• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Partner with Taryn

Taryn Whiteaker Designs

DIY and Interior Blog

  • Our Dallas Home Tour
  • Shop My Pics
  • Home Styling
    • Room Reveals
      • Our Current Home
      • Our First Home
    • Seasonal Home Tours
  • DIY Projects
    • DIY Home Decor
    • Crafts & Sewing
    • Before and Afters
    • Before and Afters
    • Furniture Builds and Makeovers
  • Seasonal Decor
    • Christmas
    • Easter
    • Fall
    • Fourth of July
    • Halloween
    • Spring
    • Valentine’s Day
  • Printables
  • Entertaining
    • Parties
    • Tablescapes
  • Fashion
  • Travel

February 4, 2017

Decorating and DIY Book Recommendations

It’s time for another Saturday shopping guide! I constantly get questions and comments from friends and readers that go something like this, “I wish I knew how to decorate!”, ” I know what I like, but I can’t put it all together”, “I have NO idea what my style is!”. Do you find yourself saying any of these things? Today, I’m sharing some of my decorating and DIY book recommendations. If you don’t know where to start, order one of these!

Decorating and DIY Book Recommendations

One of the things I love most about blogging and this online community are the amazing people it has put me in touch with. I started blogging over 5 years ago and during that time I have developed amazing friendships with incredibly talented people who I feel so honored to know. It has been such a fun journey to see people I started chatting with YEARS ago become published authors, famous in the home & garden niche and start their own businesses. Seeing people you know achieve their dreams is so inspiring.

All of these books have been written by incredibly talented bloggers who have practical home decor and DIY tips. I love all of these books so much because they are personal and very relatable. Hope you enjoy. 

  1. Touch of Farmhouse Charm by Liz Fourez of Love Grows Wild– Liz does an incredible job documenting the journey of decorating their farmhouse. She provides great insight into how to give your home a farmhouse style through beautiful pictures and detailed tutorials. Whether you are a DIY newbie or seasoned with the saw, Liz has so many creative and new ideas to try. If you love farmhouse style, you will love this book!
  2. Natural Accents by Stacy Risenmay of Not Just a Housewife– Bringing the outdoors in, is one of the ways I decorate my own home so naturally I just adore Stacy’s book. See how Stacy transforms greenery, wood, rocks, feathers, just about anything else you can find outside, into gorgeous home decor for your home. She shares hundreds of ideas, never seen before on her blog, and will inspire you to think outside the box.

3. Cozy & Beautiful by Shannon Acheson of AKA Design – I love Shannon’s approach to decorating. Cozy can be beautiful! She takes you through a series of steps to help you learn how to decorate YOUR home and she gives you tons of resources to do it. If you consider yourself a ‘non-decorator’ check out this book! Shannon has so many nuggets of advice that anyone can put to use.

4. Don’t Wait, Decorate by Chelsea Coulston of Making Home Base Blog – How many of you have found yourself in a situation where you hear yourself saying ” When we move into our dream home, then I’ll decorate” or ” I can’t do what I want to this house because we are just renting”. Chelsea shares her own personal stories and awesome tips on how to find your style and why you shouldn’t wait to decorate, no matter your living situation.

5. How To Find Your Style by Shayna Orrino of Woodgrain Cottage Blog – Do you feel completely overwhelmed at the thought of decorating your home, because ultimately you just don’t know where you start? If you struggle with finding your own personal style, Shayna helps you do just that! Through a series of detailed chapters on how to gather inspiration, how to tell your own personal story through family heirlooms and tried and true tips and tricks that will make a huge improvement when decorating any space. Fall in love with your home with her great advice.

6. Life in Season by Heather Patterson and Vanessa Hunt  of At The Picket Fence Blog– If you follow the At ThePicket Fence Facebook Page you know how talented Vanessa and Heather are at putting their thoughts into beautiful stories that touch your heart. These two sisters are two of my favorites, they are sweet, genuine and are so inspiring. Not only do they provide encouraging and thought provoking words, but they also share beautiful DIY projects and crafts.

 

 

 

About Taryn Whiteaker

Hi! I’m Taryn! The voice behind Taryn Whiteaker Designs. I launched this brand over 11 years ago when I became a stay-at-home mom. What started as a small craft and mom blog eventually grew into a full time design and DIY site. My goal has always been to inspire others (especially women!) with design ideas, DIY tutorials, entertaining ideas and give you the tools you need to complete them yourself!

Filed Under: ALL POSTS, Shopping Guides

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Emily says

    February 6, 2017 at 8:41 pm

    So many great titles and beautiful books! I added a few of these on my Amazon wishlist! Thanks for linking up with Merry Monday this week.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Looking For Something?

CONNECT

Meet Taryn

Taryn Whiteaker

Hi and welcome! I'm Taryn and the voice of style behind Taryn Whiteaker Designs. Sharing our journey of modernizing our European style home in Dallas. Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to subscribe to my mailing list to get all the latest updates! Read more...

Footer

THIS SITE

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Partner with Taryn

Privacy Policy

If you are interested in learning more about data that might be collected by this site you are encouraged to read the Privacy Policy

COPYRIGHT POLICY

All images on this site are copyright of Design, Dining and Diapers, LLC. Unless otherwise noted. You may not use these images without written permission. If you would like to feature a project shown on Design, Dining and Diapers you may use a maximum of 2 images and include a visible link back to the project.

More From The Gram

tarynwhiteaker_designs

Taryn Whiteaker Designs
The biggest project we’ve done yet! I still have The biggest project we’ve done yet! I still have two more projects left to do in here to add some more warmth and texture, but the changes made so far are 🙌🏻. Classic, elegant, timeless and feels so fresh. 

So far: 
Replaced railings with custom ones
New carpet runners
Installed Gold Stair Rods 
Swapped out the chandelier for a statement piece 
Had the walls skim coated to level 5 finish and painted!

Sharing more details on the blog! Click the link in my bio. 

#houserenovations #interiordesigns #neutralhomedecor #staircases #renovation
Help me pick a chandelier for our back stairwell! Help me pick a chandelier for our back stairwell! The very last one was my initial pick, but now y’all have me questioning a few others after my stories today…

Comment SHOP if you want links to any of them! 

#interiordesign #homedecor #neutralhome
Comment STAIRS for the links to the gold stair rod Comment STAIRS for the links to the gold stair rods I used! $600 vs. $4000 is a huge difference for two staircases! Love the elevated, timeless look. They add such an elegance. ✨ #homedecor #diy #diyhomedecor #lookforless #interiordesign
No regrets. One of the best decisions we made in 2 No regrets. One of the best decisions we made in 2025. 🐶🐾 was I prepared for the sleepless nights? No. Do I have to vacuum every day now? Yes. But she the perfect fit. They are so cute together 🥺

#puppystagram #goldenretrieverworld #goldenretrieverlovers #dogmom #puppy
Comment TRIP for all the details on our family tri Comment TRIP for all the details on our family trip to @bigcedarlodge in Missouri and my complete travel guide. This was just a 6 hour drive from Dallas and the perfect way to end our holiday break. Winter in the Ozarks completely exceeded our expectations, there is SO much to do and now we just want to com back in the summer and experience every season.

Highlights include:

⛸️ice skating and tubing 
🔥outdoor fires and inside ones too!
🚤peddle boating on the lake 
🍮coffee and treats at Truman Cafe 
⛳️Nature at Night Golf Cart Adventure 
🎯Games at Fun Mountain
🌊Swimming Under The Stars ✨ 
🌾Finley Farms and Mill Tour 

If you are a nature loving family, or just want to experience a family friendly resort on the lake, you must add this to your list! 

#bigcedarlodge #topoftherock #finleyfarms #ozarks familytravel 

(Hosted)
The Most Popular Home Items I shared in 2025! Comm The Most Popular Home Items I shared in 2025! Comment LINKS to shop! A combination of affordable finds for a luxe look and investment pieces that will last for decades. 

#neutralhomedecor #homedecorideas #myhomedecor #decorating
Comment INFO for all the details on the big DIY pr Comment INFO for all the details on the big DIY projects from 2025! A fun bold teen bedroom with gaming station and hidden door, a mudroom makeover to keep us organized, the big staircase renovation (more to come), and some small styling projects that are always making our home feel a little more cozy. 2026 is already looking to be a big year with even more DIY renovations….

#diyhomedecor #homedecor #homedesign #diyprojects
Comment SHOP for all the top selling Amazon finds Comment SHOP for all the top selling Amazon finds from 2025!  It’s always the random finds that are my favorite! #amazonfinds #amazonhome
It’s that magical time of the year…. Savoring It’s that magical time of the year…. Savoring this week. ❤️

#christmastreedecorating #christmas
Follow on Instagram

Copyright© 2026 · Brunch Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Hosting by 3116 Digital