“I have always imaged that Paradise would be some kind of a library.” Jorge Louis Borges

As I sat down to plan my blogging schedule for this week, I realized that as much as I’d like to close the door on 2020 and throw away the key, there have been several highs this past year worth mentioning, despite the overwhelmingly great number of lows. Some of these positives include a greater sense of community and a renewed appreciation for all that’s good in our relationships, but also a heightened interest in making our homes more comfortable, and more appealing. Other highs are maybe less obvious and more personal, but to some of us still important. I’m talking about books and more time to read, and design books in particular. The need to escape in a world that isn’t our own, to be transported and inspired, has never been more present and remains so still, despite there being much hope for the future.

So if you don’t mind, I’d like to look back  with you at some of the best-selling design books of last year and ask your opinion on which ones were your favorite, and what gems have you discovered this past year that haven’t necessarily made it to this list. I’ve looked at Amazon’s Top 100 bestsellers in interior design and decoration and was surprised at how few of the titles I loved were actually on that list. Here is the intersection – Amazon’s Top 100 with Café Design’s preferred ones – in no particular order. (Click on the titles to find out more.) Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love and Baking Biscuits, by Reese Whiterspoon

Happy Friday! Hope your week was a good one so far. Things have been very busy at our house over the last few days, but the good kind of busy. The kind that gets you pumped, off the couch and accomplishing things. We’ve made good progress with our backyard, which I’m super excited about, although I still haven’t gotten around to painting our basement. I don’t know why but every time I want to pick up the paint brush something else comes up :). (The walls are done but I still have to paint half of the stairs and three pairs of bifold closet doors.) Anyway, I guess I have to keep chipping away at it until it’s done.

Happy Monday! Hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving break! Thank you all so much for your kind messages after sharing our Thanksgiving table. You made me very happy! We spent the last couple of days relaxing and taking a break from it all and, with the weather on our side, we did some major headway with our backyard makeover. (I’ll share more about it, and our plans, soon.) In the meantime, there is something else I wanted to talk to you about. You may have noticed that lately there have been some changes here on the blog and I am very excited to share with you the launch of Café Design Shop. 

Café Design is now a reader-supported blog. When you make a purchase using our links, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. You can read our full disclosure here. Thank you for your support! 

Seasonal decorating can do wonders for our homes, making us fall in love with our rooms once again. A house is very much like a living thing; it needs to stay fresh and interesting but also be warm and inviting throughout the seasons. That being said, there are a few tried-and-true ways to infuse warmth into our décor during the colder months, and I thought we can talk about some of them in today’s post.

Café Design is now a reader-supported blog. When you make a purchase using our links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. You can read our full disclosure here. Thanks for your support! 

Nothing majorly exciting happened since the last time I shared a glimpse into our projects, except that our family room renovation has been delayed indefinitely due to our contractor pulling a disappearing act that would make David Copperfield jealous. If it weren’t for this pandemic I think I might have stressed about it more, but considering the year we’ve all had, it’s really helped put things in perspective. He’ll show up eventually, and the room will be done, and never again after that.