Close to home: 8-step decorating

Don't know where to start a decorating project?

Holly Becker comes to the rescue with her workbook "Decorate Workshop: Design and Style Your Space in 8 Creative Steps."

Becker, founder of the blog Decor8, leads readers through eight decorating steps, from finding inspiration to finishing the room. Her book is both a journey of self-discovery and a practical guide to identifying problems with a room, exploring possibilities and finding solutions.

The book is generously illustrated with photos of homes that reflect a fresh, fun style.

"Decorate Workshop" is published by Chronicle Books and sells for $27.50 in softcover.

AKRON BEACON JOURNAL

Accessibility can be beautiful Architect Deborah Pierce doesn't design homes for disabled people. She designs homes for people who like to entertain, who love the outdoors, who enjoy hobbies and pets and grandkids -- and who have disabilities.

The book covers the many considerations in creating a home for an occupant or visitor with a disability, from how wide to make the doorways to where to put the food processor. Pierce coaches her readers to address those details thoughtfully, so the resulting house looks like a home, not an institution.

The book features 25 homes that exemplify her principles, including some that were newly built and some that were renovated. All share Pierce's belief that a home should be sunny, comfortable, intimate and yet generous enough to accommodate others.

"The Accessible Home" is published by the Taunton Press and sells for $27.95 in softcover.