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The Nesting Place by Myquillyn Smith Review: Practical, Imperfection-Embracing Home Decorating Guide
The Nesting Place by Myquillyn Smith (The Nester) is a full-color home decorating book built around a liberating premise: a home does not need to be perfect to be beautiful. Drawing on experience across thirteen different homes, Smith offers practical decorating advice aimed at real households — those filled with kids, pets, and the unavoidable messes of daily life — with a focus on taking creative risks without breaking the bank.
LuvemBooks Verdict
Best for
Readers decorating active, imperfect homes — renters, families with children and pets, or anyone who has felt excluded by the expense and perfectionism of mainstream home design content — who want encouraging, budget-conscious guidance grounded in real-life experience.
Worth it if
The book is worth seeking out if you need permission and practical encouragement to embrace your home as it actually is, rather than as you wish it could be, and respond well to a warm, motivational voice over technical instruction.
Skip if
Skip it if you are already confident taking creative risks and are looking primarily for granular, technique-heavy decorating instruction, or if you prefer home design content with no faith-adjacent framing (the book is published by Zondervan, a Christian imprint).
What readers & critics say
Amoena.com describes Smith as "a current day self-help guru when it comes to embracing reality," noting the book may change how perfectionists approach not just decorating but their feelings about perfection in general. Barnes & Noble's listing carries an endorsement from Sherry Petersik, bestselling co-author of Young House Love, calling the book "full of approachable ideas, encouragement, and a whole lot of heart."
Sources: Amoena, Barnes & Noble4.6from 1,791 Amazon ratings— reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score
In This Review
- What Works & What Doesn't
- What the Book Is and What It Argues
- The Central Philosophy: Decorating for Real Life
- Strengths: Accessibility and Real-World Scope
- Who This Book Is Designed For
- Genuine Limitations to Consider
What Works & What Doesn't
What Works
- Grounded in Smith's experience across thirteen different homes, offering broad real-world context for her decorating advice
- Explicitly designed for households with children and pets — decorating for real life, not idealized spaces
- Budget-conscious approach frames creative risk-taking as accessible, not expensive
- Sherry Petersik, bestselling co-author of Young House Love, describes it as full of approachable ideas, encouragement, and heart
- Presented as a full-color photo book, supporting its visual decorating guidance
What Doesn't
- The motivational, permission-giving tone is sustained throughout, which readers already confident in taking creative risks may find repetitive
- Published by Zondervan, a Christian imprint — readers who prefer decorating content without faith-adjacent framing should factor that into their decision
A home decorating book grounded not in aspirational perfection but in the lived reality of imperfect spaces and real budgets — that is the distinctive promise of The Nesting Place.
What the Book Is and What It Argues
Chapter opening spread showing styled interior room with furniture and decor, introducing "Behind the Pretty Pictures" section.
The Nesting Place is a home decorating book by Myquillyn Smith, known to her online audience as The Nester and also the author of Cozy Minimalist Home. Its central argument is stated plainly in the subtitle: it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful. Smith positions this not as a consolation but as a genuine decorating philosophy, one she developed across thirteen different homes she has lived in and worked with over the years. The book is designed to help readers think differently about the true purpose of their home — not as a showpiece calibrated to impress guests, but as a living space shaped to reflect the people who actually inhabit it. Published by Zondervan and presented as a four-color book filled with photos, it packages that philosophy alongside practical guidance on arranging, decorating, and cultivating a welcoming home on realistic terms.
The Central Philosophy: Decorating for Real Life
The organizing idea behind Smith's approach is that decorating well has nothing to do with achieving a flawless look and everything to do with making peace with natural imperfection. This is an explicit departure from the perfectionism that dominates much of the home design genre. Smith draws directly on her own experience — she and her husband raised three boys in a North Carolina fixer-upper — to ground her advice in households that are genuinely lived in rather than staged. The book is structured around practical steps and easy tips designed to give readers what Smith describes as the courage to take creative risks and tailor their spaces to their own unique style, without stress over comparisons to idealized interiors. Sherry Petersik, home blogger and bestselling co-author of Young House Love, has described the book as "full of approachable ideas, encouragement, and a whole lot of heart."
Interior spread featuring vintage candlesticks and fabric, illustrating imperfect home styling for practical decorating guidance.
Strengths: Accessibility and Real-World Scope
Several dimensions of the book work in its favor as a practical resource. Smith's experience spans thirteen homes, which gives the decorating advice a breadth of context that single-home accounts cannot match — readers encountering rental limitations, awkward layouts, or tight budgets will find that range relevant. The book is designed as a four-color volume with photographs, supporting the visual nature of decorating guidance. Its tips are framed as simple, creative, and budget-conscious, with an explicit emphasis on not breaking the bank. For an audience that has felt shut out of traditional home design content by its expense or its perfectionism, the book's low-barrier framing is a genuine differentiator rather than a marketing claim.
Who This Book Is Designed For
The book is explicitly aimed at people decorating homes that are actively in use — families with children and pets, those working in fixer-uppers or rental spaces, and anyone who has felt that conventional home design content is not made for their circumstances. Smith's background as a popular blogger shapes the tone, which sources consistently describe as encouraging and approachable. Readers drawn to warm, motivational guidance rather than austere or technical design instruction are the natural audience here. Those seeking high-concept architectural analysis or design-school rigor will find the book's stated purpose points in a different direction — it is written for the everyday decorator, not the design professional.
Genuine Limitations to Consider
The book's greatest strength — its accessible, encouragement-first voice — is also the source of its most noted limitation. Readers who come primarily for concrete, highly specific decorating techniques may find that the philosophical and motivational framing takes up considerable space relative to granular how-to instruction. The emphasis on imperfection and permission-giving is consistent throughout, but for readers already comfortable with creative risk-taking, that repeated message may feel less necessary. Additionally, while the book is published by Zondervan — a Christian publishing imprint — readers who prefer decorating content without any faith-adjacent framing should be aware of that context before purchasing, as it shapes the book's broader outlook on home and life.
Frequently Asked Questions
is The Nesting Place: It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful by Myquillyn Smith worth reading
If you've ever felt shut out of traditional home design content because of its expense or perfectionism, this book is genuinely worth your time. The reviewer notes that its low-barrier, encouragement-first framing is a real differentiator — not just a marketing claim — and Sherry Petersik of Young House Love describes it as 'full of approachable ideas, encouragement, and a whole lot of heart.' That said, if you're already comfortable taking creative risks and want dense how-to instruction, the motivational framing may feel repetitive.
what is The Nesting Place: It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful by Myquillyn Smith actually about
It's a full-color home decorating book built around the philosophy that a home doesn't need to be perfect to be beautiful — which Smith positions not as a consolation prize but as a genuine design principle. She draws on living in thirteen different homes to offer practical, budget-conscious advice aimed at real households filled with kids, pets, and everyday mess, rather than staged showpieces. The goal is to help readers shape their spaces around the people who actually live in them, not around idealized interiors.
is The Nesting Place: It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful by Myquillyn Smith good for renters or people with fixer-uppers
Yes — the reviewer specifically calls out rental limitations, awkward layouts, and tight budgets as scenarios where Smith's advice is directly relevant. The breadth of thirteen homes gives the book a range of context that single-home decorating guides can't match, and the tips are explicitly framed as budget-conscious and low-stress. Smith herself decorated a North Carolina fixer-upper while raising three boys, so the advice comes from lived experience rather than aspirational circumstances.
does The Nesting Place: It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful by Myquillyn Smith have actual decorating tips or is it all motivation
It's a mix of both, and that balance is also the book's main caveat. The reviewer notes that practical steps and easy tips are present, but readers looking primarily for concrete, highly specific techniques may find that the philosophical and permission-giving framing takes up considerable space relative to granular how-to instruction. If the encouragement-first voice is what you need, that's a strength; if you want a step-by-step technical guide, you may want to supplement it with something else.
is The Nesting Place: It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful by Myquillyn Smith religious or does it have Christian content
It's worth knowing that the book is published by Zondervan, a Christian publishing imprint, and the reviewer flags that this shapes the book's broader outlook on home and life. The faith-adjacent framing isn't the book's primary focus, but readers who prefer decorating content without any religious context should be aware of it before purchasing. If that's a concern, the reviewer recommends factoring it into your decision.
is The Nesting Place: It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful by Myquillyn Smith similar to Young House Love
There's a natural connection — Sherry Petersik, the bestselling co-author of Young House Love, is quoted praising The Nesting Place directly. Both books share an approachable, blogger-rooted tone aimed at everyday decorators rather than design professionals. The key difference is that Smith's book centers heavily on a philosophy of imperfection and creative permission-giving, while Young House Love is more project-driven; if you loved the warm voice of Young House Love, you'll likely find Smith's tone familiar and appealing.
what should i read after The Nesting Place: It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful by Myquillyn Smith
The most natural next read from the same author is Cozy Minimalist Home, also by Myquillyn Smith, which the reviewer mentions as her other book — it builds on a similar approachable, real-life decorating philosophy. If you're looking to branch out, the reviewer's mention of Sherry Petersik and Young House Love points to that book as a comparable entry in the warm, DIY-friendly home decorating genre. Both options suit readers who want encouraging, practical guidance over high-concept architectural analysis.
Sources & Further Reading
The key facts and claims in this review are grounded in the retrieved, verified sources listed below.
- Cited in this review
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- Further reading
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