Jennifer Prince’s work is featured on several national travel sites, such as Travel + Leisure, National Geographic, AFAR, Lonely Planet, and Conde Nast Traveler. She thrives on off-the-beaten-path itineraries and is passionate about finding microstories to bring destinations to life. Jennifer currently lives in Virginia with her husband, and other than travel and writing, she enjoys ’80s music, vintage things, fostering kittens, time with her family, and dreaming about her next Airbnb venture.
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If your kitchen is in need of a little extra love but an affordable, quick fix is all you have in mind at the moment, you’ve come to the right place. I asked designers about the best items to purchase to add instant polish to the kitchen for under $50, and they delivered! Below you’ll find eight go-to, pro-approved product picks that you can add to your online shopping cart right now. They’re just the finishing touches to bring a little bit of class and sophistication to your space — I promise!
Credit: Anthropologie
Shop for a set of sweet serving plates
Whether you like to shop vintage or prefer more contemporary pieces, one way to zhuzh up your kitchen is by upgrading your tableware collection. “I love using pretty plates to make every morning feel like a celebration,” says designer Michelle Gage.”I stock my cabinet with vintage and artisan styles for everyday use,” she adds, noting that Anthropologie is one of her favorite places to shop for these types of goods new. Why not make the everyday feel a little more whimsical with a cute floral dessert plate, which is equally useful for serving English muffins in the morning or pastries in the evening.
Accessorizing with produce? Hey, why not! Designer Mary Kathryn Wells enjoys displaying a bowl of citrus fruits — think lemons, limes, or oranges — on her kitchen counter at all times. “They add the same punch of color and life that fresh flowers can but at a fraction of the cost,” she notes. “Plus, they require no arranging, and they’re actually edible or great for a festive drink garnish.” The exact vessel you choose to house these fruits is entirely up to you. “Whether you use a simple, basic bowl or something really fun and punchy, dumping a bag of clementines or lemons into a bowl on the counter is such an easy way to add a pop of sophisticated color,” Wells concludes. In fact, this is one of the things almost every interior stylist does to add color to a cook space when prepping it for a shoot.
A timeless marble bowl like this subtly-footed one will add a luxe touch to any countertop and can be used to house other natural displays, too. Fill it with pinecones or air plants if you wish, or change it up depending on the season.
Designer Ellie Mroz is a proponent of picking up a special bottle of hand lotion or soap to place next to the sink. “It’s a splurge in comparison to regular soap but overall a small luxury that can make you smile and also serve a function,” she notes. As an alternative, you can simply purchase decorative reusable soap bottles you can refill time and time again. A white ceramic design will look nice and sleek. Plus, they’ll work with virtually any style of kitchen, from ultra-modern to English cottage.
“Incorporating a stone trivet, cake stand, or footed bowl on your countertop is a great way to add polish and visual interest to a kitchen,” explains designer Molly Torres Portnof of DATE Interiors. Many ways to use such vessels and pieces exist, depending on the occasion. “Display dessert, fruit, florals, or leave it bare to instantly elevate your space,” Portnof suggests. Designer Djalna McSween likes pedestal bowls in particular. “A pedestal bowl is a perfect balance of style and function,” she says. “Its heightened scale makes it sure to stand out and pop from the countertop.”
Whether you own your home or rent, this hack that designer Paige Garland recommends will greatly improve the state of your kitchen. “The quickest (and likely cheapest) way to update the look of your cabinets is to swap out basic outdated hardware,” she notes. “A touch of gold or silver makes a world of difference to the overall aesthetic.” If you rent, be sure to keep the original pieces on hand so that you can re-install them prior to move out!
Jennifer Prince’s work is featured on several national travel sites, such as Travel + Leisure, National Geographic, AFAR, Lonely Planet, and Conde Nast Traveler. She thrives on off-the-beaten-path itineraries and is passionate about finding microstories to bring destinations to life. Jennifer currently lives in Virginia with her husband, and other than travel and writing, she enjoys ’80s music, vintage things, fostering kittens, time with her family, and dreaming about her next Airbnb venture.
I’ve never fainted in my life, but I came close to doing so recently when I received the first heating oil bill of the year. My knees buckled and the air around me grew hazy. Ah, the woes of being a homeowner in the Northeast as another winter approaches!
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I know I’m not the only one whose heating bill causes consternation. But aside from moving someplace with a more reasonable climate in the wintertime — sorry, my husband and I aren’t ready to be snowbirds yet — we’re stuck paying hefty energy costs to stay warm.
Or are we? I decided to check in with some real estate agents experienced in making old, drafty homes look warm and inviting to buyers. Good news: There’s more than one way to save money on heating bills. Keep reading to see what those pros had to say.
Real estate agents might be all about location, location, location, but when it comes to saving on energy bills, it’s about insulation, insulation, insulation.
“Insulation is crucial to cut down on energy bills,” says Cam Dowski, real estate investor and founder of WeBuyHousesChicago.co. “If the house doesn’t have insulation in the attic, the warm air inside will escape via the roof. If your boiler has to work more to provide heat, your heating bills will go up.”
Maureen McDermut is a Realtor in Santa Barbara and Montecito, California, where she has helped many clients sell historic homes that are big on charm, but not so much on energy efficiency. “One of the first things I suggest is having an insulation contractor come out and insulate the attic,” she says. “Most homes have very little insulation in the attic, or at least not enough to be energy-efficient.” Of course, homeowners in her neck of the woods don’t have to contend with frigid winters. But insulation can keep your house warm and cool, depending on the season.
Install a Smart Thermostat
“Installing an adjustable, programmable thermostat is the single most important thing that homeowners can do to save money on heating bills,” says Jon Sanborn, a licensed real estate agent in San Diego and cofounder of SD House Guys, a home buying firm.
A smart thermostat makes it easy to program temperature schedules as well as make adjustments from your smartphone or tablet. Some smart devices can even “learn” your temperature preferences and do the programming for you. This is not about being too lazy to walk over to the device to raise or lower the heat. It’s about setting up an automated system so that the heat kicks on only when you’re at home and awake, not when you’re away or asleep under warm covers.
The U.S. Department of Energy says you can save up to 10 percent of your energy bill by dialing back your heat seven to 10 degrees for eight hours a day. That might seem like a big temperature swing if you’re on the chilly side, but the point here is to lower the heat to some degree (no pun intended) when you don’t need it as much.
“Your home can lose the slightest heat possible if you heat only when necessary,” says Dowski. “So if you are looking to maximize your central heating energy efficiency (and save some money), then you are probably better off only using the heating when needed.
When you install a smart thermostat, you’ll not only save on energy bills, but you’ll recoup your costs on the device itself rather quickly. They range in price, but it’s possible to get a good one for under $100. If you’ve already got a common wire (C-wire) in your home, you might even be able to install a smart thermostat yourself. Not sure which wire is which? It’s always best to call in a professional electrician before you start messing around with your home’s electrical system.
Part of the reason for my near-fainting spell over our heating bill was that in addition to getting the tank filled up, we swapped our old oil burner for a new, more energy-efficient version. But we already see an improvement in the way our house heats, so it’s money well spent.
While we won’t save per gallon — oil prices are what they are — the serviceperson did say our savings would come by less oil used. So far, so good. I’ve been checking the gauge and see that our oil heater is sipping rather than gulping fuel this season.
If you’re not in a position to upgrade your HVAC system, at least get it serviced. We pay for a service plan that allows for an annual maintenance check — the company actually calls to remind us to book the appointment — along with free service calls if needed. If your energy company offers a service plan, purchase it for peace of mind this winter.
Other Small Fixes Can Pay Off Big Time
Sam Sawyer, founder of cloud brokerage Pinnacle Realty Advisors, offers the following tips that should be added to every homeowner’s seasonal task list:
“These are all minor but very important things to consider when buying an older property,” says Sawyer. “Collectively, it can save the homeowner thousands of dollars and a lot of headaches.”
Not sure which windows are the culprits? Call in a pro to evaluate, says McDermut. “While we don’t get cold weather often [in Southern California], we do have heat, and your air conditioning can leak out of a poorly sealed window just the same,” she says.
Or, you could just hang up heavier curtains, says Dowski. “Look for thermally lined curtains, or line your existing ones with inexpensive fabric to achieve the same effect,” he says. (I’ve got thermal curtains in some rooms in my home and they work remarkably well to prevent heat loss.
Doing even one of these tasks is enough to make a difference in your home’s energy efficiency. But the more you do, the more you’ll start saving on your heating bill. And that’s enough to make any homeowner feel warm and fuzzy inside.
Jennifer Prince’s work is featured on several national travel sites, such as Travel + Leisure, National Geographic, AFAR, Lonely Planet, and Conde Nast Traveler. She thrives on off-the-beaten-path itineraries and is passionate about finding microstories to bring destinations to life. Jennifer currently lives in Virginia with her husband, and other than travel and writing, she enjoys ’80s music, vintage things, fostering kittens, time with her family, and dreaming about her next Airbnb venture.
