bonnie's bookshelf 9.17

As summer has come to a close and I'm back in the classroom, I'm trying to structure my time more intentionally. What that looks like right now is finding my reading at the crosshairs of purposeful + therapeutic. At the end of a day of scrambling around with 20+ six-year-olds, I have immensely enjoyed coming home and flipping through design books. It winds me down from my day while simultaneously winding me up to put in some evening hours on the blog.

These are the three books that I've been loving the most lately.

Oh hi Grace Bonney - I see you over there with your book, literally beautiful inside and out. What a stunner. Filled with great content and not too shabby looking either. I love having this one on my coffee table, such a statement piece. Grace covers some wonderful DIY basics for first time designers as well as some truly inventive new DIY projects. A particularly fun bonus tucked into this book is the flower workshop - with abounding tips and how-to's of arranging flowers to complement your space.

The Nesting Place has a particularly soft spot in my heart. This was my first ever design book. I ooh-ed and aah-ed over it in the store for a couple months before I finally bought it. I want to take the subtitle, It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful and paint it across the walls of my home. What a sweet sweet message to remember - beauty can be found in the cracks, scrapes, nooks, and crannies. Real life doesn't have to be as glossy as a page out of a magazine, in fact it's better if it isn't. If you're looking for a place to start with designing your space, Myqyillyn's book is 100% my first recommendation.

Styled by Emily Henderson is a classic and a staple. She gets down and dirty into the finer details of your room - the tabletops, trinkets, and bookshelves. And of course it helps that her taste is positively impeccable - a harmonious blend of classic and eclectic. She also teaches you how to hone in and designate your own style which makes shopping a breeze and takes your home to the next level.

If you're not looking to jump into the world of design literature, but just want to dabble in some ideas - I highly recommend heading to your local bookstore, pulling up a stool in front of the interior design section and letting the minutes pass. Definitely one of my favorite things to do when I just need just the right amount of self-indulgence without any of the guilt.

What are you reading right now?