In search of wedding or college graduation gift? Check out “The Nest Home Design Handbook,” by Carley Roney, editor of the lifestyle Web site TheNest.com (a companion to the popular wedding Web site TheKnot.com).

This handy manual (Clarkson Potter, $22.95) combines practical advice with interior eye candy as it cheerfully guides readers along the basics of setting up house and creating a home. The slim volume is packed with tips on decorating, organizing, furniture placement, arranging art and housekeeping, with helpful appendices on hiring outside help, Web resources and DIY guides (painting, stripping and reupholstering). It’s a perfect primer for newlyweds, new homeowners or anyone who’s realized that a lava lamp is no longer the epitome of style.

The book is divided into chapters by living spaces and activities (live, eat, sleep, stash), each of which includes a list of easy updates and ideas for every room, such as using a stack of coffee table books to fashion a fun and unexpected side table. Could be a clever way to repurpose old textbooks, too.