No need to get yourself camera-ready, though you’ll wanna do a video tour once you make these upgrades.
We hope you love the products we recommend! All of them were independently selected by our editors. Some may have been sent as samples, but all opinions and reviews are our own. Just so you know, BuzzFeed may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them. Oh, and FYI — prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.
1. Lighted curtains you can layer with some sheer curtains for an ethereal look indoors or outdoors on the reg. Staying inside and getting your money’s worth on your rent or mortgage is going to feel way more glamorous.
2. A peel-and-stick faux-gel tile backsplash that’s mold-, heat-, and moisture-resistant — and will give your kitchen the ultimate easy makeover montage.
Amazon
Promising review: “We did a kitchen facelift this summer, repainting and making everything look fresh. We were looking at The Home Depot version of these, which are more than double the price. We decided to go for these instead and they are amazing!! I put them up myself in about two hours. I did buy the adhesive spray just in case but it wasn’t needed, even for the few I had to peel off and re-stick to center correctly. These aren’t too difficult to apply but definitely require patience. It is 100% worth the buy for a DIY affordable update!” —Hope Consilvio
Get a 10-pack from Amazon for $29.97.
3. Plus some faux marble tile you can put to work in your bathroom (as this reviewer did) or in your kitchen as an easy-peasy backsplash.
Just make sure you avoid the actual sink, as these are flexible and humidity resistant but not waterproof.
Promising review: “Really made my bathroom stand out and it was super easy to apply. Adhesive seems very strong. I recommend making sure everything is lined up before pressing down firmly. Once it’s down it’s hard to peel back off.” —Andy
Get it from Amazon for $29.99.
4. NoNo Brackets, aka curtain rod brackets that fit onto your existing blinds so that you don’t have to fool with drilling any holes and having to spackle them later or (!!!) get charged when you move out of your rental.
Promising review: “This bracket is awesome and was extremely easy to install. We were able to hang curtains over our vertical blinds in just a few minutes and didn’t even need any tools. Great product!!!” —Amazon Customer
Get a set of two from Amazon for $19.95 (also available in brown, black, gold, and brass, and also available in inside-mount brackets).
5. Wood polish and conditioner that’ll revive all sorts of wood surfaces around the kitchen. Hardwood floor that looks gray? Check! Kitchen cabinets you priced out as a total horror story? Check x2!
Enhances the natural beauty and depth of grain on finished *and* unfinished wood. For use on antiques, dining tables, kitchen cabinets, wood doors and trim, etc.
Promising review: “I’m not able to sand and stain my floors until spring but they are so dry and worn. I bought this hoping to keep them moisturized until we can refinish and I am amazed with this product.” —nicole feather
Get it from Amazon for $6.07.
6. A container of touch-up paint can help cover up all those chips and marks on the kitchen cabinets that seem to follow you around the room like one of those portraits where the eyes look straight forward.
Promising review: “Rather than ditching furniture into a landfill, which is bad for the environment and one’s pocketbook, this product allows you to give new life to existing furniture. Between the Soto touchup and new handles, my entertainment center looks like new….for less than $35. If you can use liquid paper, you can use this. I just ordered another bottle for porcelain. This is a fantastic product. You will love it!” —LexiNYC
Get it from Amazon for $14.95 (available in eight colors).
7. Some stainless-steel-effect contact paper to get you the modern look of fresh appliances for chump change.
And when you move or change your mind, you can easily remove or reposition it!
Promising review: “Amazing job at updating my wall oven. I searched for months trying to see what would be an alternative replacement to my dated wall oven (25 years old). The thing is, my old oven has always worked very well, so I couldn’t really justify paying $2,000 to replace my working double wall oven only because of cosmetic reasons. Then it dawned on me that maybe if I updated the oven with this metal covering it would look like real stainless steel. So for literally the cost of $10 I updated my oven. The update is virtually unnoticeable unless you tell someone, and what’s the best thing of all, it leaves no fingerprints. Best $10 I ever spent.” —B. Lenj
Get an 18-inch x 6-foot roll from Amazon for $11.97.
8. A painting kit will transform your white fridge into a “stainless steel” beaut. It’ll for sure be a project. But have you priced out fridges lately?
Amazon
Promising review: “I had a black textured fridge, so I was nervous how it would look, but it turned out great! Very easy to use. I removed the door handles (and primed them, as recommended, before painting), removed the bottom grill and snapped off the water/ice dispenser (I did not paint them based on other SS fridges I looked at online). Cleaned the fridge and started rolling on the paint, then used the 11-inch foam tool to make it pretty! I did 5 coats (but really could have stopped at 3). Then did 3 coats of the top coat. I really did not notice a difference between one and three coats of the top coat. I did all sides and the top of the fridge and still have enough left over for my double oven.” —Robert
Get it from Amazon for $89.95.
9. A velvet slipcover for giving your ragged old couch a complete new look. Plus, the slipcover comes with straps to keep it in place so you don’t have to futz with it all the time.
Promising review: “I have never been so excited about a slipcover. Total transformation of our couch and loveseat. I was worried about it not working on our leather couch, but it stays on really well due to the straps and the separate cushion covers. LOVE.” —Brian/Liz
Get it from Amazon for $42.49+ (available in two sizes and 10 colors).
10. Plus a carpet cleaner you can use on your couch before you slip on that slipcover. It can transform all sorts of soft surfaces in your home BESIDES your carpet (though it’ll do amazing work there too).
Promising review: “Buy this NOW! My husband and I absolutely love this little thing. We have used it to clean our cars, mattresses, upholstered chairs, area rugs, and our couch. It works great and is so convenient for almost everything. Easy to clean, easy to move. I did use this on our carpet to compare to my larger carpet cleaner and it did NOT clean as well as my larger cleaner did. It is excellent for spot cleaning, though.” —Marianne R. Fezza
Get it from Amazon for $122+ (available in three configurations).
11. A professionally framed gallery wall because your attempts to put up your wedding photography haven’t quite panned out and you just celebrated your fifth anniversary.
Framebridge
I’ve used a Framebridge gallery wall before and they turn out beautifully! You can upload digital pics to their site and choose your format and frames. Then your gallery wall arrives with framed photographs (complete with mats), a paper guide you can hang on your wall with spots for each frame, and the hardware. It’s more or less foolproof — as long as you know how to use a hammer!
Get this gallery wall from Framebridge for $749 (available in three frame styles). And check out more gallery wall options.
13. Some under-cabinet lights to bring a modern touch to any outdated cabinets that you wish you could replace. This’ll instantly make your kitchen look *so* expensive.
Promising review: “I had my doubts but I thought, what the heck, for the price I’d give them a try. I am in real estate and known as a lighting snob. The first thing I look at in a kitchen if there is under cabinet lighting. These are so nice (it helps if you have a lip at the bottom of your cabinets) They are a true white, very bright, and I was lucky they were just the length I needed. I just ordered a set and had them shipped to my mom’s as her halogen transformer which is buried in a wall, fried and I drives me nuts that the workspace on the counter is dark. I can’t wait until I make the 250-mile drive to install them. I may buy more just to use at our listings!” —pauly
Get a 10′ strand with 60 lights from Amazon for $21.98+ (available in two colors).
14. An expandable under-sink kit that’ll fit around awkward pipes while giving some sturdy ground to those bottles of cleaner. No more cabinet avalanches!
Promising review: “Great product for a great price. Very sturdy, but lightweight and small — under my bathroom sink is *very* small, and the metal frame is thin enough that it doesn’t take up much space, and of course it allows me to utilize the empty vertical space instead of shoving things all the way to the back wall. I might rearrange the shelves, but it’s just held with screws on each end so that’s easy enough to do-comes with two supports for two shelves, but you can choose from four heights/positions. 👍🏻 Might need to order a second for under the kitchen sink…” —Jennifer Mowry
Get it from Amazon for $24.87 (available in two finishes).
15. A jar of the The Pink Stuff — a cleaning paste made to handle all kinds of gross, stuck-on situations like that bathroom floor grout you came to terms with being dirty gray forever.
16. And a grout paint pen so you don’t have to stare at the stained grout and imagine what it used to look like. Grout takes up a teeny bit of space but, as you can see from the pics, makes a huge impact!
Promising Review: “We moved into our new home, and the shower had a really yellow grout. Cleaning didn’t do anything, and I saw this grout pen online. What a saver! Otherwise, I would have just hired someone to replace my shower. I used this grout pen, and my husband was so impressed 😀 The tip loses its shape fast, but just pull out the TIP AND FLIPPED IT OVER, and you’ll have a new tip.” —jennifer
Get it from Amazon for $8.99+ (available in two sizes and in three colors).
17. A magnetic stove shelf that’s the perfect amount of room to keep your most-used spices so you don’t have to go digging in your cabinet while the oil is literally poppin’ on your stove top.
StoveShelf is a small business, and these shelves are built to last a lifetime.
Promising review: “This is an excellent buy. The shelf helped me declutter my cabinet, and it is an awesome storage space for my more often used spices. It is sturdy, easily installed, and attractive. I recommend this shelf.” —Pamella R.
Get it from Amazon for $39.99 (available in six types and three sizes).
18. A no-scrub weekly shower cleaner you’ll just spray on after you shower, wait 8–12 hours while it tackles mold and mildew stains, soap scum, and just about any gross grime without YOU having to scrub. Talk about practical to the max.
Promising review: “This product is so easy to use. As you can see from the pictures, my bathtub was staying pretty good. The guy that owned the house before me used Ajax to clean it so it has almost no enamel left on it and it’s probably the staining and nothing could get it out until I bought this. After 4 8-hour applications you can see the difference. I highly recommend this to everybody and once it’s completely clean I’m gonna go on the once a week application. I actually bought another bottle for my dad and mom.” —Domenick R. Stamegna
Get it from Amazon for $17.97.
19. Or a rust stain-removing gel to help the gross shower surround. Lots of folks have gotten clean in that bathroom but it that doesn’t have to feel that way.
Promising review: “I cannot say enough great things about this product. We just purchased a home that has a well with very high iron content in the water. I tried everything to remove the stains from our three toilets but nothing worked. I found this product online and immediately went to Amazon. The results blew me away. I didn’t have to scrub at all. I let it sit in the tank for several hours and the results floored me!” —Toni Huitt
Get it from Amazon for $16.37.
20. A bottle of non-toxic Folex Carpet Spot Remover can make all sorts of horrific stains that you thought made your wall-to-wall carpet a total goner disappear quickly. *And* there’s no rinsing or vacuuming involved.
To use, apply to the stain, gently agitate with your fingers, and blot with an absorbent cloth. This is nontoxic and should be nonirritating on the skin!
Promising review: “I had terrible rust and oil stains all over the seats of my car when I bought it. I tried other cleaners to get it out, but they actually made the stains darker. I took it to the dealership to see if they could get it out and they flat out told me no, so I gave up and lived with it for almost five years. I tried this after it was recommended by a friend. I sprayed it on and literally watched the stain run right off my seat. It was amazing! I thought I was going to have to pay hundreds of dollars to replace the seats in my car because nothing else would work. This stuff really is awesome!” —Brittany
Get it from Amazon for $11.97+.
21. A shower curtain liner with storage pockets and double-hook curtain hooks for a streamlined bathing experience. Yup, this is my shower and since I took these pics I’ve easily swapped in two different shower curtains thanks to these hooks!
Elizabeth Lilly / BuzzFeed
Hello and welcome to my shower! Yes, this is my bathroom and I’ve been using both of the products for coming up on three years. I love them both SO MUCH that I’ve bought two replacement liners since this inaugural one. Now, I’m not the best at keeping things clean so if you’re one of those people, you can def get more than a year’s use out of one of these beauts. The hooks are still going strong though, so no need for replacing those. The liner is an excellent storage alternative to a regular old shower caddy. Want more deets? Read my full review for the storage shower curtain liner.
Get them from Amazon: liner for $25.92 and 12 hooks for $12.99+ (available in several finishes)
22. A hanging boot organizer because maybe you just rewatched Tidying Up to get you back in the organizing spirit. (I personally find it very soothing.)
But Marie wouldn’t make you feel bad about being lazy again. You’ve just gotta maintain!
Promising review: “Sometimes I’d waste time digging for the matching pair I was hoping to wear. I’ve been wanting to buy the Boot Butler, but was hesitant because of the price. After some time and frustration (especially with boot season approaching), I bought the Boot Butler for myself in October as an early Christmas gift. WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG?! I loved it so much, I bought a second set a couple of months later and am now contemplating buying another. I love that my boots aren’t in a pile anymore; that they are easy to find and see, and I don’t have to shuffle huge plastic boot boxes around (an option I tried before and was not happy with).” —ZAR
Get a set for five pairs from Amazon for $69.99.
23. A *washable* faux-cowhide rug to zhuzh up a corner of your home that’s needed a little something for a while you haven’t quite put your finger on it ’til now.
Ruggable
Get it from Ruggable for $179+ (available in two sizes, five shapes).
24. Fishing rod organizers for your garage door because you can never seem to keep them in one place out of harm. (It sounds like a weird idea, but it totally works!)
Amazon
Hardware included for easy, no-tool installation on standard garage doors. If the door is a hard insulated or wood door, self-tapping screws are not included but can be shipped at no cost. Can also be installed on walls and ceilings. Give the inventor of these racks an award because they are damn clever!
Promising review: “I have to say I’m pissed that I didn’t come up with this idea first. Great product. It is a must-have if you fish and need space in the garage. Easy to install, works like a champ. I showed my neighbors and the reactions are all the same. OMG!!!!!” —David
Get them from Amazon for $35 (available in two sizes).
25. Solar lights you can stake along a walkway or patio right where you need ’em. Lighting is key for getting more use out of your outdoor space — especially now that it gets dark earlier. Oh, and they look nice in the daylight, too!
Promising review: “Impressed with the size of the cell which provides a larger surface area for charging. The lights are the brightest I’ve seen for a solar light and the illumination covers a nice range. Placed them along my pond giving the place a classy look.” —Percussionist
Get six from Amazon for $44.99 (available in three colors and also in a pack of eight).
26. A large capacity rotating makeup organizer could help you realize your luxurious bathroom storage dreams without having to install more cabinets or make sacrifices about how many spare toilet paper rolls to keep handy.
27. A do-it-all toothbrush holder and dispenser might make it feel like you and your outside bones are living in the year 3022.
This game-changer includes a toothpaste dispenser, four cups and holders, and a place to store your toothbrushes.
Promising review: “I love this item! I saw it originally on TikTok and thought it would be perfect for our bathroom! We have one bathroom upstairs and five people who use it. This cleared up so much counter space for us! There are ventilation holes where the cups go to help make sure they dry properly. The toothpaste dispenser has really been working to get every last drop out of the tube. Would definitely recommend for a family or kids bathroom. There is also a little storage compartment behind the toothpaste that is great for extra brushes, cotton swabs, or flossers.” —Sariyah J
Get it from Amazon for $15.99+ (available in three colors).
28. A set of soap dispensers you can decant your shower products into for a spa vibe. (No one has to know that’s 99 cent-store shampoo!)
Promising review: “I purchased these to use as shampoo, conditioner, and body wash dispensers. I wanted our shower to look like a spa! They are great quality and many people I know have copied our idea, so they are a hit! Very high quality, the plunger part is always the most important part. These are metal and not plastic, something which seems to be hard to find when looking for dispensers.” —Rebecca Morea
Get set of two from Amazon for $14.99.
29. Or a set of reusable dispenser bottles (with nice labels!) that are dupes for some outrageously expensive toiletries you’ve probably seen in a fancy restaurant bathroom.
30. A set of in-drawer organizers so you can easily grab a sandwich bag with one hand while your other hand is, well, holding a sandwich! (And for a MUCH cheaper price than custom drawers or kitchen cabinets.)
Laser Sloth / Etsy
Laser Sloth is a Puyallup, Washington-based Etsy shop that specializes in personalized lasered items and gifts.
Promising review: “OMG I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THESE!!! Super fast shipping and adorable little stickers I immediately had to fight my 18-year-old daughter for! 🤣😂🤣It took me a minute to figure out the most effective way to put them together (I’ve got arthritis) but once I got going I had so much fun!! I’m using them for my reusable and one-use bags. They’re quite versatile! I’d love to have some options for foil, parchment, and waxed paper next! 🥰🥰” —Shylo Ferguson
Get it from Laser Sloth on Etsy for $40 (available in two sizes).
31. Magnetic garage handles and faux windows can bring some serious curb appeal to your home for an EXTREMELY small fraction of the price of getting some carriage-style doors. They’re pricey as heck. These magnets are not.
Promising review: “I’ve been wanting to upgrade our garage door for a long time and now I have no idea why I waited! The magnets are super strong. Purchased two sets but only used one set of ‘handles,’ I wasn’t a fan of how close I had to place each set next to each other with the narrow spacing on the door itself. Paired with the magnetic ‘windows,’ it looks like a brand-new door!” —MrsPirate
Get them from Amazon for $16.99+ (available in several sets and variations).
32. Some pleated fabric shades for making your place look extra polished while adding some privacy and shade to your rooms that get ALLLL the natural light.
Amazon
Promising review: “I went out on a limb and bought 24 of these bad boys. I hung them up all throughout my house. I didn’t use the adhesive though, I bought an 80 count pack of thumbtacks for $1. I live in Alabama, the temperature outside is 99 today. I do not have my air conditioner on since I have put these up, it has literally cooled off so much in my house. TOTALLY worth it. I’m so happy I didn’t drop hundreds of dollars on regular blinds. I’ll never go back!!” —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $17+ (available in three sizes and three colors).
33. Peel-and-stick wallpaper to help you get a snazzy DIY look ’til you’re on an interior designer budget. It’ll happen for ya one day.
This removable wallpaper is self-adhesive so you don’t have to worry about using pastes or glues, and is repositionable for easy installation.
Promising review (for left): “Huge fan of this wallpaper. It’s very easy to install and looks super cute. I put this up in our half bath and it looks very impressive. Pattern is easy to match up.” —Katie Currid
Get a 20.5″ x 16.5′ roll from Amazon for $29.60+ (available in six colors).
34. A cat tree (an actual faux tree) so your fave felines can frolick in a fixture that fits in with your house plant collection. We love a multi-functional piece!
Amazon
Promising review: “My cats love this tree — and they wreck it, not my living room. I put the branches on twice a day, before I go to bed and before work in the morning and they do their thing and I have better sleep and fewer messes. It’s also more fun to watch the cats than TV, which is a huge plus. It’s super sturdy, I have two larger cats and an adolescent cat and all are on there at once with no issues.” —AndreaS
Get it from Amazon for $117.28+ (available in four colors and three sizes). BTW, the largest size is shown.
35. An indoor-friendly hammock chair that’ll give “hanging out” a new meaning. Add a throw pillow and you’ll never want to leave.
“Roger, plz forward all my calls to the hammock.”
Promising review: “I have this swing outside my small apartment patio. The area I have it in is covered so the rain doesn’t get to it, but so far it’s been wonderful. I sit outside for 20–30 mins with a book or to meditate on my swing, I love it.” —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $55.99.
36. A compact desk large enough for your computer and some accoutrements, but small enough to avoid it becoming a dumping ground.
37. A linen budding bundle so you can fully realize your fancy home self while keeping your cool. You don’t have to sleep hot to love these, but that’ll make you love them even more!
Piglet
Piglet’s signature fabric is made from 100% natural stonewashed French flax that gets softer and softer with wear. The linens are prewashed for softness and won’t shrink. The fabric is warm and cozy in the winter and fresh and cool in the warmer months. This bundle includes a natural linen duvet cover, pair of colorful pillowcases, pair of white pillowcases, white flat sheet, and white fitted sheet.
Get it from Piglet for $363+ (available in sizes twin—California king and 15 colors).
38. A set of room-darkening velvet curtains for a super dramatic look on the cheap. Mount the rod ABOVE the window frame and measure the curtains correctly so you can get a glam floor-skimming look that draws the eye upward.
Promising review: “Purchased these for my studio, which is in an old mill. I wanted them for their insulating properties more than to block out the light because my studio loses a lot of heat at night due to its enormous windows. The curtains/drapes work great for both — I am especially pleased with how well they help keep the space from losing heat! Before having the curtains the space would lose about 8 degrees in temperature overnight (which in the winter is a significant amount, especially in the northeast). Now, with the curtains, the space no longer loses heat overnight! It is now so nice to go into my studio in the morning and find it still toasty warm!” —Noname
Get them from Amazon for $21.99+ (available in four sizes and eight colors).
39. A tasteful nude vase if your interior aesthetic can be described as a bit frisky. If you can’t keep a plant alive, this’ll be a gorge storage solution for makeup brushes or writing utensils.
Amazon
Get it from Amazon for $14.99 (available in three colors).
40. An incredibly glam bar cart people won’t believe you got on Amazon. It can be your new party trick!
41. Or a crystal decanter set you can empty your mid-shelf liquor into and park on a shelf in case you can’t afford the floor space of a bar cart.
Amazon
Get the decanter and six glasses from Amazon for $27.99.
42. An undercover dog bed for your furry lil’ angel who gets to do what you’d like to do, lounge around all day while someone else works for the chow. At least with this, you’ll have a luxe-looking, machine-washable surface they won’t get in trouble for drooling all over.
Paw
I’ve seen this beaut IRL and dogs seem to really adore them. Also my former dog roommate really loved a similar faux-fur blanket we had on the couch. As for that machine-washable part, the furry part zips off and you can wash it. AND the liner within is memory-foam and guaranteed not to flatten for 10 years.
Get it from Paw.com for $239 (available in two styles). And check out more of the luxe-looking home goods designed for your dog’s lounging.
43. A super adaptable sofa you can take apart piece by piece and then swap out covers for over the years. AKA, you can buy one couch and build onto it as you build your life! Awwwwww.
The pieces are relatively light for furniture, easily come part for moving, and can be added to onto over time with new sections. Also, there are tons of WASHABLE cover options and accessories to make it all yours.
Get a couch with two seats and four sides from Lovesac for $2,600.
Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.
