Gift of Home

As the girl who couldn’t wait to come home from school and rearrange her bedroom, it’s no wonder Bre Doucette grew up loving to decorate homes. Her own is an 1846 farmhouse in New England, which she shares with her youth group sweetheart, her two kids, one dog, and twelve chickens. Bre welcomes others into her home through her blog Rooms for Rent and her two books, the Gift of Gathering and the Gift of Gathering Planner, where she spreads her passion for decorating, her belief that creating a home is so much more than the stuff we fill our rooms with, and a little bit of faith along the way.  roomsforrentblog.com

• Table of Contents Intro1.      Tips & Tools to help you succeed2.      Living Room - the heart of the home3.      Dining Room - let’s gather4.      Kitchen – a place to nourish5.      Bedroom - a place to rest6.      Bathroom - a quiet retreat7.      Laundry Room - serving our families out of love8.      Home Office - a workspace that inspires creativity9.      Guest Space –a space to invite others in10.  Kid’s Space - a place for everything11.  Outdoors - creating a backyard oasisConclusionResourcesEach chapter would feature the following sections:WHERE TO START Bre will walk readers through how to assess their rooms. What are the must haves, currently don’t love and can get rid of, don’t love but have to keep (i.e. TV), love and can stay, heirlooms, or what was bought just to fill the room? What can stay and what should go?Organizing and taking inventory is a great way to start. From there, she helps readers decide how to make every day spaces pleasant and enjoyable.Recurring Feature: Before/Afters from their Farmhouse {DESIGN TOPIC}Leaning on Bre’s experience as an interior designer, each chapter will also cover a design topic that the specific room illustrates. Those topics include style, planning your space (based on the room’s function), choosing a color palette, window treatments, flooring and rugs, furniture, lighting, styling, texture, architectural details. FINISHING THE SPACE ON THE BUDGETBre talks throw pillows, tables, lamps, rugs, paint, etc. This is all about prioritizing and getting the most bang for our buck. Decorating is step by step and over time. Bre’s message won’t be about more money but instead when to save and what you should budget extra dollars for. If you are willing to save for it, it shows you how much you. Bre will talk about taking your time and finding contentment first.Recurring Features: $20-30 fix for a room, 10 Steps to a Space You’ll Love, Finding the Look for Less FAMILY-FRIENDLY SOLUTIONSA big part of Bre’s message is about making the home first serve the family and then enjoyable for each family member. You don’t have to wait to have a beautiful home because you have kids or pets or don’t have kids or don’t have pets or have extra people staying with you, etc. What can you do to make it family-friendly and lovely right now? Even further, she encourages readers to ask the question, “Does your home tell your family’s story?” If not, it should, and she’ll help you make it happen.Recurring Feature: 5 Ways Your Home Can Tell Your Family’s Story DIYSPart of Bre’s message is about making home achievable for every person on any budget. One way she will accomplish that goal is by offering budget-friendly DIYs that also offer a bit impact on the space. She proposes illustrated steps/diagrams with photos of the finished projects. Here’s the list of the DIYs for each room of the house:Dining Room: Farmhouse dining table (under $60!) Entry benchPlate wallLaundry Room: White-washed pallet wood wallLiving Room: Gallery wallBedroom: Board and batten wallBathroom: Bead board wall paper OR herringbone tile floor DIYHome Office: Easy bookshelf DIY to look like old baker’s rackGuest Space: How to convert a home office into a guest space, emphasize how we make room for guests when we don’t have a guest room.Kid’s Space: Floor to ceiling board and batten treatment to add character or DIY rustic kid-sized deskOutdoor Spaces: Installing crushed stone as a budget friendly option, when you can’t afford pavers but still want the look?