If you dream of decorating (or redecorating) your home but have no idea where to begin, this decorating workshop-in-a-book decodes an interior designer’s thought process on creating a stylish home with vision and flow.

The secret to those gorgeous interiors in the magazines lies not in the things that fill the rooms, but in the decorating story or point of view that the designer has applied to the space. With How to Decorate, learn how to create your own design concept and implement it with color, furniture, fabrics, lighting, accessorizing, and styling. This book also helps solve a decorator’s biggest challenges, from working around a home’s existing architecture and organizing a space, to mixing patterns and editing collections.

Best of all, 150 color photographs and charming watercolor illustrations–and even a bookplate for personalizing this guide–provide inspiration that makes this book as useful as it is beautiful.

Among the insider tips is information on: -Finding a dedicated space where you can organize paint samples, fabric swatches, and magazine clippings -Choosing a sofa wisely -Determining appropriate wall finishes and textures -Identifying what fabrics are right for you -Styling your decor to reinvigorate your space -Plus, the best suppliers for rugs, linens, accessories, and more

Interior design should be about telling a personal story, and Shannon Fricke has nailed it on the head with How to Decorate. Her genius tips ring true for novice and professional decorators alike, and her decorating workshop-in-a-book organization helps simplify what can be a very intimidating process. This book will empower and motivate you to tell your personal story through your home decor. Bravo, Shannon! –Jenny Komenda, designer and founder of Little Green Notebook

How to Decorate throws out stuffy notions of doing things the ‘right’ way and instead invites us to imagine our homes as playgrounds for authentic self-expression. Fricke promotes the idea of decorating at its best, as a means of creating surroundings that reflect who we really are and what we love … while having a blast in the process! –Camille Styles, event designer and editor of CamilleStyles.com

Shannon strikes the elusive balance between visual inspiration and practicable action. This is a book you’ll both display and put to constant use. –Anne Sage, blogger and founder of The City Sage