a can of paint.” —Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project

(Gretchen Rubin )

“Their delivery is particularly charming and endearing, and their information is delivered in a smart way.” —Nate Berkus

(Nate Berkus )

“Allow us to introduce you to the king and queen of DIY: John and Sherry Petersik [whose] first book is jammed with more than 200 ideas—everything from rehabbing furniture to customizing a backsplash.” —Redbook

“No-attitude advice and step-by-step directions for lots of everyday projects.” —Washington Post

“Loaded with pictures, tips, and step-by-step tutorials, the Petersiks’ book offers a fresh and not-too-serious approach to infusing a home with personality.” —Dallas Morning News

“DIY gurus John and Sherry Petersik show how to radically reinvent plain pieces.” —Country Living

“This book is a natural for beginners.” —Publishers Weekly

(multipe )

About the Author

Sherry Petersik and her husband, John Petersik, are the creators of the hit home improvement blog Young House Love. Now in the midst of transforming their second fixer-upper in Richmond, Virginia, Sherry and John spend their days tackling as many DIY projects as possible with their daughter, Clara, and their Chihuahua, Hamburger, by their side. They write a column in Better Homes & Garden's Do It Yourself magazine, and they've appeared on HGTV and on The Nate Berkus Show.

John Petersik, and his wife, Sherry Petersik, are the creators of the hit home improvement blog Young House Love. Now in the midst of transforming their second fixer-upper in Richmond, Virginia, Sherry and John spend their days tackling as many DIY projects as possible with their daughter, Clara, and their Chihuahua, Hamburger, by their side. They write a column in Better Homes & Garden's Do It Yourself magazine, and they've appeared on HGTV and on The Nate Berkus Show.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Artisan; 1 edition (November 5, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579654789
• ISBN-13: 978-1579654788
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 1.1 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (194 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,903 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Arts & Photography > Decorative Arts & Design > Decorative Arts
  • #2 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Home Improvement & Design > Home Decorating & Design > Interior Design > Decorating
  • #2 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Home Improvement & Design > How-to & Home Improvements > Do-It-Yourself

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 53 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Generally a success, with a few flat notes November 6, 2012

By Beshanii

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I will start with a disclaimer that I am an avid blog follower, and am thus biased to like anything written by the Petersiks. As someone who was determined to love the book regardless of any flaws, I will do my best to be honest and objective in my appraisal.

I had very high expectations for this book, and was incredibly excited to see that it had arrived at my house. I eagerly cracked it open and began reading. Overall, I would definitely recommend the book to any home decor enthusiast, but I have to painfully admit I was slightly underwhelmed. Most of my excitement flipping through the pages was driven more by the cute captions, glimpses of well known Petersik personnel (Gee, Clara, and Ramsey make appearances for any other YHL enthusiasts out there), and the personal forewards to each chapter, than by the majority of the actual projects.

That's not to say there aren't gems inside; many very creative and useful ideas fill the pages (i.e. personalizing thrift store decor, creating your own artwork, alternatives to traditional knife blocks). Not to mention step by step instructions for painting furniture and cabinets, as well as a 'dummy guide' to a variety of DIY topics such as curtains and paint finishes. However, I felt that being a YHL reader was actually a detriment in some ways to finding novel inspiriation from the book. Very few projects were truly original to the book, most I skimmed through having read similar projects on the blog. That being said, even with some concepts being 'repeats', it will be nice in the future to have everything bound in one volume, easily accesible without the internet.

I appreciate the formatting of the book. John and Sherry did a fantastic job of categorizing projects by the relative expense, difficulty, and time needed for execution. There is a great balance between easy and cheap projects, with those that are a bit more labor and cost intensive. Many projects can also be easily personalized to an individual's tastes and preferences. Most projects, although not all, also include 'in-progress' photos to illustrate difficult steps, such as how to properly fold the corners of fabric when covering a dining room seat or headboard.

Other readers have complained about the quality of the pictures inside; I personally found the photo layouts to be well executed, and aside from old childhood photographs, thought the quality to be acceptable. I do agree that the finish of the book ( a matte paper versus glossy sheen) is a bit cheap-looking, but think this reflects more on the publishers than the authors themselves.

In summary, I was definitely pleased with the book and plan to gift copies to several friends and relatives over the holidays. In my opinion, it is a book that anyone with a love of DIY, home improvement, or decor, would appreciate, but also agree with other reviewers that those looking for a more advanced or detailed how-to book will be left wanting more. For what the authors intended it to be, a very basic spring board of ideas, the book is highly successful and as a first book I think the Petersiks should be proud.

32 of 40 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Not up to the hype November 14, 2012

By InfoDiva

Format:Hardcover

I follow the Petersik's blog and I admit that I was looking forward to the book. Over the last few months, the Petersiks built up anticipation for the book on their blog by repeatedly saying "we can't show you this yet because we did it for the book!"

Well, I'd estimate that the book is maybe 25% new material. And much of the new stuff is just a slightly different iteration of something they have done before, in great detail, online. (Yes, I know that you can spray paint almost anything a bright color and make it cute.) That, combined with the book's poor production values, means that you can learn everything you need about "Petersik Style" from the Young House Love blog and the book adds little.

The Petersiks' disappointing foray into print media has convinced me that for home decorating ideas, online pictures, instructions, and video are far superior communication methods. In other words, read the blog and save your money.

30 of 38 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice collection of trendy, basic decorating projects November 3, 2012

By moi surtout

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Young House Love promises "243 ways to paint, craft, update & show your home some love." This is a good basic book of simple home crafts, written in an unpretentious style that will especially appeal to people who feel intimidated by the prospect of decorating. It's written for homeowners, but apartment-dwellers will find plenty of projects here too.

The first thing I noticed about this book was the text. This isn't simply a book of fancy photos with teensy captions sprinkled about - the Petersiks share details about their home, their lives and evolving taste in decor. I especially liked the part where they talk about how when they first got their home, they painted every room a different color just because they could. Ultimately they settled on a more cohesive color scheme. This book captures their ideas at a particular point in their lives, and I'll be interested to see how their perspectives might grow or change five or ten years down the road.

The projects themselves are a mix of fresh and same-o. I really liked all the DIY art and framing options, which included sewing cardstock, geometric paintings, silhouettes from photos and maps, abstract art using silverleaf and tissue paper, stenciling, shadowboxes, etc. There are also multiple projects for headboards, mirror embellishments, pillow decoration, furniture makeovers and uses of wallpaper. There are loads of inexpensive projects, and many that won't take more than an hour or two on a weekend. Most are pretty simple, the kind of thing you can figure out just by looking at a clear photo of it. The blog tends to have more photos and details than the book does, but there's enough info to get you started. The back has an excellent resource list.

There were a few I didn't care for - a faux fireplace, anything involving chalkboard paint - but overall there are more hits than misses. This is a good solid book of projects, but I do have a feeling this book will get more hype than it deserves for being 'Decor Craft 101'. It's not a must-have if you already own a bunch of books of this type, but it's a fun addition and very beginner-friendly if you're just starting out.

This isn't a coffee table book and the production values could be better. Mine arrived with dented corners, and the matte white cover doesn't seem like it'll wear well. This is a thick volume printed in full color, but some of the photos are poorly lit and a little grainy, giving it an amateur look. Since the focus here is different craft projects rather than stunning roomscapes, it's not that bad. It would still make a nice housewarming gift, especially if you include supplies for one of the projects.

Update: The book shows a lot of shelf wear. I've only had it for less than a month, and it's not exactly my go-to resource. The blue dye has completely rubbed off the edges. It was packed properly when I received it, the quality is just not what I expected, even for the low price.