How a New Decorating Book Teaches the Lived-In Look — and What One Restored Catskills House Reveals

# What the book promises

Nassauer collects houses that look like people actually live in them — not staged showrooms. The photography (Edmund Barr and John Bessler © CICO Books 2023) supports the point: rooms feel used, layered, and hospitable. The book's examples range across styles, but the emphasis is constant: comfort + character over perfect coordination.

# A close look at one house: American Idyll

Their approach mixes restoration of structure with a secondhand aesthetic. They reopened the main staircase to improve natural light and used photographs of the house's original condition in a staircase gallery wall. Furnishings include slipcovered sofas in plain and ticking stripes, vintage artifacts, and a campaign desk beneath three small corgi paintings the homeowner found at a Salvation Army store.

# Specific details that shape the lived-in look

Texture is a recurring tool across the rooms described: whitewashed paneled walls, rough-planked floors, soft window curtains, and plants in sunlit bathrooms. Architectural quirks are embraced rather than erased: built-in window coves, a step-up leading to a closet, and wood trim in the vintage bathroom add character and small surprises.

Decor choices are personal and sourced rather than showroom-driven. Examples in American Idyll include:

• Gallery photos of the house's original condition on the stair wall
• Slipcovers in mixed fabrics on a plush sofa
• Thrifted corgi paintings above a campaign desk
• An oversized bee print in the dining room that was originally made for a local speakeasy

Upstairs, collections are displayed casually: rug beaters along a hallway and miniature artwork on the opposite wall. These kinds of small-group vignettes make rooms read as collected over time instead of bought all at once.

# Why this matters for everyday decorating

# Where to look next

The book contains more houses that follow the same feel-good, lived-in rules and is available to order (Amazon is mentioned in the original post). Ki Nassauer has more information on her website. For visuals and concrete examples, the book's professional photography documents how these choices read across whole rooms and entire houses.