Finding Little Home Luxuries
One of the biggest surprises about buying your first house is how long it takes to make that house into a home. Even with all of our best ideas and the special decor we had collected in our twenties, settling in and adding little home luxuries to our house is an ongoing process. Between getting to know the space and the shifting focuses in our daily lives and routines, creating our cozy home is an ongoing process. With some trial and error — and some luck — I’ve come across a number of little luxuries that make the space feel extra special. And when I say “little luxuries,” I’m not referring to the price tag. Rather, quite the opposite. These are special little finds that seem insignificant but add a great deal to the home. Some of these home upgrades are simply for aesthetics, and others serve tangible purposes. Read on for my favorite little home luxuries — you might want to replicate them in your own home!
My office collage wall & my cat Emory lounging in her favorite cat tree
Table of Contents:
Special Finds That Make My Space Feel Special
Little Home Luxuries Worth the Money
Creating a Welcoming Entryway
Depending on the layout of your space, creating a welcoming entryway may or may not be a priority for you. For me, my office is right off the front hall, so, after about two years of staring at a blank wall, I wanted to make the space cozy and decorative. Even with small spaces like this, it is still worthwhile to make them feel special.
Keeping this decor simple and straightforward, I knew I wanted a nice entryway rug and a larger wall art print to fit in the space beside our coat rack. When we got a pretty console table off of our wedding registry (sold out, similar style here), the space really began to come together. If the wall wasn’t directly across from my desk, I may have considered a mirror for the wall, in place of a print.
Thoughtful Decor Touches That Feel Personal
Wall art throughout the house is important to me, but especially so in my home office. I had intended to make a collage wall for some time, but it took a bit to find the pieces I wanted to include. After our wedding in September 2024, the pieces really started to come together — mostly because we suddenly had an influx of new photos I wanted to show off. Those photos, combined with various art prints I had collected over the years and others I bought online specifically for the collage wall, came together rather quickly.
While none of these pieces were expensive individually, the prices can add up if you’re creating such a wall all at once. I recommend getting a handful of great frames and prints or photos you love and starting with a solid center of the collage wall, and then build it out as you come across new treasures. Leaving spaces for more wall art or small frames allows the space to evolve naturally with your life and adventures!
Pretty Collage Wall Frames & Wall Art
Kitchen & Dining Little Luxuries
As someone who loves to cook and uses the kitchen daily, I like to collect pieces that are both pretty and functional. That’s why I love having my home coffee bar and tea station. Similarly, I like to burn candles, but don’t want to have to worry about the cats getting too close — hence my clear hurricane candle holders with coordinated glass to match the space!
One of my latest little home luxuries for the kitchen is this pretty pitcher for batching iced tea. Whether I use loose leaf tea or tea bags, having pre-made iced tea in the refrigerator has been a nice treat in the afternoons — and all the better since it’s in a nice container, too! Between iced tea batches, the pitcher is also quite handy for watering my plants during catio time with my cats!
Speaking of cats, and similar to the candle holders, I decided to try my hand at faux flower arranging. If you have cats who like to chew on your plants — or you like the look of flowers that are not pet safe — faux flowers are a great option. I chose flowers that we had at our wedding, and used some of the vases from various wedding events or that we had collected over the years. My favorite, though, is the tiny Baby Yoda arrangement I put together!
Cozy Corners & Library Nooks
For the various bookish spaces in my home, I like to create cozy corners with different colors and texture. Some of my bookshelves have themes, while others are a bit more free flow. In my office, for example, I keep my collection of Penguin Clothbound Classics, all-time favorite reads, and other books that are important to me for various reasons, along with all the little trinkets I’ve collected over the years. This makes my office bookshelves feel like an extension of my personality, and they offer no shortage of inspiration if I am feeling stuck with work.
Meanwhile, in my living room, I have shelves dedicated to cat themed books (we’ve collected a lot of these), along with our ever-growing Word Cloud Classics collection. Brett and I began collecting these a few years ago, and we generally pick one up whenever we come across them on trips. Our collection grew quickly when I came across a pretty Jane Austen set of this style!
To make the space extra cozy, we keep a whole collection of blankets at hand on a low-profile blanket ladder, and there are always colorful crochet coasters I’ve made on our coffee table, ready for a mug of tea or other tasty drink. This makes the space nice and soothing at the end of the day, when I settle in for my nightly ritual of reading a bit before bed.
Reader-Approved Home Finds
Want to make the most of your cozy reading nook?
Click here to get my free printable book tracker — a simple, pretty way to keep track of what you’re reading, what you want to pick up next, and all those little details that make being a book lover extra special.
Little Luxuries for Staying Organized
As much as I would love for my house to be clutter free, it’s just not in the cards for me. So, instead of fighting my nature, I’ve embraced it and found some simple solutions to help manage the clutter. This typically comes in the form of decorative baskets for open shelves or countertops, or styling groups of similar items together to make a cohesive-but-usable space.
As far as useful little home luxuries go, the catch-all bowl I have in our kitchen is top of list. I keep my sunglasses, headphones, lip balm, and other little grab-and-go pieces in there. It keeps everything in one spot, and I can easily move the whole bowl if I need the entire counter for meal prep.
Relatedly, this low-profile clear tray has been super helpful for bathroom counter clutter. I keep the little makeup pieces I use regularly in there, along with stray hair ties, bobby pins, and so on. It also helps if you have cats who like to knock things off counters (IE: Emory).
Cat-Friendly Touches That Work for You, Too
As referenced a few times above, some of the little home luxuries we’ve collected are cat related — whether directly or indirectly.
When I think of little home luxuries for cat parents, I think of the items that our fur babies love and that make our lives easier. Our new pet fountain, for example, is sleek in its design, easy to clean, super quiet, and the cats love it! It was a bit of an investment, but worth every penny. Read my full review of the fountain here!
Relatedly, finding unique and aesthetically designed cat furniture and accessories has really added to the cozy home vibe we’ve cultivated. The kitties love to lounge our Mau Cento Cat Tree, and I love how it looks next to our living room furniture. Relatedly, the sleek and thoughtful designs from Catenary Home are calling my cats’ names — especially after I discovered these bowls of theirs! The products may seem simple, but the impact that design has on the little details of daily life matter a great deal.
P.S. Enjoy 15% off when you shop Catenary Home with our exclusive code “KING15”!
Aesthetic Cat Finds for the Home
Making Your Space Truly Yours
As I said above, it takes time to make your space truly yours. And little home luxuries vary from person to person. Consider what aspects of your home and routine matter most to you and devote some time and energy to finding small upgrades in those areas. If you are eager to create your dream home library (like I was!), then emphasize bookish finds. If you want to tame clutter aesthetically, keep an eye out for pretty baskets and bowls you can use to optimize your routine. All that matters is you decorate with intention — give yourself time and space and it’ll all come together!
Do you have a little home luxury that makes a big difference for you? Which of the pieces I shared above do you want to try?
Share your experience and insights in the comments below!
Shop these Elevated Home Finds
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