Because making home feel a little more special doesn't have to mean spending a lot.
I love a beautiful home.
But I don't think making your home feel special requires replacing your furniture, redecorating every season or spending hundreds of dollars on things you don't really need.
Usually, it's the smaller things I notice most.
A lamp glowing in the corner instead of the overhead light.
Coffee in a mug I actually love.
A really soft blanket on the sofa.
Music playing while I'm making dinner.
Little things that make an ordinary Tuesday evening feel just a bit nicer.
So I've put together some of my favorite little home luxuries—all under $50.
Nothing here is necessary.
That's sort of the point.
They're simply little things that make being home feel better.
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
01 A Rechargeable Table Lamp
This may be one of my favorite small home upgrades.
A little cordless lamp can completely change the feeling of a kitchen counter, dining table, bookshelf or dark corner.
Turn off the overhead lights, switch on a few smaller lamps and suddenly the entire room feels different.
And because rechargeable lamps don't need to live next to an outlet, you can put one almost anywhere.
Little Escape Pick — $
A simple rechargeable lamp with warm adjustable lighting. I have this one on the desk in my office.
[Shop the Little Escape Pick →] Cordless Touch Lamp
Little Escape Upgrade — $$
A more decorative cordless lamp that's pretty enough to leave out all day.
[Shop the Little Escape Upgrade →] Cordless Lotus Flower Lamp
02 A Really Good Throw Blanket
There are blankets.
And then there are blankets everyone in the house quietly competes for.
I'm talking about the oversized, ridiculously soft one that lives permanently on the sofa.
Choose something neutral enough to leave out year-round and it becomes less of a decoration and more of an everyday luxury.
Little Escape Pick — $
A super-soft everyday throw for the sofa, reading chair or end of the bed.
[Shop the Little Escape Pick →] Reversible Throw Blanket
Little Escape Upgrade — $$
A heavier oversized throw with beautiful texture and that extra-cozy hotel-lounge feeling.
[Shop the Little Escape Upgrade →] Chunky Cable Knot Throw Blanket
03 A Mug You Actually Love Drinking From
This sounds ridiculously small.
It is.
But if you drink coffee or tea every day, your favorite mug might get used hundreds of times a year.
That's exactly the kind of little luxury I like.
Find one that feels good in your hands, holds enough coffee and makes that first cup in the morning feel just a tiny bit nicer.
Little Escape Pick — $
A pretty oversized ceramic mug for coffee, tea or hot chocolate.
[Shop the Little Escape Pick →] Extra Large Ceramic Mug
Little Escape Upgrade — $$
A set of beautiful everyday mugs so you can share the good-mug experience.
[Shop the Little Escape Upgrade →] Large Stoneware Coffee Mugs
04 A Mug Warmer
If you've ever made coffee, forgotten about it and reheated it approximately seventeen times before noon, this one is for you.
A mug warmer isn't glamorous.
It is, however, wonderful.
Keep one on your desk, beside your reading chair or wherever your coffee normally goes to die.
Little Escape Pick — $
A simple electric mug warmer with automatic shutoff.
[Shop the Little Escape Pick →] Desk Mug Warmer
Little Escape Upgrade — $$
A temperature-controlled heated mug that keeps your coffee or tea at just the right temperature from the first sip to the last. This one is a little over $50 but worth the splurge if you are frequently reheating your coffee or tea.
[Shop the Little Escape Upgrade →] Heated Coffee Mug
05 Glassware You Don't Save for Company
I used to think the “nice glasses” were for company.
Now I think Tuesday deserves a nice glass too.
Sparkling water with lemon.
Iced tea.
A cocktail.
Wine.
Even plain water feels a little different when you pour it into a glass you genuinely like.
It's such a small thing, but that's exactly what I love about it. You don't need a special occasion to use the pretty things you already have.
Little Escape Pick — $
A set of pretty everyday glasses that makes even sparkling water and iced tea feel a little more special.
[Shop the Little Escape Pick →] Vintage Beaded Hobnail Tumbler
Little Escape Upgrade — $$
A set of beautiful ribbed or vintage-inspired glassware that's elegant enough for entertaining but practical enough to actually use every day.
[Shop the Little Escape Upgrade →] Vintage Embossed Glassware
06 Cloth Napkins for Ordinary Dinner
Not just Thanksgiving.
Not just when people are coming over.
Tuesday.
Cloth napkins are one of the easiest ways to make a regular dinner table feel more intentional, and they don't have to be fancy.
Choose washable linen-look or cotton napkins in a neutral color and use them constantly.
Little Escape Pick — $
A washable set of simple cloth napkins for everyday dinners.
[Shop the Little Escape Pick →] Terracotta Fall Linen Blend Napkins
Little Escape Upgrade — $$
A softer linen or linen-blend set with a slightly more relaxed, elevated look.
[Shop the Little Escape Upgrade →] Vintage Floral Cloth Napkins
Little Escape Extra - $
07 A Pretty Carafe for Your Nightstand
This is one of those things that feels unnecessarily fancy.
Which is precisely why I like it.
A small glass carafe beside the bed makes getting a drink in the middle of the night feel strangely luxurious.
Bonus points if the drinking glass fits over the top.
Little Escape Pick — $
A simple bedside water carafe with matching glass.
[Shop the Little Escape Pick →] Bedside Water Carafe
Little Escape Upgrade — $$
A beautiful glass carafe set that's pretty enough for a guest room, nightstand or desk.
[Shop the Little Escape Upgrade →] Vintage Water Carafe Set
08 A Small Speaker for Background Music
Music changes a room almost as much as lighting does.
Put on quiet jazz while making dinner.
Italian café music for pasta night.
Acoustic music on Sunday morning.
A cozy playlist while reading.
You don't need a complicated sound system. A small Bluetooth speaker tucked onto a shelf is enough to change the atmosphere.
Little Escape Pick — $
A compact Bluetooth speaker that's easy to move from room to room.
[Shop the Little Escape Pick →] Bluetooth Speaker
Little Escape Upgrade — $$
A prettier speaker with fuller sound that can stay out as part of the room.
[Shop the Little Escape Upgrade →] Lantern Bluetooth Speaker
09 A Beautiful Tray
This might be one of the most useful things on the list.
Put one on your coffee table with a candle and a book.
Use one to corral oils beside the stove.
Create a little coffee station.
Carry drinks outside.
Put one on the bed with coffee and croissants on a slow Saturday morning.
A tray somehow makes completely ordinary things look intentional.
Little Escape Pick — $
A simple wooden or woven tray that works almost anywhere in the house.
[Shop the Little Escape Pick →] Round Wood Tray
Little Escape Upgrade — $$
A larger decorative tray that's substantial enough for a coffee table or ottoman.
[Shop the Little Escape Upgrade →] Large Round Coffee Table Tray
10 A Candle Warmer Lamp
If you love the atmosphere of candles but don't always want an open flame, a candle warmer lamp gives you both fragrance and that beautiful little pool of light.
It also makes a regular candle look like part of the room instead of something you forgot on the counter.
Little Escape Pick — $
A simple candle warmer lamp with adjustable brightness.
[Shop the Little Escape Pick →] Candle Warmer Lamp with Timer
Little Escape Upgrade — $$
A more decorative version that looks like a small accent lamp even when you're not using a candle. I have this one in my living room and love it!
[Shop the Little Escape Upgrade →] Flower Candle Warmer Lamp
Little Escape Extra - $
11 A Pillow Upgrade
You don't need six new decorative pillows.
Sometimes you just need one really comfortable one.
Or even better—keep the inserts you already own and change the covers.
A beautiful linen, velvet, boucle or woven pillow can add texture without requiring an entire room makeover.
Little Escape Pick — $
A pair of textured pillow covers for the inserts you already have.
[Shop the Little Escape Pick →] Corduroy Decorative Pillow Covers
Little Escape Upgrade — $$
One beautiful oversized pillow with a down-alternative insert for the corner everyone wants to sit in.
[Shop the Little Escape Upgrade →] Oversized Throw Pillow Covers
12 A Little Something for the Bathroom
The bathroom is one of the easiest rooms to make feel nicer without actually renovating anything.
Put hand soap in a pretty dispenser.
Add a small tray.
Buy the ridiculously fluffy hand towels.
Keep a nice hand cream beside the sink.
It's a tiny change, but suddenly the room feels more like a boutique hotel and less like the place where everyone leaves toothpaste in the sink.
Little Escape Pick — $
A pretty soap dispenser and small sink-side tray.
[Shop the Little Escape Pick →] Glass soap Dispenser Acacia Wood Riser
Little Escape Upgrade — $$
A coordinated little countertop set that instantly makes the bathroom feel more finished.
[Shop the Little Escape Upgrade →] 6PCS Glass Accessories
13 A Bedside Reading Light
There's something especially cozy about getting into bed with a book and a little pool of warm light beside you.
A clip-on reading light works perfectly if you don't have room for another lamp.
If you do have the space, a small bedside lamp with dimmable warm light makes the entire room feel softer at night.
Little Escape Pick — $
A rechargeable reading light for nighttime reading without lighting the entire room.
[Shop the Little Escape Pick →] Rechargeable Wall Scones
Little Escape Upgrade — $$
A dimmable bedside lamp with warm light for reading and winding down.
[Shop the Little Escape Upgrade →] Industrial Bedside Lamp
14 Something That Makes Breakfast Feel Like Breakfast
Not breakfast eaten standing beside the kitchen counter while checking email.
Actual breakfast.
Maybe it's a little butter dish.
A pretty jam jar.
A tiny pitcher for cream.
A wooden toast rack.
Or simply two matching bowls you really like.
You don't need all of them.
Choose one little thing that makes a slow Saturday breakfast feel different from every other morning.
Little Escape Pick — $
One pretty little piece you'll actually use for breakfast instead of saving for company.
[Shop the Little Escape Pick →] Creamer Pitcher
Little Escape Upgrade — $$
A pretty cream-and-sugar set or butter dish with coordinating serving pieces that makes weekend coffee and toast feel a little more like breakfast at a favorite little inn. I have this set with a matching tea set. I use it when I am feeling fancy!
[Shop the Little Escape Upgrade →] Sugar & Creamer Set
15 A Basket for the Things That Never Have a Home
Blankets.
Books.
Magazines.
Chargers.
The knitting project you swear you're going to finish.
Every house has things that migrate around the living room.
Put them in a beautiful basket and suddenly it looks like organization was the plan all along.
Little Escape Pick — $
A soft woven basket for blankets, pillows and everyday clutter.
[Shop the Little Escape Pick →] Large Woven Basket
Little Escape Upgrade — $$
A structured woven basket that's attractive enough to leave beside the sofa permanently.
[Shop the Little Escape Upgrade →] Large Woven Storage Basket
The Best Little Luxuries Aren't Really About the Things
Here's what I've realized.
Most of these things aren't particularly exciting on their own.
It's what they encourage you to do.
The blanket makes you sit down.
The lamp makes you turn off the harsh overhead light.
The serving board makes you put cheese and crackers on the table and pour a glass of wine.
The speaker makes you put music on while you're cooking.
The pretty mug makes you sit with your coffee for five minutes instead of carrying it around while doing six other things.
That's what makes them feel luxurious.
They're tiny reminders to enjoy the place where so much of life actually happens.
You don't need everything on this list.
Pick one thing that would make an ordinary part of your day feel a little nicer.
That's usually where the best little escapes begin.
The Little Edit
Thoughtful finds for making a little more of everyday life.
This is where I share the little things I find for home, entertaining, celebrations and everyday escapes—the things that don't necessarily cost a lot but can make ordinary moments feel a little more special.
Where should we escape to next?
Affiliate Disclosure
Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you purchase through one of these links, The Little Escape may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only share finds that fit the style and spirit of The Little Edit.
