Black Decker The Hardworking Home has some nice ideas to make working from home a better place. I was hoping there would be a couple of actual DIY projects but was surprised at the plethora of very detailed spaces with so many options and ideas for making your mark on your home.

There are tons of pictures and discussions on creating the color palette for the tone or vibe you want to invoke in your DIY space. There is a brief feature on overall color schemes, noise dampening/acoustics, furniture, lighting, and space-saving ideas all with the emphasis on creating functional-for-you workspaces.

My husband and I work on DIY home projects all the time and I gleaned a bunch of new ideas from this book that I'm eager to get started on in the near future.

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Black & Decker The Hardworking Home is a well organized DIY/design manual for effective home improvement by Mark Johansen. Due out 24th May 2022 from Quarto on their Cool Springs Press imprint, it's 176 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats (ebook format available now).

One thing that characterizes these Black & Decker reference guides is the uniform logical layout. The books are streamlined and information is grouped thematically in chapters - so the relevant info is easy to find and easy to use. The first chapters cover design and utilization of existing rooms and space with general tips for carving a working space from any room in the house. The author has good tips and short tutorials for re-purposing underutilized areas (basement, spare room, closet, garage, and shed) and turning them into a viable workspace (or recess/home gym area). Tutorials are well arranged graphically and not too busy visually. Guidance for tools and materials is provided in bullet lists in highlighted text boxes, followed by an overview of implementation tactics and planning. Pictures are abundant throughout and they are clear and uncluttered and easy to understand.

Five stars. This is a great resource for DIYers and homeowners, and would be a good choice for school and public library acquisition. All the books I've seen from this publisher are well written, accessible, and safety conscious. Taken as a whole, the collection is invaluable for homeowners and smallholders who want to be proactive in improving and maintaining their properties, especially given our "new normal" hybrid work and school daily life. When I moved away from home, decades ago, my dad gifted me one of the early B&D general repair manuals. I still have it.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

A very practical book on creating home space to adapt to the needs of the occupant. Filled with photographs and handy advise on making your home practical and user friendly. It covers, Studies, Dining/Lounge Rooms, Bedrooms, Creative. spaces, Family Rooms and Kitchens.
There is a section on renovating to add space.

This book has some lovely ideas to make working from home a better experience! Making space for a home gym or a crafting area are also featured, the premise I guess being that what makes our home 'hard working' will. be a little different for everyone.

With lovely photographs throughout, it features sections on noise/acoustics, furnishings, colour scheme and lighting, amongst others.

It provides ideas on how different rooms in the home can be turned into functional work spaces.

For the DIY enthusiast, this book provides lots of projects! With clear, step. by step diagrams and instructions, it will really facilitate the change of use of rooms in the home.

`My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

I realky enjoyed thus book. It had many things you woukd typically see in a space saving hone improvement book. However, this book was very thorough and the pictures were great. I found plenty of ideas I like and feel like this book is a great addition to anyone looking for ideas and projects to maximize space. I highly recommend it.