10 Best Home Decor Things I Wish I Had Bought Sooner (2024)
Do you ever have an idea for your home decor and for whatever reason, it takes you awhile to get it from your cart to actually buying it to having it arrive in your home?! Recently, I’ve added 10 different things to our home decor and home improvement that I think you might be interested in also as you continue creating a cozy and welcoming home!
Please say I’m not the only one who “adds to cart” and leaves it sitting there for…well, forever?! Sometimes there are good reasons for doing that. And other times, I am just being indecisive about my home decor or even more often, overthinking it! One of my goals for 2024 is to just have more fun and not overthink easy decisions.
(Maybe this sounds really shallow, but it’s actually kind of a big deal for me. That could be a whole blog post for another time though, so….)
In order to work toward my goals, we are trying to be more actively decisive and at the same time, finish up simple and easy little projects and fun ideas around our home. For example, there are a few things we’ve been wanting to clean up and/or redo in our landscaping. We have made so much progress and I’ll show you a couple of things we bought for our exterior decor and you’ll see why I wish we had bought them sooner!
If you’ve been around the Robyn’s French Nest community for awhile, you know I am a big advocate of shopping your own home first. I also love a good thrift store find and every room of our home has thrifted treasures throughout the space.
However, sometimes there are those new pieces that are just the icing on the cake. Plus, all of these home decor items I am sharing today are budget-friendly (because I decorate on a budget too!). I am excited to share my top picks of our recent purchases with you today! You’ll easily see how any of these items can work beautifully with almost any design style too.
Okay, are you ready to see 10 things I wish I had bought sooner?
10 Best Home Decor Things I Wish I Had Bought Sooner (2024)
1. Use solar lights for exterior home decor
Do you struggle with making landscaping look nice? I think it is one of the most challenging design things for me to do, probably because I really don’t know very much about it and it is so involved! Especially in Florida, we really depend on great irrigation and the right kinds of plants and flowers since our weather can be so severe. Once the plants and flowers are decided on, there are so many things you can do to accent your landscaping.
One thing I have wanted to add for YEARS is some landscape lighting. However, it always falls very low on the priority list because, well, it is just kind of out of sight, out of mind and doesn’t really affect anyone at all. At the same time, it makes such a huge difference in elevating pretty landscaping.
I was so excited to come across these solar discs and I definitely wish I had known about them years ago! They are unbelievably budget-friendly and only took us about 10 minutes to unpack and install them! They make such a soft and pretty light to accent elements of our landscaping like our DIY patio and the jasmine diamond trellis going up the wall.
If you want to make an inexpensive and super easy upgrade outdoors, add THESE solar lights!
2. Add beautiful planters and flowers/plants
While we are on the subject of outdoor decor, I have to say that it is so silly of me that it took me so many years to finally invest in really high quality planters that will withstand the elements and still look amazing a few years from now. I would have saved so much money to simply buy THESE planters long ago instead of picking up cheap ones here and there. We have purchased two different sets/sizes of THESE planters and have one grouping of 3 by our pool.
Recently, we added the second set of 3 on the front porch. They elevated the entire look of our front porch style and I love that they still look brand new a couple of months later. Based on our experience with the set by the pool, we know we can count on these concrete planters to still look perfect a year from now also! Even though I don’t have much of a green thumb, our succulents are thriving in these gorgeous planters!
If you want to add some interest to your porch or patio, you’ll love THESE planters also. They would also make a great gift for a new homeowner or someone who enjoys gardening! Do yourself a favor and invest in great planters (still at a great price point though)!
3. Elevate your wall art with a picture light
I have no idea why I only just ordered this light a couple of weeks ago. First of all, I didn’t realize how inexpensive they were! Do you just ever assume something is expensive and won’t fall within the budget?! Well, this pretty picture light now has a great place in our family room! This picture light is perfect for home decor is incredibly affordable and elevates the look of the Samsung TV piece of art in the gold picture frame so beautifully.
Best of all, it only took about 5-10 minutes to install and requires no hardwiring. It runs with a remote control, so that is extra convenient too. I love how the picture light makes the TV art look even more like a beautiful painting on the wall.
Since it is so easy to install, I may order more of these picture lights soon to hang over other wall art and pictures through the house. It’s just SO PRETTY!
4. Create a cozy environment with the scent!
I use a nice diffuser and my favorite essential oil everyday in my classroom. I’ve done that for so many years! However, I’ve just never got one to set up at home. Why? I have no idea! Haha!
With the addition of our beloved Winchester (an English Creme Golden Retriever) at the end of February, I decided that a diffuser would be an easy way to help keep our home smelling like our space instead of a puppy’s home! Thankfully, he isn’t a smelly dog most of the time but the diffuser definitely is a welcome addition when we need it!
This one looks pretty and blends in with my vintage decor. Also, it is the perfect size to tuck into a vignette on a side table or night stand. If you love how the Anthropologie store smells, then add THIS oil to make your own home smell amazing! It’s my favorite scent ever! It would also make the perfect gift for Mother’s Day or Teacher’s Appreciation, coming up soon! A pretty diffuser and oil like this make the perfect home decor gift!
5. Cool off for summer with a nugget ice maker
Do you want to know something funny about me? It’s really kind of silly. But I resist trends STRONGLY. I don’t like having or doing the same thing as everyone else, most of the time at least. When the nugget ice makers came out, I resisted for two reasons.
First of all, it just seems so extra. I mean, who really needs fancy ice? Secondly, I like a very uncluttered kitchen and didn’t want to add a big gadget.
Well, I was wrong on both points. The best part is that fancy ice doesn’t have to break the bank. In fact, this nugget ice maker is very affordable and our entire family enjoys it so much! It’s those small pleasures in life, right?! It just makes me happy.
As far as space goes, this nugget ice maker couldn’t be more compact or easy to move around. It looks nice sitting on our counter and it’s super easy to simply set inside the pantry if we need the counter space. In face, I may rearrange so that it can stay in the pantry all of the time!
If you like the idea of treating yourself to something fancy and enjoyable but want to stay on budget, THIS nugget ice maker will do the trick! It is also a good gift for that person that you just don’t know what to get for them!
6. Add ambient lighting with wireless sconces
We added these wireless sconces a couple of months ago and honestly, I can’t imagine how we functioned without them! I absolutely love the convenience of the remote. Like some of the other ideas in this post, these sconces only took about 15 minutes to hang up and they look gorgeous. The clean lines and antiqued brass make them blend with a variety of home decor styles. They are large enough to be bold and make a statement but streamlined enough to be used even in a smaller room.
I love how these eye-catching light fixtures free up our night stands from having table lamps take up so much space! They would also look gorgeous flanking a pretty gallery wall over a living room sofa or over a pretty piece of furniture in any part of your living space. This would give gorgeous symmetry for classic interior style.
To say I’m obsessed with my wireless sconces would be an understatement! I love these and I know you’ve got a spot in your home for them too. They are, again, budget-friendly and so easy to install. These sconces become part of your wall decor!
Did I mention they are wireless? No hardwiring needed!!! Plus, they can be put on warm or cool light and have a dimmer on the remote too! Genius.
7. Enjoy gorgeous flowers all year long with these favorite hydrangeas
I love having a fresh vase of flowers around our home and I especially love picking up a pretty bunch at the grocery store and arranging in one of my vintage vessels. You can see more of those here.
At the same time, I hate buying cut hydrangeas only to have them last for such a short time. Like home decor lovers everywhere, I’ve looked for years for a great faux option and I finally find them this year. I seriously can still hardly get over how realistic they look! They are really easy to style and look and feel so incredibly real!
They cost a little more than most of the faux flowers I would typically purchase. However, you get what you pay for, as the saying goes! Plus, these gorgeous hydrangeas are on sale, making them an INCREDIBLE deal. These hydrangeas come in several different colors to blend with your own home accessories and personal style.
Pro Tip: Order more than one set. You’ll want them; I promise!
8. Give your personal retreat a refresh for spring and summer!
I love a great find that looks like I made a big investment in my space but was actually super budget-friendly. This pretty cotton duvet cover with the tan and white checks gives all the cottage vibes in my bedroom. It is so soft and feels perfect for the spring and summer! The tan is the perfect color to blend with a lot of different accent colors too!
It is soft and light-weight enough to feel more cool for the warmer months, and has the perfect casual, cottage style that I love. I paired it with THESE euro shams and some euro pillows I already had from a clearance sale. Then, I hung straw hats, found at my local thrift store and the flea market, over the bed for a casual, summer look. Lastly, I added one of my favorite throw blankets at the foot of the bed for cozy movie nights!
9. Get comfy with the BEST blanket EVER!
While we are on the subject of bedding, THIS blanket is hands down the best blanket I’ve ever had on my bed. It is unbelievably soft and I don’t know how, but it keeps me cool in the warm months and warm in the cool months. Hands down, it is the coziest blanket ever! In fact, I’m ordering another one to take with me this summer when we are traveling to our family reunion and church camps!
It comes in several different colors and a variety of sizes so you can get whatever color goes with your bedding. I ordered the beige so it just goes with every color scheme!
Trust me when I say, you NEED this blanket for your bed and for your guest room too!!! It would also make a perfect present for a housewarming gift.
10. Create a welcoming view with this favorite wreath
I’ll be honest, it’s been a really long time since I’ve ordered or purchased a wreath that I absolutely LOVE. However, this white forsythia wreath more than met my expectations! I ordered it on sale, fingers crossed that it would work with my spring decor. I love it so much that I’m going to leave it out for summer too!
Another fun way to decorate with this forsythia wreath is on the dining room table as part of a centerpiece! Below, yaou can see the spring centerpiece I made with mine on our dining table. This white forsythia wreath is so easy to style in your home decor, both inside and outside!
This is a little different blog post than usual, but even though there is quite a variety here, I’ve been so super excited with some of these recent finds. I am not one to say that anyone needs to rush out and buy anything.
However, if you’ve been on the lookout for any of these types of things like I have been, I highly recommend each of these 10 favorite finds!
Happy browsing and have a great day!
You may also enjoy these home decor related blog posts:
- How to Decorate for Summer: 34 Ideas to Thrift for Summer Decor
- How to Create Budget-Friendly Summer Home Decor in 6 Simple Ways
- How to Decorate a Coffee Table in 4 Easy, Budget-Friendly Steps
- The Best 10 Things to Use in Summer Shelf Decorating
- 9 Easy Tips to Mix New and Vintage Home Decor Pieces
- How to Use Antique Wall Decor for Vintage Charm
Blessings,
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