Here's a fun little game for today: What is your favorite purchase for your home? Was it an impulse or planned? It can be anything, from a vase you thrifted for $1 to a swimming pool you added for $50,000+. Are you the only one in your home who enjoys it, or do others too?

My Favorite Purchases for My Home

Hmmmn… a few things come to mind right away, although I'm sure the commenters will inspire more thoughts…

Blue vases. A while ago I saw an estate auction for a lot that included a ton of small blue vases. I really like blue so I bid on and bought the lot for about $30, figuring it would be a win if I kept a few of the vases and then Goodwill'd the rest. But instead I really like all of them and have them scattered around Casa Griffin, often displayed on windows or in groupings.

There was even a blue glass mantlepiece clock that I didn't even focus on while purchasing it that turns out to look absolutely gorgeous when the sun reflects through it.

(I did have to buy a new clockpiece for it on Amazon for about $20 because the older clock didn't work, but it was worth it!)

Paint. This is going to sound weird but in recent years I've never regretted painting walls, even though I still feel like my baseline is white walls. We even painted the ceiling in one room a medium blue and it makes me so happy!

It wasn't always thus — in my very first apartment after college, my roommate and I put up a fake wall to create a second bedroom, and we decided to paint the fake wall a “bright, cheerful yellow” so it didn't feel too dark in the kitchen/shared area. Let me tell you: Finding the right yellow is very difficult, and it still makes me wince to think of what a yuck yellow it was.

I'm always incredibly wary of wallpaper, having grown up in homes with peeling and/or gross wallpaper, but we're going to try to wallpaper our powder room soon — I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

Top down, bottom up window shades. We got these for a number of windows and I really love them — they bring privacy but a ton of natural light. I keep the ones in our bedroom entirely closed but for the top quarter or so of the window, and I love it because I can wake up with gentle natural light. (I also like that I can sometimes see the moon.)

Smart lights. I've always thought that overhead lights aren't great — they're just way too bright in the evening — but walking around and turning on a bunch of lamps can be a pain in the butt. (Yes, I am incredibly lazy.) So I really love being able to put smart lights in, set up automations so they go on just before sunset and mostly turn off before my youngest's bedtime. It makes our home feel intentionally lit but cozy also.

I mostly buy Hue these days, but I've tried a bunch of different lights — they all work well but it's a bit like food storage containers in that you should pick one brand and stick with it. (Otherwise you'll end up with a billion apps that need updates and maintenance.)

Plug-in sconces for above our bedside tables. I'm one of those people who keeps way too much stuff on my bedside table, and it eventually felt really crowded to have a lamp on the table. So we bought some gorgeous plug-in sconces from Rejuvenation a few years ago, and they still make me happy. (As do the warm Edison lights we have in the sconces.)

Readers, how about you — what have been your favorite purchases for your home?

The post What Is Your Favorite Purchase for Your Home? appeared first on Corporette.com.

Here's a random question I don't think we've discussed: How many dishes do you own, how often do you buy new sets, and what sets or china patterns do you have?

I've written before about how, in my late 20s, feeling perpetually single, I felt hesitant to upgrade college-era dishes and otherwise “set up house” with things I'd always associated with a wedding. Then, one day while shopping, I saw a tea cup I absolutely loved, and when I looked at the rest of the set it seemed super cool and not that expensive. (It was the Tyler Florence collection from Mikasa.) So I bought a few dishes. My mother, excited to be able to buy me dishes, kept finding pieces on sale, so I wound up with almost all of the pieces in the set.

Now, unfortunately, the set turned out to be prone to cracks and chips, and some of the pieces were incredibly heavy or fragile, so 15+ years later we still have a lot of pieces but barely use some of them. Unfortunately, they take up a lot of space in our cupboards and drawers.

Then, when I did get married, we registered for china (Lenox Westerly) and glassware (Waterford Lismore and Mikasa Cheers), and again, we bought all the pieces. I really thought I'd be throwing eight-person dinner parties often, I suppose? (In fact, longtime readers will remember that in the very beginning, Weekend Open Threads featured china or glasses, as if we were all sitting down for a cup of coffee or a cocktail together.)

For flatware, I'd bought one set of an Oneida pattern I thought was called Demeter at Century 21 (RIP), but I now see a full set for sale on Amazon under the name “Diameter” and I'm so tempted!! Years later, I also saw a really unusual set of blue stainless steel from Gorham for around $60 per set (down from $200) and wound up buying eight sets over the course of a few years / gifts from my mother.)

{related: do you throw dinner parties?}

Of course we don't use the china that often, although thankfully it is dishwasher safe. Then, when my boys were toddlers, I bought a lot of very-hard-to-break dishes from Corelle (divided plates! 9″ plates! that I use more than full-size dinner plates! mugs! huge bowls that are great for soup and popcorn!) and those are the ones that we primarily use.

So over the years I've seen some beautiful plates or pieces, but I really hesitate to buy them because we don't have the cabinet room for more than a few pieces at a time. (Especially since I've been getting more into estate sales… sometimes you can find an entire set with like 80 pieces for less than $50!) At this point, I won't even buy cocktail glasses if they come in sets of four, because we just don't need more than two.

(And of course, meanwhile, my mother is trying to remind me of all of the various china sets she'll pass down to me from her collections and both of my grandmothers, as well as my mother-in-law and my aunt.)

I obviously have a lot of opinions on this, and I'd love to hear yours — what was your dish situation in the post-college years? If you have a formal “set” or china pattern, what is it? For those of you who are a bit older, how often do you get rid of older sets (or relegate them to storage, like the basement) and buy new sets?

Stock photo via Stencil.

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When you're furnishing or redecorating your home, it's easy to spend hours online looking for ideas — so, to help you when you're ready to focus, we're bringing you five of the best online resources and services to help you decorate your home.

Have you used websites and virtual services for home decorating? Which are your favorite online interior design services, and how have they helped?

5 of the Best Online Interior Design Services and Resources

Etsy

Beyond the obvious — like, you know, buying home stuff on Etsy — you can also check out Etsy's blog and curated home decor collections. The blog has shopping guides (e.g., “The 25 Best Coffee Tables for Every Style and Space“), featured shops, and “inspiration” (projects, celebrity interviews, and advice like “How to Create the Ultimate Home Office Oasis“). Their Home Favorites section highlights “Editor Favorites” for kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms, wall art, and so on, with everything from these $16 little leather storage boxes to this $800 console table.

You can also find articles elsewhere with titles like “How To Shop Etsy Like an Interior Designer” [Veranda] and “10 Staples Every Boho Home Needs with Etsy” [Jungalow's blog]. (Note: We featured Jungalow in our post on the best books for home style.) Whether or not you end up actually buying items from Etsy, articles like these can give you lots of design inspiration and help you figure out what styles you love … or hate.

Note: In late 2021, Etsy created the virtual, shoppable Etsy House, which contained holiday decor, bespoke furniture, art, and selections from Etsy Design Awards winners. If you missed out, be on the lookout later this year! (While The Etsy House is no longer active, you can still shop its featured items.)

{related: open thread: what are your favorite Etsy shops? (2020)}

Havenly

Reader-recommended Havenly is an online design service. You first take their Style Quiz and then choose one of their designers, share your decor ideas, and review your designer's choices. Once you're ready to buy, you can shop the items in a single place online. As for your role in planning, the website notes, “You can give your designer as much feedback or as little feedback as you’d like.”

Havenly offers two design packages. The Havenly Mini includes three initial design ideas, revisions until the design is “perfect,” and a final design concept with a customized shopping list that draws from hundreds of brands. You can message your designer online, text, or talk on the phone. The Havenly Full plan adds 3D renderings and a custom floor plan. (Maximum room size is 400 square feet.) For kitchens and bathrooms, you can go with the company's Mini Package for $99/room.

Their website also has lots of design ideas and layouts to explore for inspiration.

{related: how to decorate your home if you work all the time}

Maria Killam

Recommended by Corporette readers, color expert Maria Killam offers ebooks (White Is Complicated and How to Choose Paint Colours, each $27), courses on color, the Colour Wheel, Colour Boards, the Colour Me Happy blog, and an eDesign service. If you struggle with choosing and combining colors in your home (or if you're a color commitment-phobe!), her website can be a great resource.

Killam's eDesign services include color consultations for one room ($195), two or more rooms ($375), an open layout ($295), and cabinets ($245). If you pay a bit more, you can also get recommendations for trim colors, ceiling colors, fireplace colors, and/or colors for built-ins. The recommendations come from Killam, and her team passes on the advice to you through photos and emails. (How many times can we say “color” in one paragraph?)

You can request services for renovations and new builds, and for kitchens and bathrooms. A complete renovation package is $4,495.

Here's the process: First, you'll take photos of your home, create and share an ideas board (on Pinterest or Houzz), and fill out a questionnaire. Once you receive Killam's recommendations, you'll test the paint colors, sending back photos if you'd like feedback.

You can check out Killam's portfolio and Instagram for examples and ideas.

Houzz

While you can shop furniture, lighting, and much more on Houzz.com, you can also find a plethora of design inspiration — more than you will ever need, in fact. You can filter their 25,000,000+ (!) home photos by things like budget ($–$$$$), styles (contemporary, traditional, MCM, and 16 more), size (from “compact” to “expansive”), and color. Once you create an account, you can save photos to different boards you create (like Pinterest), and set to them to public or private.

Houzz also provides home tips and ideas, online discussion forums, and home design videos. You can browse before-and-after photos, 3,000+ house tours, cost guides, tips on working with professionals, and much more.

Houzz also features a directory of home professionals of all kinds, from interior designers and decorators to architects and building designers to landscape architects and designers. The listings include customer reviews, project photos, and online messaging.

Modsy

Reader-recommended Modsy provides online interior design services with a money-back guarantee. You'll use their app to upload photos of your room, take their style quiz, review your interactive 3D design (which includes a 360-degree view), and then work with Modsy designers to fine-tune the details. Here are some Modsy-designed rooms that include a living room, bedroom, and office.

Modsy offers three design packages: Premium ($159/room), Multi-Room ($299+), and Luxe ($499/room). The Luxe package is “best for large or complex projects, or if you want extra one-on-one help.”

The furniture and decor retailers Modsy uses include include Crate & Barrel, West Elm, Anthropologie, Joybird, and Pottery Barn, plus brands that aren't typically available to the general public. However, once your design is finalized, you'll be given a single spot online to shop all the pieces you need.

For design inspiration, check out Modsy's blog, which includes style ideas, design tips and FAQs, buying guides, and home tours.

{related: The Next Step: Furniture}

Honorable Mention

Reddit has lots and lots of home decorating subreddits that are worth a look, including r/HomeDecorating, r/HomeDecoratingTips, r/AmateurRoomPorn, r/RoomPorn, r/OrganizationPorn, r/Antiques, r/Homebuilding, r/InteriorDesign, and r/cozyplaces. Browse photos, post your own, get advice, and get inspired (or horrified, depending on your taste).

Instagram, of course, is a treasure trove of design ideas; The Spruce, Vogue, and The Financial Diet all have suggestions for accounts to follow.

You might not think of TikTok as a source of home decorating ideas and advice, but Architectural Digest, MyDomaine, and Forbes have suggestions for who's worth a follow.

Turning it over to you, readers: What are your favorite home decorating websites and virtual services? Have you used any of these services? What was your experience?

Stock photo via Deposit Photos / maxxyustas.

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Readers had a very busy comment thread a few weeks ago about their favorite household items they've bought this year, and because most would make great holiday gifts, we're rounding them up today! (By far, kitchen items were the most frequently mentioned, which isn't surprising since we've all been spending more time at home than usual…)

Note that readers generally didn't provide links to specific products, so for general item suggestions, we're featuring popular and well-reviewed options below.

This post contains affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!

Pictured clockwise from top left: light green mini-waffle maker / Roomba / dark blue egg cooker / AirPods / Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer and Volumizer

Great Gift Ideas for the Household in 2021

Kitchen & Dining

Espresso machine (Breville, $999.95; Mr. Coffee, $199.99)

Pressure cooker (Instant Pot 10-in-1, $79.95 on sale) (Kat's Instant Pot review)

Air fryer (Ninja, $99.99) (April's Ninja review; my Cuisinart review)

Dash Rapid Egg Cooker ($16.99)

French press (Bodum, $19.99)

Milk frother (PowerLix, $14.95)

Silicone turner (Oxo, $12.95); silicone spatula (Oxo, set of 3, $20.99)

“Cute plastic wine glasses for outdoor meetups” (Lily's, $29.95)

Electric kettle (very popular suggestion!) (Hamilton Beach, $29.99)

Knife Aid knife-sharpening gift card

Silicone dish drying mat (U-Taste, $19.99)

Nut Pods coffee creamer (sugar-free, dairy-free) (3-pack, $14.95)

Swedish dishcloths (Swedish Wholesale, 10-pack, $18.95)

Simple Modern insulated tumbler ($16.99)

Plate warmer (Waterbridge, $49.99)

Bagel guillotine (Hoan, $26.99)

Dash waffle maker ($17.99 and up)

{related: the best cookware and kitchen appliances for busy women}

Home Decor

Diptyque candles ($38 and up)

Reed oil diffuser (lots to choose from at Nordstrom)

“Original and interesting artwork” (check out our post on 7 great places to get art)

Wool rug for under WFH station (Garnet Hill, $349 and up; West Elm, $94.99 and up, clearance)

Electronics & Gadgets

Robot vacuum (very popular suggestion!) (Roomba, $179)

Extra-long iPhone charging cord (vCharged, 12 ft., $16.99 — I just bought this one!)

Apple AirPods (3rd generation, $169.99)

Smart / Wi-Fi enabled heater (to turn before you wake up!) (Heat Storm, $76.72)

Blue-light-blocking book light (Amber Light+, $14.99)

Sunrise alarm clock (JALL, $45.98) (Kat's review of another sunrise clock)

General Household Items

Cordless vacuum (Kenmore, $149.99; Tineco, $249.99)

Dropps laundry & dishwasher pods (compostable packaging!)

Reusable shopping bags (BAGGU)

SLS-free hand soap (Dr. Bronner's Sugar Soap, Alaffia)

Norwex (available online & through home parties)

{related: small purchases that make you happy}

Beauty & Accessories

zeroUV polarized sunglasses

Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer And Volumizer ($35.99 and up)

Clinique Chubby Lip Balm (here's Kat's review) (on sale for $16.15 and up)

Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey (in our Office Beauty Hall of Fame!) ($20)

{related: beauty empties: which products do you finish and then buy again?}

Fitness

Spin bike (The Original Peloton Bike is currently shipping in 1–2 weeks; models are $1,495 and up)

Bike (check out our posts on biking to work)

Racquetball equipment

Readers, do tell: Which of your favorites are already on this list? What other household purchases have you loved this year?

The post Great Gift Ideas for the Household (Reader Favorites!) appeared first on Corporette.com.

If you're decorating your home and hiring an interior designer isn't in your budget — or you just prefer to take on home projects yourself — read on for the best books for home style…

(These also make great gift ideas if you're on the hunt!)

What are your favorite resources for choosing furniture and decor and styling your home? What do you think are the best books for home style? During the past year and a half, have you used some of your extra time at home to focus on decorating your house or apartment?

The Best Books for Home Style

General Home Style Books

The Best Decorating Books for Minimalist Style

{related: how to set up the best home office}

The Best Home Decor Books for Maximalist Style

The Best Home Style Books for Apartments/Small Spaces

{related: how to decorate your home if you work all the time}

Home Style Books for Families with Kids

{related: the best places to buy furniture}

Other Home Style Books

Readers, do tell! What are your favorite books for home decor? What's your favorite decorating style — and do you have any favorite brands or designers you follow for inspiration? Have you ever used an online design service?

The post The Best Books for Home Style appeared first on Corporette.com.

Here's a fun open Q for today, as the post I'd planned on strength training is taking forever: What is the biggest change you've made to level up your home? Is it something you enjoy daily (a killer shower, or a more functional work-from-home office or workout space)? Or is it something that feels Big but doesn't get a lot of use (an expensive purchase of dining room furniture, a chandelier, a home sauna)? Or is it one of those basic items that's kind of unassuming but gets a ton of use, like a great new bed? Do tell, readers…

Here at Casa Griffin we're in various stages of completion for a few projects we've wanted to do for a while, and I'm in the midst of picking out wallpapers, paint colors, and attempts at backlighting some built-in bookshelves — it's all a lot of fun. With some of the more permanent elements (like wallpaper), I definitely suffer from research paralysis — there are just way too many fun wallpapers. (Meanwhile, for a new countertop we're picking out, I've basically let my husband run with it and find the lowest-cost option possible — I feel like from past adventures all countertops end up looking black/white/gray in the room unless they're really crazy.)

I'd say the biggest change I've made to date is my office area — it isn't huge, but it's great to have a space to spread out my papers and enjoy double monitors, and it makes me happy that the walls are painted navy blue, and it has a few hot pink accents among the white accents. (Yep, totally blog colors, but as mom to two sons it's kind of nice to have a girly area just for me.) I'd love to find a new office chair that both looks great AND is super comfortable — I've been inspired by a few recent reader threadjacks on petite-friendly ergonomic chairs from Aeron and Steelcase.

I also always enjoy little things that add more space — whether it's adding an extra shelf to a cabinet that has unused space, organizing a closet differently (or getting rid of wire shelving, which I personally can't stand), or more. In one old apartment we cut square doors and built shelves above some tall closets where there was unusable space — yes we had to get on a ladder to access the space, but it was great for storing random stuff that we didn't need RIGHT that instant, like Christmas ornaments and more.

Readers, do tell — what's the biggest change you've made to level up your home?

Stock photo via Stencil.

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