9 Game-Changing Products That'll Seriously Upgrade Your Home

From comfy bedding to appliances that will make your life easier to home goods that'll make you smile, here's what BuzzFeed editors and writers are loving this month.

We hope you love the products we recommend! Just so you know, BuzzFeed may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. Oh, and FYI — prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.

This post features a mix of items that we purchased with our own money and those that were provided to us at no cost for the sake of review. (But! We’re under no obligation to write a review of those things, let alone a positive review.)

1. A customizable, comfy couch with a modern design that'll stand up to wear-and-tear like none other.

Burrow, Emmy Favilla / BuzzFeed

I recently moved and decided it was high time to upgrade my couch situation from the lime-green microfiber hand-me-down that had seen better days. Specifically, before it had seen the wrath of my cat, Benny, who like most cats you probably know, has claws and isn't afraid to use them wherever and whenever he sees fit.

I decided to challenge my long-standing motto of "You can have pets or you can have nice things, but you can't have both!!" when I heard about Burrow. Playing off the millennial-approved bed-in-a-box format, Burrow exclusively offers sofas — only one style, but there are size, color, and design customization options, which I'll get to in a minute — all of which are conveniently ordered online and delivered to your door in a box (or, more likely, several boxes). What attracted me to the Burrow couch above all else is that it apparently was put through an animal claw scratch test (?), among other durability tests, and so the company says it can "stand up to the roughest of pets." Color me intrigued! Also cool: the couch's fabric is free of chemical treatment and designed to be stain-resistant, the wood is made from sustainably sourced materials, and the couch includes a hidden USB charging port tucked away in the left corner.

The design of the Burrow is simple, clean, and modern, and you can choose from a one-seater (armchair) through four-seater (king sofa), select whether you'd like high or low armrests, and of course choose the color (from among five fabric shades and three leg colors). They also give you the option of pairing it with a chaise or ottoman. I went with a gray loveseat — aka a two-seater — which arrived as three separate boxes. I was skeptical of the company's claim that assembly takes 10 minutes, but assembly-phobes, you can indeed rest easy: It took a solid 15 and no tools were even necessary! I was also pleasantly surprised by how comfy it is; I've already taken two impromptu naps on the sofa, and it's more comfortable than its design might lead the naked eye to assume it is.

The verdict: I'm super-happy with my Burrow loveseat! For the quality of the product, the price is reasonable, and so far, I haven't noticed any visible wear-and-tear from my scratch-happy cat, and the tweed-y material leads me to believe its durability claims are indeed founded — but I suppose only time will tell on that front. I haven't made use of the USB port yet since outlets in the room are scarce, but I appreciate the added bonus of this couch from the future. If you're looking for a timeless design at a not-absurd price that's a breeze to put together, couldn't be easier to customize and order, and just may stand up to stains and pets for quite some time, Burrow's couches are a no-brainer. —Emmy Favilla

Get the loveseat from Burrow for $795 and other sofas from $495–$1,745 (available in beige, red, gray, navy, and charcoal); Burrow is also available on Amazon. Shipping is free and Burrow products come with a 30-day trial period.

2. A wall mount to help you make the most of limited space so you can binge-watch in comfort.

Elena Garcia / BuzzFeed

A few years ago, we pretended we were adults and bought a tiny but beautiful old Edwardian home in San Francisco built in 1905, which means it and all its charm survived the 1906 earthquake. Knowing this, it’s become really important to us to preserve the many intricate details that give it so much character — including maintaining the original wood paneling that lines nearly EVERY. FUCKIN. WALL. It’s a gorgeous carved oak that is far too intimidatingly beautiful to ever paint over or hang anything on. To make matters worse, the walls that aren’t lined with the oak paneling are covered in gigantic rounded windows, which, like, beautiful, scenic, blah blah blah — the whole setup is the most impractical thing. So much so that for the last three years we’ve literally had our TV on the floor; with nowhere to hang a wall mount and definitely not enough space for a TV stand, our little 42” flat-screen sat alone pushed up against a wall. Every Netflix show we watched, every YouTube video we laughed at, every tear we shed during episodes of This Is Us was done while staring down at the floor.

Finally, after yet another neck cramp, we decided it was time to figure something out. We rearranged furniture, played with the idea of hanging it from the ceiling (this was a front-runner for a long time), and even considered getting rid of our TV entirely and becoming those people who just read or whatever (which, no). And then we found this flexible wall mount on Amazon. It’s made of a heavy-gauge steel that securely holds our TV, tilts about 15 degrees, swivels 180 degrees, extends 20 inches, and retracts to 2.2 inches to save space. But the best part — the part that is just so heavenly it must have been sent from the television gods themselves — is that the part of the mount that attaches to the wall is only 2 inches wide!!! TWO INCHES. Which means it was able to fit our very limited amount of wall space. And, because it swivels and extends, we were able to position our TV in a place where drilling holes didn’t feel like we were destroying historical artifacts while still letting us totally enjoy our favorite programming in comfort. It’s amazing!!!! It has, quite literally, brought our TV viewing to new heights. —Elena Garcia

Get it from Amazon for $21.99+ (available in four sizes).

3. The Scour Daddy — a hardy but affordable sponge that will make doing the dishes a way less daunting task.

Bek O'Connell / BuzzFeed

By now you've probably heard of the Scrub Daddy — the happy-looking sponge that made it big on Shark Tank. While I can agree with seemingly everyone that it's a great cleaning tool, I could never get behind its high price. It turns out that the best compromise is the Scour Daddy (which costs $3.99 for a three-pack on Bed Bath & Beyond). It still has the iconic smiley face (thank god), but it's closer in design to your usual sponge. The twist is that it's wrapped in Armortec, or as I call it, sponge chainmail. The added layer makes it a tough little sponge that cuts through even the concrete-est of food debris without damaging nonstick pans. It also has a little loop on the corner so you can hang it up when you're done scrubbing.

I know it's weird to have an emotional attachment to a sponge, but damn do I love these things. They last forever and make cleaning like, 15% more enjoyable, which is a huge feat for a sponge. So far I've only had to throw them away because they were worn out or discolored. No mildew smell! If you spend a lot of time doing dishes and hate mildew, you need this sponge in your arsenal. —Bek O'Connell

Get a three-pack from Bed Bath & Beyond for $3.99 or a six-pack from Amazon for $14.41.

4. A splurge-worthy slow juicer, so you'll never have to feel guilty about your expensive fresh-pressed-juice habit again.

Yi Yang / BuzzFeed

I love drinking fresh pressed juices, but I hate paying $12 a bottle for them. Every time I stop by my favorite juice shop, I always consider the fact that I could probably save this money...and use it for a down payment someday. I’d considered buying a slow juicer for a long time but wasn’t sure if I could justify spending a couple hundred dollars for a uni-tasking appliance. A couple of months ago, I came across the Hurom personal slow juicer and decided to give it try. I wasn’t expecting a lot, but was actually pleasantly surprised with how much I liked it.

First of all, it’s compact in size, which means I can squeeze it next to my blender on my tiny kitchen cart. Secondly, it's a lovely shade of mint green (it's also available in white and pink), so I actually don’t mind having it out in the open — which is great, because I honestly have no more cabinet space. Thirdly — and most importantly! — it’s very efficient. When I was younger, my grandpa had a juicer that would leave tons of pulp in and randomly stop functioning because a tiny seed was stuck in the gears. That said, I’m naturally a little bit skeptical of juicers. I tested the Hurom out with soft ingredients first: grapes, oranges, and cucumbers. It easily churned out the liquids and separated the peels and pulp. The juice came out perfectly! I didn’t need to filter it at all, and the pulp was quite dry.

After witnessing such a stellar performance, I used it to juice carrots, which is a lot harder to get right. I followed the directions and cut the carrots into little chunks before feeding them into the juicer. To my surprise, it handled the carrots with ease. There’s a very helpful reverse function that easily dislodges anything that gets caught in the gears (which happened twice). I made a full 16 ounces of juice with approximately half a bunch of carrots, which is still a LOT cheaper than if I had bought a bottle. Plus, it’s fresh!

The instruction manual wasn’t very clear on how to clean the appliance, but after a quick search on YouTube, I figured out how the pieces fit together, and disassembling and washing everything became pretty easy. The juicer comes with special brushes to help scrub away pulp pieces, which was a godsend —because believe me, you do not want to pick pieces of pulp off metal mesh with your fingers. While there are a lot of loose parts to clean, it's not enough to deter me from using it. I’ve had it for more than a couple months now, and it hasn’t given me any problems. Overall, it just feels like a high-quality appliance that, with proper care, should last a long time. The instruction booklet also said it can make sorbet or nut milk, which I haven’t tried yet, but it’s good to know that it can be quite versatile.

TL;DR: If you buy more than a couple juices a week, getting a personal slow juicer is 100% worth the money. The one I have is around $300, which sounds pretty steep, but honestly, it pays for itself within a couple months. If you think about it, it’s basically 30 $10 juices! —Yi Yang

Get it from Amazon, Walmart, or Bed Bath & Beyond for $299 (available in white, mint green, and pink).

5. An artistic shower curtain that’ll help you *face* your morning routine.

Elizabeth Lilly / BuzzFeed, Target

My home decor tastes are a combo of weird, creepy, and glam, and I wanted to capitalize on my first solo apartment by embodying that wherever I could. A shower curtain seemed like a good place to start, but my bathroom’s black, white, and burgundy tile scheme left me with few options that wouldn’t be overwhelming. After all, you spend a lot of time in the “library”!

I sought out some black-and-white options and found this $8 creepy beaut from Target, emailed the link to myself, and continued my search. Lo and behold, a few days later this plastic face stared at me from my Instagram feed and it looked 10x better in that pic than in Target’s shiny product photo. The price was lower than I’d expected to pay for a new curtain, but I threw down for a $15 storage shower curtain liner (that I reviewed here), so I thought it’d be a good balance.

Why is it so cheap? Well, it’s plastic. But that makes it easy to wipe down with a sponge and cleaner, which is preferable for my sitch because I don’t have laundry machines in my apartment building. I adore this curtain and have been ~showered~ with compliments on it when others saw it in my Instagram story and at my housewarming. I even recently bought a second one, just in case something happens to my first one and Target stops selling it! —Elizabeth Lilly

Get it from Target for $7.99.

6. A fruit tart pet bed, because how can you even look at these photos and question whether or not you should buy this thing if you have a cat??

Mallory Mower / BuzzFeed

My favorite kind of shopping is cute-induced impulse shopping. And although I occasionally splurge on some fine ice cream–themed home décor for myself, for the most part, the treasures I find are for the real treasures in my life, my cats. I have functional items for them, like a lovely hidden litter box, window hammock, and cat stroller (yup, sure do, don’t judge) — and yet the best purchase I have ever made (and my kittos would meow loudly in agreement) is this fruit tart bed. I am obsessed with it, they are obsessed with it, and Instagram is too (the higher judgment we should all look to when trying to improve our lives). This thing cost me $30, which is basically the same amount as the overpriced NYC fruit tarts I’ll buy from a local bakery, you know, for eating. But unlike my organic lychee and rose chocolate tart, this everlasting gobstopper of a dessert will last forever. A fact that helps me (and especially my cats) sleep at night.

The bed itself is pretty small, my cats are Bambinos, so they have shorty legs, and with the fruit inside I think this would best fit a kitten. That being said, the fruit comes out of the tart and leaves plenty of room for any well-fed full-grown feline. My cats hate everything I buy for them because they are resilient and refuse to be suckered into loving me through monetary things, but for some reason only the Amazon gods understand, they took to this immediately. From my impressive background studying feline behavior (I watched a lot of Animal Planet as a kid), I think one of the reasons they like this bed so much is that the "crust" is both sturdy enough to stand on its own, and soft enough for them to stretch and tuck into. Switching our focus to the fruity bits, this bed is a particular treat because the berries are the perfect size for my kittos to chomp on and play with. They also seem mesmerized by watching the fruits roll around on the floor, something that is easy for them to do alone when I’m not around. My cat Blair prefers to tuck into the bed and use the berries as pillows; her brother Chuck prefers to attack the entire thing and attempt to devour it in one (literal) sitting. Which makes me admire this thing for its quality as well. It has held up far better than anything Chuck has set his hungry eyes on before (pics to prove it) and I’m thoroughly impressed.

This bed is worth it for its absolutely merciless whimsy. It’ll put a smile on your face just to look at it, but it’s also dang satisfying to find a product I love as much as my cats do — that, my pet-parent friends, is what makes this fruit tart bed seriously sweet. —Mallory Mower

Get it from Amazon for $29.99.

7. A luxurious AF mattress that will keep you cool throughout the night and be one of the best investments you make for your body.

Emmy Favilla / BuzzFeed, Bedgear

Mattress shopping is hard. There are SO many mattresses on the market, and while the allure of a conveniently shipped bed in a box that you can order from the comfort of your current mattress is very real, so is the struggle to find one that won't make you wake up in a puddle of sweat (gross, but it happens!) or lead to an achy back in the morning.

Amid the sea of Caspers and Purples and Eights is a lesser-known brand called Bedgear, which I myself had never heard of before. But when they offered me the opportunity to try out one of their "performance" mattresses, I took it, because who wouldn't love the opportunity to sleep on a ridiculously comfortable mattress that promises to contour to your body and temperature-regulate while you sleep? The M1X Performance Mattress I chose is one of two mattresses the company offers, this one being the higher-end version; the other, the M1 mattress, starts at $599. The 12-inch foam mattress has tons of perks, like a fabric surface that wicks away moisture, and three layers above the foam base designed to maximize air flow, reduce heat, and keep you cool. It's also odor- and emissions-free, made from environmentally friendly materials, and free of formaldehyde (often used to make an the adhesive that holds mattresses together) and heavy metals. I prefer my mattresses constructed with the sorts of stuff that doesn't potentially lead to cancer or exacerbate allergies, so I considered all of these points a win.

Sure, there are a slew of shockingly affordable mattresses available online — like the customer-favorite Zinus green tea mattress — and while this mattress may not necessarily be categorized as a "budget" pick, it's also not unreasonably priced. Especially because it delivers on all its promises! I have been sleeping on my Bedgear mattress for over a month now, and it's been nothing but a delight since day one. It's kept me cool and comfortable on hot and humid evenings when I didn't have the AC on, the bed is just soft enough without feeling like you're collapsing into it, and I (a notoriously light sleeper) feel nary a disturbance when my boyfriend moves around on his side of the bed.

You spend a hefty chunk of your life in your bed, and if you're in the market for a new mattress, you might want to give this investment-worthy "performance" mattress a try — you can't put a price on the best sleep of your life, tbh. And bonus: If it's not the best sleep of your life? It comes with a 100-day risk-free trial! —Emmy Favilla

Get the MX1 Performance Mattress from Bedgear for $849–$1,499 (available in twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, and California king).

8. A Keurig with an iced-coffee feature, so you can get your caffeine fix at home and stay cool for the summer.

Kayla Suazo / BuzzFeed

When I got my first Keurig in college, it was love at first sight. I dreaded making coffee with a standard pot because I'd inevitably wind up making it either too strong or too watery. Plus, I never needed an entire pot of coffee — I wanted just a quick cup so I could get out the door and to class on time. My Keurig solved all of these problems and easily earned its status as one my all-time favorite Christmas presents from my parents.

Fast-forward five years: My Keurig had survived multiples moves and become my most loyal kitchen appliance. Now, in 2018, technology is advancing and all that jazz, so it pretty much made sense that Keurig would release a model that can make FREAKIN’ ICED COFFEE (dreams really do come true). As an avid coffee drinker (both of the hot and iced variety), I knew that my time with my old Keurig had come to an end. An iced-coffee feature made all the difference to me, especially on hot summer days when my AC-less apartment was blazing and a cup of scorching joe was too much.

I said my goodbyes, gave my old Keurig to my sister-in-law, and introduced the K-Elite (so fancy!) to my life. It has a super-sleek design, and I love the silver finish on the top. There is no touchscreen on this model — something that I thought I’d miss from the older one, but I’ve actually grown to really like. It has simple but helpful settings that my old Keurig didn’t, the first and most obvious one being the iced-coffee feature, which is truly amazing. You simply fill up a **PLASTIC** cup with ice and brew like you regularly would with a K-cup. I poured my iced coffee into a glass after it was done brewing, for ~aesthetic purposes~, but if you put ice in a glass and pour a hot beverage over it…I mean, you know, it will shatter.

The coffeemaker offers has five brew sizes ( 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 oz.) and a high-altitude feature to ensure it works properly at altitudes higher than 5,000 feet. The water reservoir is 75 oz., and math is hard so I will let you figure out how many cups you can get out of one refill, but I will say it does last a while. On top of all that, it also has an attachable water filter in the reservoir, which is a nice addition that my old model didn't have. One of my favorite features (besides the iced coffee, of course) is the auto-on and auto-off settings, which I can set to turn on in the morning and then off to save energy. Plus! It has a descaling light to let me know when I need to buy descaling solution and give it a good cleaning so it stays working properly. On a scale from 1-10, the K-Elite gets a 100 from me. And knowing how long my last Keurig lasted me, I am excited to have this guy around for a while. —Kayla Suazo

Get it from Amazon, Walmart, or Jet for $169.99 (available in slate and silver finishes).

9. And a comforter that'll basically transform your bed into a super-soft work of art.

society6.com, Anamaria Glavan / BuzzFeed

I’m a huge fan of Society6. Not only are the site's products top-notch in terms of quality, but the company also supports independent artists by featuring their designs — meaning if you buy from Society6, your money is directly going to the artists who designed your products. So, yeah, amazing! I’ve been wanting to try out their bedding for a while, and finally decided to get this gorgeous white marble comforter.

The comforter is truly so, so, so soft. Like, it feels so luxurious — as if it had cost hundreds of dollars, tbh. It also keeps me warm on chilly nights, but manages to be lightweight enough for hot, humid summer weather. (And I can’t sleep without a blanket, so finding a comforter that doesn’t make me feel like I’m being suffocated in my air conditioner-less room is HUGE plus.)

ALSO! This comforter is double-sided: It has a unique marble print one one side and a plain white canvas on the other. So if you’re starting to get sick of the ~look~ of your comforter? Just flip it over! It’ll feel as if you got a whole new bedding set. And if you hate the marble design, this exact product comes in hundreds and hundreds of gorgeous prints, patterns, and colors you won’t find anywhere else. Think comforters designed with everything from unicorns and coffee to vibrant florals and space. —Anamaria Glavan

Get it from Society6 for $99+ (available in twin, twin XL, full, queen, and king sizes).

Looking for the perfect gift for any occasion? Check out all of BuzzFeed’s gift guides!

Allison Krausman / BuzzFeed

UPDATE

Jun. 17, 2018, at 15:55 PM

The description of the Burrow product has been updated to specify that the couch's fabric is free of chemical treatment.