I had the pleasure of reviewing the funniest home decorating book I've ever seen. House of Havoc
by Marni Jameson is a collection of humorous but helpful essays dealing with specific home decor challenges, especially for pet owners and parents. Marni's first book, The House Always Wins
, dealt specifically with helping readers create a beautiful home without spending a fortune and this one helps us do it all in spite of "cheap spouses, messy kids and other difficult room mates."Basically, we can't get rid of messy spouses, kids or pets, so we need some super-creative ways to manage the amount of impact they make, in order to save our own sanity. She has an entire chapter devoted to cheap decorating, with ten instant, inexpensive ways to spruce up the house without spending a bunch of money.
I also liked the chapter on cleaning. "House Hygiene," she calls it. She offers up some compelling reasons why you might really deserve a housekeeper and even has a chapter on helping you make environmentally friendly decisions, even when you're not the eco-chick type.
Gotta love a writer who actually teaches you how to make drapes with a glue gun instead of making fun of you for thinking of it. Finally, she tell you exactly what fabrics to look for when you're trying to camouflage pet hair and kid's stains.
The House Always Wins: America’s Most Trusted Home Columnist’s Guide to Creating Your (Almost) Perfect Dream House
I received a promotional copy of the book. This review reflects my actual response to the content of the book.
