The Spruce Ideas, Tips & Guides

If you've always wondered how to fully bring the outdoors into your home, designers are here to help. Below, pros weigh in with handy tips for how you can add natural touches to your space, whether it's large or small.

Home is where the heart is—and where all my favorite decor items are, too. Being a design writer means I take creating a comfortable, stylish home seriously. I’m well aware of the transformative power a cozy-as-can-be throw blanket or brilliant organizational item has.  In case you are in the market for decor that balances fun with functionality, I recently took stock of my favorite home items, ones with my forever stamp of approval. Some are investments, some are steals, and all make my house feel a little homier.  Scroll on for 12 of my must-have home products. 

Your entryway is a small but mighty part of the home, and you'll want to make sure that you're designing it so that it lives up to its full potential. As a result, you'll want to be sure to steer clear of these common mistakes that pros often notice in other people's homes!

Fixing up your bathroom is often an overlooked project, although this room is an essential part of our routines. Each fixture in your bathroom works overtime to keep you going strong, from your shower sanctuary to your storage saviors—we're looking at you, under the sink organizer.

We’re just a few days away from the first official day of spring, which, in our opinion, is one of the most beautiful seasons. With its blooming flowers, sunny days, and misty rains, it really is a breath of fresh air after a dark and cold few months. But, one thing not everyone is excited about every spring is spring cleaning.

Within a five-minute walk in any direction (really, pick one) from my apartment, there is a fire department, police precinct, hospital, an event space, a nighttime lounge, and four schools in my area. Needless to say, my street can get very loud at any given time of the day.

Everyone wants a pristine kitchen counter—it’s the ultimate sign of a sparkly-clean home. But it’s not exactly practical to have a totally empty working surface, either. Not everyone has the cupboard or drawer space to store every single item that’s left out on a kitchen counter—and even if you do, some things are best left out where they’re more accessible. Who wants to sort through kitchen cupboards to find the salt and pepper while cooking?

Last spring, when moving from a one-bedroom apartment to a three-bedroom house, I knew that we would need to do some furniture shopping. However, it was still a shock to see the furniture that once filled our apartment to the brim barely furnish the space. Most of our home is wood laminate, and it has an open-concept great room that screams for rugs and defined living spaces. We gradually found the best places to purchase rugs (I even took weeks shopping around for the perfect bathroom runner) and in the span of a year, have curated a home full of rugs that are functional, look pretty, and are all affordable at under $300.

If you have a pile of cardboard boxes sitting around your home and aren't quite sure what to do with them, consider reusing them to create home decor accents or a playhouse for your kids or pets. With a sturdy structure thanks to an inner layer of fluted material, a cardboard box can often be useful a second or even a third time.

Ah, the bathroom. This lowly, often overlooked spot in our homes is actually one of the hardest working rooms. If your bathroom has seen better days—we’re talking chipping tiles, constantly-running toilets, vanities with loose, grimy knobs—then we see a bathroom renovation in your future. 

When I first heard of the Scandinavian Sleep Method, I initially thought it was a pretty nifty idea—and I could use any upgrade to my sleep routine—so my partner and I decided to give it a try.

You sleep on your bed pillows every night and may feel slightly attached to them over time, but keep in mind that no pillow, no matter how great, is designed to last forever.

The first day of spring (March 19) is quickly approaching, and with that comes time for spring cleaning, spring gardening, spring weather, and spring pollinators.

March is Sleep Awareness Month, which means there’s no better time to prioritize your sleep and make sure your body is getting the rest it deserves. Ensuring that you have a relaxing sleep environment is just one way that you can do this, and your bedding is high on the list.

Sleep Week has arrived. Whether you’re on the side of keeping daylight savings or hope to get rid of the clock-adjusting routine, now is the perfect time to take advantage of all the bedding sales as your body adapts to losing an hour. And as someone who needs a minimum of eight hours of sleep (more for proper functioning than beauty), I firmly believe in making investments to create the best sleeping experience one could have. 

For some, spring cleaning is a satisfying ritual that freshens up a home, making it feel lighter and more organized. But for others, it can be intimidating and time-consuming.

While we always welcome the chance to deep clean and declutter our homes each spring, we also could use a refresher on how best to approach a huge, home overhaul.

Now that we’re firmly planted in March, it feels safe to say it out loud: spring is practically here. Along with bluer skies and brighter days, it also brings the perfect time of year for cleaning and organizing.

When it comes to hosting your very own dinner party, it could be daunting to think about the chores that come with the big task. We spoke with home entertaining and organizing experts to learn what are must-dos after guests leave, as well as a few tips and tricks that will help make the post-event tidying go more swiftly and smoothly.

Zinnia flowers are some of the most beautiful, vibrant, and captivating blooms around. They’re bold. They’re cheerful. They’re resilient. They add bursts of color to any garden or landscape and come in various shapes, sizes, and colors from reds, oranges, and pinks to yellows and whites—and their double-layered petals are exceptional. Plus, they attract important pollinators like butterflies and bees.

Given their small size and the fact that they need to be highly functional, laundry rooms are often ground zero for decorating mistakes. They also tend to be closed off from the rest of the home, meaning it's easy to shut the door and forget about how glum yours truly makes you feel.

Is it really the start of a new season if you haven’t swapped out your seasonal decor yet? Adding a few seasonal pieces is a great way to give your space a refresh that matches the mood of the season—plus, it’s an easy way to add intrigue to your home, keeping it from feeling stagnant over time.

IKEA is a home goods retailer that knows how to help people revamp their spaces. There’s pretty much no aesthetic that IKEA pieces can’t create, and the retailer has been significantly expanding their stock (and lowering their prices) over the past year. Their latest collection was announced on February 28th, with IKEA preparing to officially release it in April.

Your spring decor is about to be gorgeous—and super on trend, thanks to this list we coveted from Google.

With DIY projects and home renovation ideas filling our social media feeds daily, achieving the home of your dreams has never been more affordable and accessible. Just like any other facet of home decorating, DIY home decor trends come and go, often following suit with standard interior design trends. 

Spring is right around the corner, and along with freshly bloomed flowers and warmer temperatures comes an inherent desire to refresh your entire home. We’re talking deep soaks of your tub, finally cleaning your dishwasher drain, and investing in tools that’ll make these mundane tasks much easier.

Ziploc bags are household necessity, serving kitchens for years to help with food storage. And it makes sense why they're so beloved—they’re easy to store, you can reuse them, you can buy a ton of them at once, and you can use them for everything, from storing soups in the freezer to packing carrots into a kids’ lunch box and creating a DIY piping bag.

As spring approaches, refresh your space whether it's through a deep-cleaning your drawers or redecorating a boring corner. The possibilities are abundant and with plenty of 2024 trends to provide inspiration, it’s a great time to change things up.

When it comes to interior design, there are certain topics that people get passionate—and even polarized—about: maximalism versus minimalism, carpet versus hardwood floors, and of course, open-concept versus closed-concept layouts.

With all the new trends this year, there are many ways to spruce up your space with style and your own flare. Personally, adding a few new designs and decor pieces to my bedroom is at the top of my list. Whether it’s experimenting with a little more color or putting more prints on my wall, I’m already eyeing what to update in my cozy room.

Springtime is just around the corner, and if you're curious as to what design trends will be majorly trending in the home interior world throughout the coming season, we're here to give you the scoop.

Every homeowner knows a thing or two about how flipping certain spaces—namely the kitchen and bath—can help sell the home. However, prospective sellers should also pay attention to the minute and unobservable details and repairs that can slow down or cancel a sale.

If you’re itching to get outside and start preparing your backyard and gardens for warmer weather, then we have good news. There are a few tasks you can do now to make it even easier when the weather finally turns.

If you're ready to redecorate for the spring season, there's nothing like some cheerfully hand-decorated napkin-print spring candles. And for those who are celebrating and decorating for Easter this year, you can even use printed napkins to decorate your eggs. 

When it comes to my workspace, I am a firm believer that a tidy desk equals a tidy mind. Unfortunately, the spare room meant to be my home office has become, without a doubt, the most chaotic room in any home I’ve ever lived in.

If I've learned one thing over the years, it’s that I am at my most effective and my most efficient when I operate under strict guidelines. This is never more true than when I’m attempting to declutter.