Books to Make Apartment Living More Joyful

by Bobby Berk with Jamie Park

Offering a wealth of advice and tried-and-true tips for setting up your space so it takes care of you, the design expert and Emmy-nominated host of Netflix’s Queer Eye shows us how good design can aid mental wellness and helps us achieve a new sense of happiness within the home. 

by LaTonya Yvette

Grappling with the state of the world over the last few years—the global pandemic, climate change, threats to women’s rights, constant racial violence—LaTonya Yvette began to contemplate the concept of home. What does it mean to cultivate safety when it is constantly under threat? How can we nurture joy and peace within the spaces where we spend most of our precious time? Yvette explores these kinds of questions as she takes readers through the journey of her own rediscovery of home.

by Michelle Ogundehin

Whether your home is owned or rented, small or large, and regardless of how much money you have, Happy Inside shows you how to harness its potential in pursuit of becoming your best self. If you want to feel calm, content, soothed or energized, you must begin with what surrounds you.

by Emma Blomfield

Interior decorator Emma Blomfield shares her tips on how to style and maintain every room in your house to achieve a state of meaningful living, and to decorate and connect with guests through beautiful events. This is your guide to creating the life that you want in the space that you have, no matter where that may be.

by Emily Grosvenor

Many of us have decluttered, home-edited our pantries, tried minimalism, made our homes hygge, and chosen things that 'sparked joy.' Now it's time to shape our homes to reflect who we want to be and our purpose, to make every room align with the behaviors we want to create. This is for readers who are recognizing that our homes have become more than places to rest: they are places for mystery, self-discovery, and empowerment.

by Katherine Ormerod

Katherine Ormerod has curated a range of projects for every room in a rented house or apartment, guiding you through techniques and invaluable insights that will help create spaces tailored to your taste. Katherine addresses why many of us are renting now for much longer, and provides reassuring guidance on how to approach alterations with your landlord.

by Anna Ottum with Chloe Lieske

Reflecting on how urbanites live today, this ultimate guide to moving out on your own features hundreds of photographs of people living in just about any kind of situation, smart design tips, room-by-room checklists, interviews with renters and much more.

by Beau Ciolino and Matt Armato

In Probably This Housewarming, learn how to live your best, fullest, most beautiful life while dealing with all of the limitations that come with renting, working 40 hours—or more—a week, and having little-to-no disposable income. This fun, accessible guide, organized into three sections—Design, DIY, and Entertain—will help transform your house (or apartment) into a home.

by Tastemade

This easy-to-follow DIY book for transforming your home one weekend at a time provides inspiration for small tweaks that require no tools, such as making a mood board to direct your vision, styling your entryway or being a good plant parent. 

by Sara Emslie

Small Space Style is an inspiring guide to making the most of even the tiniest home. Sara Emslie embraces the positive aspects of living in a compact home and explores design and style solutions to the practical issues of living with limited space. 

by Patric Richardson with Karin B. Miller

Complete with fun-to-clean-to playlists, charming recipes, and even step-by-step instructions for cleaning every type of room, House Love brightens up life’s most common chores. With this book, you’ll learn new and novel ways to transform your home, and Patric’s entertaining stories, good humor, and genuine warmth will guide you every step of the way.

by Dana White

The author shows us how to make great organizing strides with minimal effort through 100 organizing tips and bite-sized workable solutions to break through every organizational struggle you have—for good.

by Tracy McCubbin

A cluttered space isn't just inconvenient—it's hard to lead a joyful, purposeful life when the things around you detract from your relationships, habits, and goals. This book examines the acquisition cycles that keep our homes overcrowded and distract us from going after the meaningful things we really want in our lives.

by Tracy McCubbin

Tracy McCubbin, who gets to the root of the clutter problem and offers revolutionary help to anyone who has repeatedly tried to break their clutter's mysterious hold and achieve a clutter-free, minimalist home. Her powerful answer lies in the 7 Emotional Clutter Blocks, unconscious obstacles that stand between thousands of her clients and financial freedom, healthy relationships, and positive outlooks.

by Elisabeth Sharp McKetta

In this beautiful call to examine and edit our lives, Elisabeth Sharp McKetta shares eight simple ways to cut through the clutter, drama, and overwhelm of modern life to live with more intention and joy. Inspired by her own experiments with reprioritizing, tiny house living, and finding the right balance of work and family time, Edit Your Life brings together personal narrative and practical takeaway, with inspiring results.

by Annie Mahle

Whether home is a small apartment, a tiny house or RV, a boat, or a college dorm room, space in the kitchen is nearly always at a premium. Chef Annie Mahle shares her small-space cooking strategies and 50 of her favorite recipes she developed as the galley chef aboard the J&E Riggin, a windjammer she operated with her husband off the coast of Maine for many summers. 

by Hope Korenstein

Having cooked in small kitchens her whole life, Hope Korenstein knows how to make the most of limited counter space and creates delicious meals without having to spend too much time in the kitchen, or dirtying too many dishes along the way. Korenstein helps home cooks reclaim their kitchens with simple recipes for low-cost, quick, and healthy cooking, all while saving space and time.

by Kelly Jaggers

This book allows you to make over 100 delicious, one-to-two-serving recipes for every meal from breakfast to dinner and everything in between. You'll find tasty recipes designed for one, learn to design your own weekly meal plans, and avoid eating the same leftovers over and over throughout the week.

by Jenna Hunter

Popular TikTok creator and Dietician Jenna Hunter brings the ideal cookbook for students, young people navigating life in their first apartment, people on the go, and those on a budget. Compact Cooking shows how inexpensive small kitchen appliances can save huge amounts of time and effort while producing yummy and nutritious food.

by Leslie F. Halleck

Longing to nurture your houseplant addiction without cramping your space or style? If you can't squeeze another giant leafy friend onto your plant shelf, author Leslie Halleck is here to inform you that tiny is the new BIG! You'll discover a fascinating array of perfectly petite houseplants you can collect and grow in a minimal amount of space.

by Matthew Pottage

Combines creative ideas with gardening expertise specifically tailored to renters who might only have a balcony or tiny yard to create a small, beautiful outdoor oasis without spending too much money, time, or effort.

by Jason Chongue

In this practical and personal guide, Chongue explains and simplifies how to look after plants in small urban spaces. From balconies, porches, courtyards and small backyards to entryways, offices and living spaces, this ‘how to’ guide is an approachable resource for gardeners of all types. 

by Isabelle Palmer

Whether you have a roof terrace, a tiny balcony or just a window sill, there's no excuse not to do some gardening. Isabelle Palmer shows just how easy it is, even for novice gardeners, to get started—and how to make the most of the space that they have. 

by Natasha Feldman

A cooking show host and private chef shares the secrets to throwing fun, no-stress gatherings through recipes for every mood and cooking comfort level, menu suggestions and tips and tricks for taking the pressure off of hosting. 

by Eden Passante

Entertaining with Charm will guide you in hosting beautiful gatherings with delicious dishes and simple style. Organized by category, the book is filled with appealing recipes, refreshing signature cocktails, and mouthwatering desserts and is about bringing people together for unfussy food and drink. 

by Amy Thielen

A year of inventive recipes and 20 menus for the “let’s do it at my house” set—and those who aspire to it. Company encourages a return to the habit, and the joy, of cooking for family and friends.
 

by Skye McAlpine

This is a cookbook to cook from: a helpful, approachable, down-to-earth kitchen companion that will give you the confidence to gather friends around your table and the inspiration to do so more often.