For readers who want encouragement to invest in and personalize the home they already occupy — without needing a renovation budget or construction skills — The Inspired Room delivers exactly what it promises. The book's credibility is well-established: it became a New York Times bestseller, and Michaels's blog earned back-to-back Better Homes and Gardens Readers' Favorite Decorating Blog awards in 2014 and 2015, signaling genuine resonance with everyday home decorators. The main caveat is scope: those expecting a technical how-to manual with step-by-step project instructions will find it pitched toward philosophy and inspiration rather than skilled construction.

The Inspired Room: Simple Ideas to Love the Home You Have

by Melissa Michaels

Melissa Michaels offers simple styling ideas and a philosophy of gratitude to help readers appreciate and improve their existing living spaces.

$22.43 on Amazon Read our full review

At a glance

First published2015

AudienceAdult

ISBN073696309X

About the Author

Melissa Michaels

1 book reviewed

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The Inspired Room

Name: The Inspired Room: Simple Ideas to Love the Home You Have by Melissa Michaels
Author: Melissa Michaels
ISBN: 073696309X

Simple Ideas to Love the Home You Have

by Melissa Michaels

LuvemBooks Verdict

Best for

Everyday home decorators who feel overwhelmed or under-resourced and want warm, relatable encouragement to personalise and invest in the home they already have — without a large budget or advanced DIY skills.

Worth it if

You want a richly illustrated, room-by-room reference that pairs genuine inspiration with accessible, real-life decorating philosophy — and you're drawn to a voice shaped by a real home rather than a show-house aesthetic.

Skip if

You're looking for technical renovation walkthroughs, architectural detail, or step-by-step project manuals — this book is firmly pitched at inspiration and philosophy rather than skilled construction.

What readers & critics say

Harvest House Publishers describes the book as sharing "inspiring photos, real-life decor solutions" from Michaels's own home, emphasising that no big budget or perfect DIY skills are needed to embrace her practical philosophy. The Inspired Room's own site quotes Sandy Coughlin, author and founder of Reluctantentertainer.com, praising Michaels for giving readers "the freedom to let our homes evolve day-to-day, season-to-season" and offering "soothing advice for those reluctant to practice hospitality."

Sources: Harvest House Publishers, The Inspired Room (theinspiredroom.net)

4.5from 226 Amazon ratings— reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score

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The Inspired Room: Simple Ideas to Love the Home You Have is Melissa Michaels's New York Times bestselling translation of her award-winning blog into a richly illustrated hardcover guide, inviting readers inside her own home to find practical, affordable ways to decorate and organize every room. Built around the philosophy that meaningful style comes from working with what you already have, the book is ideal for everyday decorators without large budgets or advanced DIY skills. Readers seeking technical renovation instructions or step-by-step construction projects will find it pitched toward inspiration and philosophy rather than skilled craft.

Is it worth reading?: For readers who want encouragement to invest in and personalize the home they already occupy — without needing a renovation budget or construction skills — The Inspired Room delivers exactly what it promises. The book's credibility is well-established: it became a New York Times bestseller, and Michaels's blog earned back-to-back Better Homes and Gardens Readers' Favorite Decorating Blog awards in 2014 and 2015, signaling genuine resonance with everyday home decorators. The main caveat is scope: those expecting a technical how-to manual with step-by-step project instructions will find it pitched toward philosophy and inspiration rather than skilled construction.
Similar books: Readers who enjoy The Inspired Room tend to gravitate toward other warm, philosophy-first home décor books. Myquillyn Smith's The Nesting Place shares the same 'it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful' sensibility, while her Cozy Minimalist Home offers a more pared-back take on the same accessible approach. Joanna Gaines's Homebody is another natural companion, guiding readers through creating spaces that feel personally meaningful. For a cottage-style aesthetic with a similar approachable tone, Liz Marie Galvan's Cozy White Cottage fits well. Maxwell Ryan's Apartment Therapy takes a more structured, eight-step framework but shares the focus on transforming the home you already have.
Who should read this?: The Inspired Room is written specifically for everyday home decorators — people who want a more beautiful, personalized living space but don't have a large decorating budget, professional contractor access, or advanced DIY skills. Fans of Michaels's blog will find the print edition a natural extension of that community's grassroots, relatable aesthetic. It's also well-suited to readers who feel overwhelmed or uninspired by aspirational décor imagery that bears no resemblance to their own homes, since the book is explicitly built around the premise that the home one already has is already worth loving.
What is The Inspired Room blog?: The Inspired Room began as a blog created by Melissa Michaels and grew into one of the most widely followed home décor destinations online. The blog earned the Better Homes and Gardens Readers' Favorite Decorating Blog award in both 2014 and 2015 — a distinction that reflects its resonance with everyday home decorators rather than design industry insiders. The book is a direct translation of that blog's community-driven, relatable philosophy into a richly illustrated print format, with Michaels's own home serving as the primary example throughout.
What doesn't this book cover?: The Inspired Room is not a technical renovation guide, and it explicitly does not require — or teach — advanced DIY skills or construction knowledge. Readers hoping for detailed architectural instruction, step-by-step project plans, or guidance on structural home improvements will find the book pitched at a different level entirely. Michaels's philosophy centers on simplicity and accessibility, meaning the book's strength lies in inspiration, mindset, and styling ideas rather than skilled craft.
Is this a good book club pick?: The Inspired Room is better suited to individual use as a personal decorating reference than to a traditional book club discussion format. Its value lies primarily in the visual inspiration and practical guidance it offers to individual readers tackling their own spaces, rather than in narrative, character, or thematic debate. That said, a group of friends interested in home décor could find it a useful shared starting point for discussing decorating philosophy and swapping ideas.

Summarize this book

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Who should read this?

What is The Inspired Room blog?

What doesn't this book cover?

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Summarize this book

Published by Ten Peaks Press in November 2015, The Inspired Room is an illustrated hardcover home décor guide in which Melissa Michaels — creator of the award-winning blog of the same name — invites readers inside her own home to explore practical, affordable decorating and organizing ideas for every room. The book's central premise is that meaningful personal style doesn't require professional contractors, unlimited funds, or advanced DIY skills; it comes from embracing and enhancing the home one already occupies. Pairing lavish inspirational photos drawn from Michaels's own living spaces with actionable guidance, the book is designed as a reference readers return to repeatedly rather than a one-time linear read.

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Does it cover the whole house or just certain rooms?

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Age & Reading Level

Recommended age

Adult

Reading level

Adult

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Skip if you're looking for technical renovation instruction or a step-by-step DIY project manual.

Editorial Review

The Inspired Room: Simple Ideas to Love the Home You Have is a New York Times bestselling home décor book by Melissa Michaels, creator of the award-winning blog of the same name, designed to help readers embrace and beautify the homes they already own — without a large budget or advanced DIY skills.

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Books like The Inspired Room

Curated picks for readers who enjoyed The Inspired Room, with our reasoning for each match.

If you liked The Inspired Room

In our catalogue

Cozy White Cottage: 100 Ways to Love the Feeling of Being Home

Liz Marie Galvan

Same budget-friendly, make-it-cozy philosophy as The Inspired Room — practical styling ideas rooted in warmth, not perfection, with a personal, blogger-to-book voice.

If you loved The Inspired Room by Melissa Michaels and want more of that warm, you-can-do-this energy, Liz Marie Galvan's Cozy White Cottage is a natural next read. Like Michaels, Galvan built a devoted following through her blog before translating her aesthetic into a richly photographed book. Both authors share a belief that a beautiful home doesn't require a big renovation budget — just a good eye and a willingness to work with what you have. Galvan's 100 ideas span every corner of the house, from simple seasonal touches to layering textiles for that signature cozy feeling. Readers searching for books like The Inspired Room will find the same encouraging, non-intimidating tone here, aimed squarely at everyday homemakers who want their spaces to feel intentional and personal without hiring a professional decorator.

In our catalogue

The Nesting Place: It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful

Myquillyn Smith

Shares The Inspired Room's core message — imperfect homes can be deeply beautiful — with a similarly honest, encouraging voice pitched at real-life decorators on real-life budgets.

Readers who responded to Melissa Michaels's philosophy that style comes from loving what you already have will find an instant kindred spirit in Myquillyn Smith's The Nesting Place. Smith, known online as The Nester, built her brand around the freeing idea that perfection is the enemy of a truly livable home. Like The Inspired Room, this book is less a technical manual and more a mindset shift — it reassures readers that a rented apartment, a hand-me-down sofa, or an awkward floor plan are not obstacles to a beautiful space. The photography is warm and approachable, and Smith's personal storytelling grounds every tip in real experience. If you're searching for what to read after The Inspired Room, The Nesting Place delivers that same permission-to-start energy in a slightly more narrative-driven package.

In our catalogue

Homebody: A Guide to Creating Spaces You Never Want to Leave

Joanna Gaines

Room-by-room guidance from a beloved TV decorator, matching The Inspired Room's accessible, personality-first approach — ideal for readers who want style rooted in how a family actually lives.

Fans of The Inspired Room by Melissa Michaels who want to go a step deeper into room-by-room decorating will feel right at home with Joanna Gaines's Homebody. Both books are built around a central belief: your home should reflect your life and personality, not a showroom catalog. Gaines walks readers through every space in the house, offering practical guidance on choosing a style direction, arranging furniture, and layering in personal details — all at a tone that feels personal rather than prescriptive. The photography is lush and aspirational but never out of reach. Where Michaels leans into the blog-to-book, everyday-homemaker voice, Gaines adds a slightly more structured style-quiz approach to help readers identify what they love. Anyone searching for books like The Inspired Room who also enjoy Fixer Upper's warm, farmhouse-inflected sensibility will find Homebody a satisfying companion read.

Not your thing?

In our catalogue

Cozy Minimalist Home: More Style, Less Stuff

Myquillyn Smith

If The Inspired Room felt too focused on accumulating décor, this book reframes decorating around subtraction — fewer, better things that make rooms feel calmer and more intentional.

Some readers pick up The Inspired Room by Melissa Michaels hoping for a more stripped-back approach — fewer things, more breathing room, less emphasis on layering and accessorizing. If that sounds like you, Myquillyn Smith's Cozy Minimalist Home is the remedy. Smith — who also wrote The Nesting Place — pivots here toward a leaner decorating philosophy: identify the few things that genuinely matter in a room and let go of the rest. The result is spaces that feel calm, curated, and surprisingly cozy rather than sparse. The tone stays warm and permission-giving, so it doesn't tip into cold minimalism, but the core message is about editing down rather than adding in. For readers who bounced from The Inspired Room because it felt like it encouraged too much stuff, Cozy Minimalist Home offers the same accessible, real-home ethos pointed in the opposite direction.