We’re excited to announce that our book is finally arriving this November—officially due on the 6th, though release dates can vary by retailer. After more than three years of work, this project feels like a long, labor-of-love pregnancy. Deep breaths, anyone?
It’s been a long haul—over three years in the making—but the wait is almost over. For those asking about pre-orders, you can pre-order from the retailers shown below or through your local bookstore, which can also place a pre-order for you. Pre-orders often come with discounts, they help authors and publishers, and sometimes they even arrive before the official release date.
One year ago John posted a memorable Facebook status that captures how long and winding this process has felt (that’s Jamie you may recognize from earlier posts).
Today we’re holding a 336-page mockup filled with hundreds of home-improvement and decorating ideas—and we’re sending it to the printer this week. This book isn’t a high-end decorating tome full of designer jargon. It’s a practical, approachable idea book for people like us: doable, affordable projects and creative ideas you can adapt to your own space. Some projects are simple and free; others are more involved or worth saving up for. In short, it’s the blog—but redesigned for print: 243 fresh ideas with photos, checklists, tutorials, illustrations, sidebars, and our usual sense of humor.
We also included more than 200 photos and over 100 original illustrations that haven’t appeared on the blog. Nothing is simply copied from old posts—no cutting and pasting here. While some fundamentals like how to paint furniture or upholster a headboard are included, we reimagined these projects and added new makeovers and original takes to make the book feel fresh and surprising.
We remember every phase of this journey: signing with an agent before Clara was born, writing a 100-page proposal in 2010, pitching to publishers after our move in 2011, turning the proposal into a manuscript around New Year’s, three weeks of shooting in our home this past February, then rounds of refining and proofreading—over and over—until the layout was finalized. Finally sending everything to press felt like a huge milestone.
Was it a whirlwind? Absolutely. Fun? Definitely. Exhausting? You bet. Surreal? Yes—but in the best way. Seeing the final layouts and triple-checking for embarrassing typos (don’t worry, professional proofreaders helped) made us proud—not because we’re famous, but because we surprised ourselves by carrying this project through. We kept pushing to add ideas and features, worried we’d bitten off more than we could handle, and yet it all came together. We wrote the book we wanted to write, and soon we’ll actually hold it. Expect tears—the good kind.
Two things surprised us most about the publishing process: how little the publisher changed the interior (the content) and how involved they were with the exterior (the cover). We expected heavy edits, but aside from grammar and small tweaks, the voice and tone stayed true to the blog. The publisher trusted us to be ourselves—and we’re grateful for that creative freedom.
When it came to the cover, we learned that authors typically provide feedback while the publisher makes the final call. Fortunately our editors were collaborative and supportive. During the photo shoot we shot several cover concepts. One idea we tried hard to avoid was featuring ourselves on the cover—we didn’t want the book to look stiff or overly posed. After shooting awkward sofa poses (yes, those photos exist), the team ultimately moved away from that direction. Later a new designer proposed a fresh concept that included our faces but in a small, playful way, and to our surprise we liked the vibe: mixed typefaces, wood letters, a stitched spine detail, and a paint can forming the “O”—all playful, homey, and full of personality.
We offered feedback—color tweaks for the spine, suggestions to add house keys dangling from a letter, and thoughts about typeface weight—and the design team embraced those ideas. They even handcrafted wooden letters in the chosen typeface and photographed them for realistic shadows and depth. We joked about trying to remove ourselves from the cover, but the publisher wanted a personal touch, and in the end the design struck the right balance between playful and polished.
Some editorial decisions helped shape the final book: a few tips were converted to bonus tips to keep the page count—and the price—reasonable. We landed on 243 tips, a number that has special meaning to us. The subtitle was refined after focus-group feedback. Below is the final mocked-up 3D cover.
The design feels clean but playful, not childish—just the right mix of bold wood letters and softer script accents, with pops of color and a stitched spine that feels handmade and cozy. The back cover celebrates subtle details from our site’s heart pattern woven into colored boxes.
We love how the teal spine will look on a coffee table or tucked between other decorating books. It’s designed to feel at home on a shelf or tabletop.
We intentionally didn’t mimic our blog header for the cover: we didn’t want the book to read like a direct repackaging of blog posts, and we wanted it to stand the test of time beyond our current site design. Working with a professional book designer opened our eyes to design choices we never would have considered on our own.
We did try to avoid being on the cover, even joking about it in earlier posts, but the final design places us small and playful rather than posed and stiff. That portrait wasn’t shot solely for the cover—it was one of many images taken during the project shoot, used where it fit best. Fun editing details include a playful “Frankensteined” drill arm on John’s portrait, created by combining a drill from another photo—a tiny behind-the-scenes magic trick we loved.
While our daughter Clara and our dog Burger appear throughout the book, the cover focuses on the home angle to make sure the book reads clearly as a decorating and idea book. Inside, Burger steals the show in hilarious, voice-of-the-house cameo moments, and Clara joins in on a few projects too.
Ultimately the book represents us—our voice, sense of humor, and approachable DIY sensibility. We’ll share more behind-the-scenes stories, a video with sneak peeks, and dates and cities for our book tour as those details are finalized. For now: the book is real, it’s coming soon, and we couldn’t have done it without your encouragement and support. Thank you.
Psst — we’ve shared earlier updates about the book process and announcements on our site, and we’ll keep the book landing page updated with more information, including tour dates and additional behind-the-scenes content.