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The Happy Home

The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Home that Brings You Joy

Foreword by Joy Cho
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Hardcover
$22.95 US
7.73"W x 9"H x 0.67"D   | 20 oz | 24 per carton
On sale Apr 25, 2023 | 176 Pages | 9781632174611
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This lovely and inspirational guide, organized around six joyful qualities, will show you how to create a happier home, through prompts, quick fixes, afternoon projects, and mindful design and organization—The Happy Home is not just a title, it’s a promise.

Energize. Uplift. Comfort. Calm. Empower. Express. The road to happiness is paved with good emotions. In fact, a happy home is infused with these six actions and this cheerful book will help you create a space you love and that loves you back. Lovely Indeed creator Chelsea Foy offers up more than 50 creative ideas to engage all the senses to brighten your mood throughout your home. This book sits at the intersection of HGTV home improvements and design, thoughtful Marie Kondo practices, and a cheery color palette fans of the Home Edit will love.

Kicking off with a foreword by Joy Cho, creator of Oh Joy!, the book guides you through questions to consider so you can customize your home to your own mood-lifting needs, be it a calming bedroom, a chill den, or an energizing kitchen. Easy projects and ideas help you tweak the rooms of your house so they engage the senses in all the right ways.

Each chapter focuses on a feeling and includes:
  • Guided prompts: Questions to consider about what a happy space might look and feel like for you
  • Quick Tricks: Creative hacks and ideas to freshen up your space
  • Afternoon Projects: Doable projects and inspo for your home and décor to amp up the joy
  • Big Ideas: Step-by-step projects that you can complete in a day or weekend that are inexpensive but go a long way to creating a home tailored to your tastes and happiness needs  

    With this handy and cheery book, you'll quickly find ways to customize all the rooms in your house for maximum bliss.
"This book is a guide to instilling the joy into your home that we all need." —Joy Cho, founder of Oh Joy!

"This straightforward debut by Lovely Indeed blogger Foy shares ideas on how to brighten up living spaces. “Joy is found in the little moments surrounding us every day,” she writes, outlining mostly low-effort projects intended to inspire joy in the home."--Pubilshers Weekly
CHELSEA FOY is a maker and the founder of creative lifestyle blog Lovely Indeed, where she shares parenting ideas, family travel tips, and colorful DIY projects to inspire a lovely life. Her work focuses on finding joy in the everyday and encouraging others to easily do the same. Chelsea has been featured by Martha Stewart, Better Homes and Gardens, and HGTV, as well as in television appearances and at public speaking events. She resides in her beloved home state of California with her husband and two kids. See more of her work online at LovelyIndeed.com and on Instagram @lovelyindeed.
Joy is not difficult or expensive. It’s not exclusive or elusive. It’s everywhere, and there’s plenty to go around.

When I was a kid, my bedroom was in a constant state of flux. I used to have a habit of closing the door, telling my mom not to come in until lunchtime, and completely rearranging the room, furniture and all. My little ten-year-old muscles would push the desk across the room, place the dresser under a different window, pull down all of my posters and make new art, and arrange little vignettes of my favorite toys on the windowsill. And when it was just so, I would call in my mom and invite her to sit down and look at it all. To enjoy the new experience.
 
I remember her being generous with attentive comments (Ah! And why did you choose to put that there? How interesting. This area with your beanbag feels very cozy.) and ever patient as she would inevitably come in the next time to find another new arrangement. But I wasn’t rearranging things to impress her or anyone else. I loved the act of changing my room because it was a way that I could make my space feel completely new and unique. I had power over my little realm, and I could wield that power to make my room feel like me. It was an act of creativity, of expression, of empowerment, of self-care. And it felt good. It made me happy.
 
Now, as an adult who has lived in fourteen different homes, things aren’t that much different. I still find constant joy in creating a home that feels good. I have long believed that there is loveliness and joy in the world, accessible to us all, just waiting to be discovered or created. There’s nowhere more important to create that joy than in our homes—where we eat, sleep, raise our babies, nurture our relationships, and more. As the world shifts and we are utilizing our homes for work, play, and everything in between, I do my best to maximize the joy, beauty, and functionality of my home through projects and ideas that are not just beautiful but also useful and easy to create. I may not be a plucky ten-year-old anymore, rearranging furniture, but that instinct to create a happy nest is still within me. And these days when I invite people into my home, I’m met with questions like: “How did you make that?!” “How do you make it feel so cozy in here?” “Can you come over and tell me what to do in my house?”
 
The answer to that last one is tricky, and not just because designing someone else’s home actually sounds like my worst nightmare. The truth is, I wouldn’t ever presume to tell someone else how to decorate or organize their home because our spaces are such a unique reflection of our individuality. I would, however, help a friend explore and discover the things that she truly loved and valued and figure out how to infuse her home with those discoveries. And that’s what this book is all about.
 
It feels important to say that this isn’t a DIY book, nor is it a book about home decor or design. At its heart, this book will show you that you have the power in your own two hands, no matter your skill set, to create a home in which you absolutely thrive. Parts of it are a celebration of making and creativity, and how those things connect us to our homes and ourselves. Making something that you can use and enjoy in your home can be a great source of joy and pride; there is a magic in making that enhances a home and the people in it. Other parts of this book are an exploration of yourself and your relationship to your home, which is a partnership that’s often overlooked. I hope the ideas and prompts help you find a clear understanding of the things that matter to you and to the people who live in your space. And by the end, you’ll be armed with simple tricks and ideas to create the home you’ve always imagined for yourself.
 
Each chapter is designed to help you create and lean into a different feeling within your home. It doesn’t matter whether your home is a dorm room, a 350-square-foot apartment in a big city, or a sprawling farmhouse on a ranch—every space (and the rooms within it) holds a wide spectrum of feelings, from peaceful to empowering to uplifting and more. As you make your way through the chapters, take notice of the parts that resonate with you and your home. You’ll start to feel the stories that you want to tell in your space coming to the surface, ready to be told.
 
To be clear, this isn’t about running out to buy the newest home decor item that’s gracing the shelves at everybody’s favorite big-box store. It’s not about having the latest and greatest trend splashed on your walls, and it certainly isn’t about following a prescribed path to happiness in your home.
 
Nope. None of that. Creating a home that feels joyful is about deeper work. It’s about knowing yourself: what moves you, what comforts you, what uplifts you, and where you want to land at the end of a long day. It’s about knowing your home: how it supports you, how it challenges you, and where it needs you to love it. And it’s about putting in time together—you, your family, your friends, and your space. Then you’ll truly start to understand the ins and outs of why your home feels the way it does.
 
I believe that joy is found in the little moments surrounding us every day. This book has the power to guide you toward those moments of joy in your home and spin them into something beautiful. I also know that happiness is not only a state of mind but also a state of action. I hope these ideas help move you into that state of action, as you create your very own happy home.
Foreword by Joy Cho
 
Introduction: Happiness Begins at Home
 
Uplift. Fill your space with joy and good vibes.
 
Forage Bouquets
Stock Your Home Bar
Create a Prism Suncatcher
Craft Faux Floral Words
Set a Bedroom Mood
Weave a Wall Hanging
Color-Block Your Walls
 
Calm. Make your home a safe and peaceful haven.
 
Pretty Up and Label Your Bottles
Make Your Own Nontoxic Room Spray
Make an Upcycled Matchstick Holder
DIY Incense Holder
Effectively Clear Clutter
Create an Indoor Herb Garden

Energize. Create a space that energizes and refreshes.
 
Arrange a Harmonious and Welcoming Coffee Table
Mix Diffuser Recipes for Every Room and Mood
Assemble a Glass Jar Terrarium
Create a Conversation Jar
Draft a Patio-Cleaning Checklist
Garden in Pots
Create a Sunrise Doormat
 
Comfort. Bring out the cozy, comforting feeling of home.
 
Light Up Your Outdoor Space
Concoct Fresh + Fragrant Simmering Spices
Whip Up Easy Bathroom Curtains
Make a DIY Leather Key Basket
Boost Your Workspace Comfort and Productivity
Develop a Sleep Routine
Build a Work-from-Anywhere Lap Desk
 
Empower. Build a space that supports your needs.
 
Hack More Coat Closet Storage and Organization
Create a Kids' Room That Promotes Independence
Make Rope Baskets for Bathroom Storage
Dress Your Desk
Paint a Brick Fireplace
Refresh a Room with a Furniture Reorganization

Express. Make a space that showcases your uniqueness.
 
Upcycle Wall Art
Create Grid Photo Wallpaper for Your Cabinets
Style Your Bookshelf
Display Kids' Art
One Outdoor Space, Many Ways
Use Decals to Create Faux Wallpaper

Conclusion

Photos

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About

This lovely and inspirational guide, organized around six joyful qualities, will show you how to create a happier home, through prompts, quick fixes, afternoon projects, and mindful design and organization—The Happy Home is not just a title, it’s a promise.

Energize. Uplift. Comfort. Calm. Empower. Express. The road to happiness is paved with good emotions. In fact, a happy home is infused with these six actions and this cheerful book will help you create a space you love and that loves you back. Lovely Indeed creator Chelsea Foy offers up more than 50 creative ideas to engage all the senses to brighten your mood throughout your home. This book sits at the intersection of HGTV home improvements and design, thoughtful Marie Kondo practices, and a cheery color palette fans of the Home Edit will love.

Kicking off with a foreword by Joy Cho, creator of Oh Joy!, the book guides you through questions to consider so you can customize your home to your own mood-lifting needs, be it a calming bedroom, a chill den, or an energizing kitchen. Easy projects and ideas help you tweak the rooms of your house so they engage the senses in all the right ways.

Each chapter focuses on a feeling and includes:
  • Guided prompts: Questions to consider about what a happy space might look and feel like for you
  • Quick Tricks: Creative hacks and ideas to freshen up your space
  • Afternoon Projects: Doable projects and inspo for your home and décor to amp up the joy
  • Big Ideas: Step-by-step projects that you can complete in a day or weekend that are inexpensive but go a long way to creating a home tailored to your tastes and happiness needs  

    With this handy and cheery book, you'll quickly find ways to customize all the rooms in your house for maximum bliss.

Praise

"This book is a guide to instilling the joy into your home that we all need." —Joy Cho, founder of Oh Joy!

"This straightforward debut by Lovely Indeed blogger Foy shares ideas on how to brighten up living spaces. “Joy is found in the little moments surrounding us every day,” she writes, outlining mostly low-effort projects intended to inspire joy in the home."--Pubilshers Weekly

Author

CHELSEA FOY is a maker and the founder of creative lifestyle blog Lovely Indeed, where she shares parenting ideas, family travel tips, and colorful DIY projects to inspire a lovely life. Her work focuses on finding joy in the everyday and encouraging others to easily do the same. Chelsea has been featured by Martha Stewart, Better Homes and Gardens, and HGTV, as well as in television appearances and at public speaking events. She resides in her beloved home state of California with her husband and two kids. See more of her work online at LovelyIndeed.com and on Instagram @lovelyindeed.

Excerpt

Joy is not difficult or expensive. It’s not exclusive or elusive. It’s everywhere, and there’s plenty to go around.

When I was a kid, my bedroom was in a constant state of flux. I used to have a habit of closing the door, telling my mom not to come in until lunchtime, and completely rearranging the room, furniture and all. My little ten-year-old muscles would push the desk across the room, place the dresser under a different window, pull down all of my posters and make new art, and arrange little vignettes of my favorite toys on the windowsill. And when it was just so, I would call in my mom and invite her to sit down and look at it all. To enjoy the new experience.
 
I remember her being generous with attentive comments (Ah! And why did you choose to put that there? How interesting. This area with your beanbag feels very cozy.) and ever patient as she would inevitably come in the next time to find another new arrangement. But I wasn’t rearranging things to impress her or anyone else. I loved the act of changing my room because it was a way that I could make my space feel completely new and unique. I had power over my little realm, and I could wield that power to make my room feel like me. It was an act of creativity, of expression, of empowerment, of self-care. And it felt good. It made me happy.
 
Now, as an adult who has lived in fourteen different homes, things aren’t that much different. I still find constant joy in creating a home that feels good. I have long believed that there is loveliness and joy in the world, accessible to us all, just waiting to be discovered or created. There’s nowhere more important to create that joy than in our homes—where we eat, sleep, raise our babies, nurture our relationships, and more. As the world shifts and we are utilizing our homes for work, play, and everything in between, I do my best to maximize the joy, beauty, and functionality of my home through projects and ideas that are not just beautiful but also useful and easy to create. I may not be a plucky ten-year-old anymore, rearranging furniture, but that instinct to create a happy nest is still within me. And these days when I invite people into my home, I’m met with questions like: “How did you make that?!” “How do you make it feel so cozy in here?” “Can you come over and tell me what to do in my house?”
 
The answer to that last one is tricky, and not just because designing someone else’s home actually sounds like my worst nightmare. The truth is, I wouldn’t ever presume to tell someone else how to decorate or organize their home because our spaces are such a unique reflection of our individuality. I would, however, help a friend explore and discover the things that she truly loved and valued and figure out how to infuse her home with those discoveries. And that’s what this book is all about.
 
It feels important to say that this isn’t a DIY book, nor is it a book about home decor or design. At its heart, this book will show you that you have the power in your own two hands, no matter your skill set, to create a home in which you absolutely thrive. Parts of it are a celebration of making and creativity, and how those things connect us to our homes and ourselves. Making something that you can use and enjoy in your home can be a great source of joy and pride; there is a magic in making that enhances a home and the people in it. Other parts of this book are an exploration of yourself and your relationship to your home, which is a partnership that’s often overlooked. I hope the ideas and prompts help you find a clear understanding of the things that matter to you and to the people who live in your space. And by the end, you’ll be armed with simple tricks and ideas to create the home you’ve always imagined for yourself.
 
Each chapter is designed to help you create and lean into a different feeling within your home. It doesn’t matter whether your home is a dorm room, a 350-square-foot apartment in a big city, or a sprawling farmhouse on a ranch—every space (and the rooms within it) holds a wide spectrum of feelings, from peaceful to empowering to uplifting and more. As you make your way through the chapters, take notice of the parts that resonate with you and your home. You’ll start to feel the stories that you want to tell in your space coming to the surface, ready to be told.
 
To be clear, this isn’t about running out to buy the newest home decor item that’s gracing the shelves at everybody’s favorite big-box store. It’s not about having the latest and greatest trend splashed on your walls, and it certainly isn’t about following a prescribed path to happiness in your home.
 
Nope. None of that. Creating a home that feels joyful is about deeper work. It’s about knowing yourself: what moves you, what comforts you, what uplifts you, and where you want to land at the end of a long day. It’s about knowing your home: how it supports you, how it challenges you, and where it needs you to love it. And it’s about putting in time together—you, your family, your friends, and your space. Then you’ll truly start to understand the ins and outs of why your home feels the way it does.
 
I believe that joy is found in the little moments surrounding us every day. This book has the power to guide you toward those moments of joy in your home and spin them into something beautiful. I also know that happiness is not only a state of mind but also a state of action. I hope these ideas help move you into that state of action, as you create your very own happy home.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Joy Cho
 
Introduction: Happiness Begins at Home
 
Uplift. Fill your space with joy and good vibes.
 
Forage Bouquets
Stock Your Home Bar
Create a Prism Suncatcher
Craft Faux Floral Words
Set a Bedroom Mood
Weave a Wall Hanging
Color-Block Your Walls
 
Calm. Make your home a safe and peaceful haven.
 
Pretty Up and Label Your Bottles
Make Your Own Nontoxic Room Spray
Make an Upcycled Matchstick Holder
DIY Incense Holder
Effectively Clear Clutter
Create an Indoor Herb Garden

Energize. Create a space that energizes and refreshes.
 
Arrange a Harmonious and Welcoming Coffee Table
Mix Diffuser Recipes for Every Room and Mood
Assemble a Glass Jar Terrarium
Create a Conversation Jar
Draft a Patio-Cleaning Checklist
Garden in Pots
Create a Sunrise Doormat
 
Comfort. Bring out the cozy, comforting feeling of home.
 
Light Up Your Outdoor Space
Concoct Fresh + Fragrant Simmering Spices
Whip Up Easy Bathroom Curtains
Make a DIY Leather Key Basket
Boost Your Workspace Comfort and Productivity
Develop a Sleep Routine
Build a Work-from-Anywhere Lap Desk
 
Empower. Build a space that supports your needs.
 
Hack More Coat Closet Storage and Organization
Create a Kids' Room That Promotes Independence
Make Rope Baskets for Bathroom Storage
Dress Your Desk
Paint a Brick Fireplace
Refresh a Room with a Furniture Reorganization

Express. Make a space that showcases your uniqueness.
 
Upcycle Wall Art
Create Grid Photo Wallpaper for Your Cabinets
Style Your Bookshelf
Display Kids' Art
One Outdoor Space, Many Ways
Use Decals to Create Faux Wallpaper

Conclusion