Habitat: The Field Guide to Decorating

This is by far my favorite design book – and I own a fair share. It is a stunning visual feast. Fans of Lauren’s work will not be disappointed, as there are plenty of pictures, including some familiar spaces but mainly new projects. All are perfectly styled and beautifully shot, with the long awaited dad’s lake house and cousin’s mountain retreat leading the way. The content is very well organized. It is a practical guide how to create your own unique and amazing space. Lauren has put a lot of thought and effort into explaining how she approaches design process and how each element of design fits into the big picture. She carefully walks you through the process of designing spaces that work for you and your loved ones, not how to stage perfect rooms that just look good in pictures. All of the spaces she designs are beautiful but are also livable, comfortable and family friendly. This book, just like her blog, demonstrates that she is truly passionate about her work. Even if you are not a fan of her aesthetic, you will find the book to be a great design resource. I read it in one afternoon (it is a great read!) but I will be going back to it as a reference over and over as I begin the process of redesigning my own home. I admire Lauren’s talent and applaud her willingness to share knowledge and experience in such depth with the rest of us. She could have simply thrown a bunch of styled photos together and called it a day – as many designers and decorators seem to do these days. Thank you Lauren!

I have read countless books on decorating over the years. Habitat: The Field Guide to Decorating has become one of my all-time favorites. Lauren Liess has written a very thoughtful book filled with a concise strategy to use when decorating your home. She guides you step by step on the things to consider when designing a home that reflects who you are. Some other reviewers have complained that the photos in the book are too bland or they all look too muted and the same. That is because this is Ms. Liess aesthetic. Part of HER style. But she shows you how to arrive at your own style in a very detailed and deliberate way. It does require you to read the content and apply those principles to your own preferences. This book is worth repeated readings. She has so much information that might be missed the first time around. Truly a wonderful read!

Absolutely love this book! It is full of very helpful information such as spacing furniture, height of lighting, timeless materials of fabric, faucets, handles + drawer pulls worth investing in, etc. Great reference for all the renovations we are working on in our home as well as our decor style. Back of book references where to shop for items throughout book. Pictures are gorgeous throughout with muted colors that are earthy and timeless designs. If this is your desired style you will love this book.

Lady Liess is an absolute gem. This book is a stunner -- full of great advice for the committed amateur, with super helpful resources and details that really show how Lauren prefers things and achieves a her beautiful aesthetic across every client style and objective. Excellent balance of photos and education. While there is plenty of new-to-readers work showcase (yay!), the "field guide" approach to the nuts and bolts of decorating is no gimmick -- she has put a lot of work into distilling the how-to's of her project organization and aesthetic approach and it really shows. Wonderful personal, conversational tone (as on her excellent blog). You never know if you're getting a ghostwritten photoshoot (some designers just don't want or need to write well), but I am super impressed with Habitat and now even more so with Lauren. Absolutely loving the read and the education.

I have followed Lauren's blog, Pure Style Home, from the beginning and have always identified with her aesthetic and her way of writing. I love that she shares her lifestyle and not just her work. I have been waiting patiently for her book to come out and can honestly say I was counting down the days. I absolutely adore this book and Lauren's style. She is my inspiration when decorating my own home. I often ask myself "What Would Lauren Do?"(WWLD) This book doesn't disappoint. The 'field guide' approach and the way it is laid out is perfect. Beautiful pictures and even more beautiful words. Thank you Lauren! I love this book!

love this author&just in the past month hav botten all of her books. one after the other. she does a good balance of comfort, light&bright.. (but earthy. not "cold".)& character. lots of layers&mixed textures. old&new. not minimal, but not eclectic. cozy design. lots of pics &quality book. lots of inspiration. the only reason i took a star, is the front cover pic, is "picture"glossy. rather it be matte like the rest of the book. feel it dates it alil. but very pleased overall! would definitely recommend

I first checked out Habitat at my local library, but loved it so much I wanted to purchase it to have on hand. I love Lauren's style so it is filled with beautiful rooms to look at. It also is somewhat of a "field guide" to decorating as she helps you think through the different elements of decorating. I am currently updating a few rooms in our house and this book has been full of helpful information! Highly recommend!

This book is divided into three main sections: Fundamentals of design: Includes the basic elements. Examples include architecture (which many people aren't at liberty to change), finishes and hardware, floor plan, rugs, furniture, color, etc. This section provides some basic information in each area. It was a good read, but I don't see me referring back to it at any time. Intangibles of design: Aesthetic, style, mood, authenticity, juxtaposition, etc. While I think it is important to get a good understanding of your own personal preferences, I didn't find the chapters on aesthetic, style or mood very helpful. She includes worksheets that I would not find helpful either.Regarding authenticity, my home was built about 18 years ago - I don't think wandering around the neighborhood is going to help me much, and I think that there are ways to introduce styles into a home that isn't particular to the era it was built. I also interpreted that the designer wants the rooms in a house to flow from one to another, allowing only some small difference in mood. However, one of the advantages of my home office, bedrooms, and bathrooms is they allow a different expression. I have navy walls in my office that I wouldn't use elsewhere (in fact I wouldn't use much blue elsewhere aside from some small bits of blue and white porcelain in my living room). My bathrooms have bright colors that I also wouldn't use elsewhere. While our main floor of our house is light and airy, the family room level (down a half flight of stairs) would be very bland with the same color scheme due to the way natural light hits the room. The third section includes checklists for each room in the house, but much of the information is repetitive - art and accessories, lighting, etc. The number of chairs, tables, or sofas in a living room or family room are going to depend on how the family uses it and how large the space is. The author also shares heavily on her own design tastes. While I expect that a designers aesthetic will be evident in viewing their book, I felt like her personal tasted and preferences were overstated and wondered how she would work with her customer - would the house reflect their preferences or her own? Examples: Recessed lighting looking like Swiss cheese in the ceiling and unflattering (our recessed lighting can is virtually the same color as our ceiling - they are barely noticeable. Placement and the use of dimmers can improve task lighting and also help create a mood in the room. They are just another level of lighting, much like lamps. Upper cabinets in a kitchen as not frequently required and a love for open shelving: Our kitchen is large sized but there is no way that I want to see my food, spices, and some of my daily dishes visible on a daily basis. Also, cats makes it largely impractical. She talks about the flow of the kitchen, but the summary of what she says is it really depends on what works best for you. Home offices similar style as the rest of the house: My office is painted navy blue with art arranged salon-style on the walls. There is a lot of "activity" with art and accessories in my office. I absolutely love it, but would not want the rest of my house to be the same way. Above are just a few examples of the authors strong preferences. As I mentioned, I feel like with any design book you will see the designers style, but it just felt that this designers preferences are stated so strongly that they might override those of the customer (or someone reading the book might feel less comfortable doing something different). All in all, this designers style is quite a bit different than my own. The work is mostly monochromatic and most of the rooms have a very similar feel to them. If you relate to this designers style, then this might be a great resource for you on how to achieve that style. However, I found very little to relate to and the checklists would not be something I would use either.