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    56 Small Tips To Make Your Place Look So Much Better In 2021

    New year, new view with little tweaks to get you hyped about your digs again like adding a luxe-looking seashell pillow, using wood filler to hide scratches and dings, and hiding your modem with fake books.

    1. Add magnetic garage handles and faux windows that'll 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.

    2. Kick the blinds to the curb and get some privacy without the cord (it can be dangerous for kids and pets!) by applying a window film that'll still let in SO much light. I did this to my bathroom window and congratulate myself for it every day.

    reviewer's window with holographic geometric frosted covering

    3. Refinish tired metal furniture with some metallic spray paint for a weekend afternoon project that'll have substantial payoff. Just look at that zhuzhed bistro set!

    4. Hang up a tapestry (or something more substantial than a poster or print) that'll skim over any dents, unsightly utility panel doors, scuffs, or other marks that distract from your aesthetic.

    natural rope macrame wall hanging with tassels

    5. Use a bottle of leather conditioner to revive your leather goods *even* as large as a leather couch! Welcome to your next project while you catch up on the latest ep of your fave true-crime podcast!

    6. Pull together decor for an outdoor room or just cover up an ugly surface with an indoor/outdoor rug built to weather rain and more.

    outdoor room with the rug pulling all the decor together

    7. Or cover up with interlocking teak tiles you don't need tools to install. That concrete patio slab is older than you, but it doesn't have to look that way.

    8. Swap out one of those weird long pillows (sorry!) for a ~streamlined~ door draft stopper to keep fall gusts from coming in under the door. It'll just look like a natural part of your door so other decor design choices (like that cute welcome mat) can shine!

    9. Hang 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.

    10. Recover ugly throw pillows with cute shams that'll cost less than a horde of brand-new cushions would.

    stack of velvet pillows on a couch

    11. Or treat yourself to a seashell pillow for MUCH cheaper than you'll see in a cool vintage shop.

    12. Give yourself some peace of mind if you're into open windows for the sake of a breeze with this low-key motion sensor you can place on your partially opened window that'll act like your guard dog while ya' snooze. And if you upgrade this plan, you can save on homeowner's insurance!

    open window with minimalist white motion sensor for security

    13. Cover up dings and discoloration on door frames and molding with some wood scratch cover so everything will blend in like normal. Also, it requires no sanding or refinishing! Cue to you on the prowl for more wood surfaces you can fix up.

    14. And hide smaller scratches on your fave furniture with a set of wood repair markers. We love a repair instead of a replacement product!

    15. Or dress up that water stain that won't quit with a charming burlap table runner because people will just assume that you're always ready to entertain.

    wood dining table with burlap stripe runner on it

    16. Tuck stray cords outta the way with cable clip organizers because you need your phone charger by your bed but you don't have to trip over it or make it take center stage.

    close up of mountable cable clips

    17. Tidy up a modem-y mess by hiding it behind a bookish disguise as a decorative touch that's more useful than anyone could expect.

    before pic of modems out in the open and then after pic of row of faux books hiding the modem

    18. Distract from an unsightly lighting chain or cord with an electrical cord cover that'll look like it's just part of the decor.

    chandelier with neutral cover over the light fixture's chain that's hanging from the ceiling

    19. Erase the likes of spills, wine, and even Sharpie marker(!!!) with this powerful stain remover. As you can see, it even works on suede furniture.

    20. Invest in a hanging frame helper so you can finally get all your wall art up and make it feel like home without eyeballing it. (You can only lean so many frames prints against the wall as a "look.")

    21. *Artfully* corral items on your coffee table with a decorative tray that'll make it look perfectly styled — even if the other thing on the coffee table is an open pizza box serving as your dinner plate. (We've all been there, I vacation there often.)

    22. Mask an unsightly power strip in a sleek (but ventilated!) box that'll also keep kids and pets outta there.

    before pic of a messy cable strip then after of the box containing the same power strip but looking much neater

    23. Attach a roll of faux ivy to ugly wire fencing or railing with a view you don't love. Here's to a bit more privacy!

    24. Keep your floors in tip-top shape (and prevent some nails-on-chalkboard scrapes) by putting furniture protectors on furniture legs. Any year you can avoid refinishing your floors is a GREAT year.

    showing how you can't see the furniture protectors on a chair leg

    25. Park your bar soap on a silicone soap tray with plenty of ~tasteful~ draining space so the bottom half of that fancy soap your aunt gave you for Secret Santa won't become useless goo.

    gray soap dish with slots for draining water into the sink

    26. Make your kitchen sink's corner work for its dinner with a corner sponge organizer — it'll fit a surprising amount of dishwashing essentials in such a tiny space instead of them cluttering up your cleaning zone.

    kitchen sink with triangle shaped sponge and soap holder on the corner of a sink

    27. Invest in a lil' over-the-door cabinet organizer so you won't have to stare at a pile of hairstyling tools every time you go to brush your teeth. You'll be locating your hair dryer in record time!

    28. Stop the mess in your laundry room with a laundry-detergent drip catcher to help salvage some of that precious goo, so you can go a tad bit longer in between shopping trips.

    laundry detergent containers with the drip catcher on them

    29. Graduate from your mismatched collection to a set of silicone-coated kitchen utensils that are nice-looking but neutral enough to blend in a bit with everything in your kitchen.

    30. Revamp your under-things storage with a sock and underwear organizer to help you zero in on your lucky Halloween socks... and figure out which pair-less ones need the boot.

    Reviewer's before-and-after of a messy drawer, and the same drawer neatly organized in these bins

    31. Put down a luxe-looking runner in a hall or in front of your closets to help create a sense of *fawn-cy* space without hurting your budget. I own this very runner and love it every single day that I walk on it!

    burgundy and white rug runner

    32. Brighten an icky floor with a grout 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!

    33. Put out a welcome mat that'll signal to everyone that you made it nice inside. Also, what are you doing here without Dorinda?

    front door with brown welcome mat that says "what are you doing here without dorinda" from the real housewives of new york

    34. Stash all your plastic bags (hey, they make great bin liners plus you have to pay for them now in NYC!) with some plastic grocery bag wranglers light enough to hang on a hook on your wall *or* inside your kitchen cabinet. Just saying, these would look real cute in your pantry.

    two hanging bag organizers with a hand pulling a grocery bag out of the bottom of one

    35. If you pine for stainless-steel appliances, you can cop the look with some stainless-steel-effect contact paper to get you the modern look of fresh appliances for chump change. OK this takes a little more work, but look at that payoff!

    36. Use some stove burner covers to help you catch the mess right away on gas stovetops. Or just cover up some chipped or sorry-looking stovetops. (I live in a rental with a white gas stovetop that def has some unsightly chips on it, so I can relate!)

    37. Remove all sorts of stubborn rings that've been staring at you every time you're in the washroom using a pumice stone toilet bowl cleaner. Nope, you do NOT need a new toilet. Your OG just requires some zhuzhing.

    38. Or drop in a toilet fizzing bomb for a bathbomb-like effect on those nasty stains. Um, maybe cleaning the bathroom will be fun now?

    the toilet bombs that are the size of bath bombs

    39. Show that shower door who's boss with a commercial-grade cleaner that'll get at soap scum and grime on notoriously hard-to-clean shower doors. Seriously, shower doors are more or less scum magnets. It isn't fair but this spray will even the playing field.

    person spraying shower with the cleaner

    40. Treat your cat (and your eyeballs) to a pretty cat fountain for the feline who prefers running water out of the sink or toilet. Toilet who?

    white with splatter paint look sculptural cat fountain

    41. Give your towels some room to breathe and create a neater look in that bath your whole family uses with an over-the-door towel rack built with some hooks too so you can put your robe and clothes somewhere that isn't the floor or on top of the toilet.

    back of bathroom door with a towel rack that has three tiers of racks for towels

    42. Decant your shower products into a set of stainless-steel and glass soap dispensers that'll make your bathroom look like a spa.

    A customer review photo of four soap dispensers in their shower.

    43. Toss a punchy throw blanket with some pom-pom trim over your lackluster couch or chair to draw attention away from the fact that, wow, it's seen better days.

    yellow blanket with pom pom trim on it thrown over a beige couch

    44. Or if you are extremely glamorous, take a similar approach with a faux-sheepskin rug to throw on a chair seriously lacking in comfort, at the foot of your couch, or in a number of spots!

    white faux sheepskin rug on a wicker armchair

    45. While we're talking about faux-fur luxury, swap to 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.

    dog laying on faux sheepskin dog bed that looks like a nice rug

    46. Prevent the nightmare scenario of dirty dishes ending up in your beautiful coffee mug display or on the dinner table with a Christina Aguilera dishwasher magnet. (I prefer Dirrty in every other scenario.)

    Christina Aguilera dishwasher magnet with "Clean" and a clean cut makeup/hair look, then her from the "dirrty" music video

    47. Borrow a little air space above your go-to outlet with an outlet shelf *just* large enough for your electric toothbrush. Here's to a tidier sink!

    48. Pour your budget booze into an extremely nice-looking decanter and pair of glasses to park on the top tier of your bar cart for a v pricey look without the price to match it.

    hexagon-shape decanter and matching glasses

    49. Repair chips, dents, cracks, and other eyesores with a set of 50 wood fillers. Dog scratched up your hardwood floors? NBD.

    50. Mask the horror show underneath your bed with a sharp bed skirt to coordinate with your bedding.

    neutral bedroom with neat looking bed with bed skirt that obscures anything underneath the bed

    51. Make your AC (or another yard essential) blend in a bit more with a vinyl privacy screen that won't be an eyesore.

    52. Spiff up stainless-steel appliances with a plant-based stainless-steel cleaner and polish spray (that comes with a microfiber cloth) for a low-lift transformation. Appliances are expensive. Their upkeep shouldn't be!

    53. String up some (truly easy) 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.

    kitchen with plain white stock cabinets with lights underneath them to make it look so much better

    54. Mount a broom and mop organizer on a closet wall for a tidy "after" so you won't worry about an avalanche when you open that door. You know what I'm talking about.

    Reviewer's before-and-after of their broom and appliances on the floor, then held up by this organizer

    55. Corral "drop zone" stuff like mail, keys, and reusable grocery bags onto this tidy wall shelf instead of dumping them on your kitchen counter.

    organizing rack on wall

    56. Use a standing weeder (without the chemicals!) to help improve your view of your yard. You're not the only one who has trouble enjoying weed-filled scenery. And hey, while you're weeding with this there's no bending over! Your back will thank you.

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