The 9 Things In My House That I Splurged On, And Were Worth Every Penny
by Audie Metcalf
I recently bought and then renovated my first house. I was 45 when we bought it. We live in Los Angeles and so depending on where you are in the country, this might seem crazily late in life, or still unattainable. And while this isn’t really the right place to go over everything I learned for the bigger, structural stuff, it has been a full year of living in the house, and amazingly, most everything we invested in both house-wise and decor-wise, was really worth it.
We saved for about 10 years to be able to afford the house, renovation, and the stuff that goes into it, and every single one of these things has enriched our daily lives immeasurably, whether practically or aesthetically. But they were all investments to be sure.
If you have a house that you want to make more home-ish, or if you’re in an apartment and you want to make it more house-ish, here are my 9 tried and true investment pieces that I would absolutely buy again.
1. Lettuce Grow The Farmstand
If you have a black thumb but a lettuce-shaped heart like me, this will flood your soul with joy. It requires next to nothing, and produces gorgeously fresh produce all year long. The difference between these lettuces and store-bought are night and day. And they make a version of them that are smaller or for indoor use as well. Plus, just looking at it makes me happy.
Price: $524 - $749
2. Cozy Earth Cuddle Blanket
Full disclosj: the brand did send me this INSANELY soft, weighted blanket to try, but I loved it so much I have since purchased it as gifts for people I love. And yes, you would have to love someone a lot to get them a blanket this expensive. So just get it for yourself. This is the most plush, delicious blanket I’ve ever owned, and I swear to you that I dream of the moment after dinner, kids asleep, when I can just unfurl myself underneath its luxury. Truly. This thought enters my mind multiple times each day.
This is not sponsored in any way shape or form but we did ask our friends at Cozy Earth for a custom code to offset the cost, and they were nice enough to give us one. Use CANDIDLY for 35% off which is no small thing.
Price: $360
3. Cozy Earth Premium Plush Bath Towels
And because I loved the blanket so much, I wanted to dip a toe into other products from Cozy Earth. So after we renovated our house, I finally bought grown-up, not-ratty, not-destroyed towels for each bathroom. These are the first towels I’ve ever “invested” in and I cannot believe I didn’t do it sooner. I had been operating under the old “you must always have white towels so you can bleach them and get them really clean” methodology and I don’t know who drummed that into my brain but I decided to break out of it. I decided to match my towels to my tile and, I think you can agree, it is a revelation. I still wash them on hot with color safe bleach and they are just as fluffy as the day I bought them. And yes, that code CANDIDLY works here, too.
Price: $135 for a set of 2
4. Zesthouse Mid Century Modern Dining Chairs
These aren’t the REAL splurge, meaning these and frankly, this price is astonishingly good for 4 chairs. Yes, they’re white, yes I have anxiety about them, but after a full year they’re still stain free. Even with a dog, a child, and a dude. I scotch-guarded the ever loving crap out of them and I think that’s the ticket. They’re so comfy and so chic and even though this style is “trendy” at the moment, I’ve been lusting after this cane style chair since I saw them in every modern kitchen in the 80s. So really, they’re classic.
Price: $190 for a set of 2
5. Casafina Modern Classic Ceramic Dinnerware
My plates were like my towels—sort of whatever I’d collected throughout the years. But once we did an open shelf, I realized we needed grown up plates. When I tell you I researched for dayyyyys. Most plates have atrocious reviews even if they’re pretty. The lightest color in the photo are wide, shallow bowls which of course are the only ones we actually use because wide, shallow bowls are the only enjoyable way to eat food. And the different earthy colors thrill me every time I walk into the kitchen!
Price: $220 for a 12-piece set
6. Pendleton Spider Rock Throw
This Pendleton blanket lives on this chair but it has weirdly transformed our living room. It’s not one particular style and sort of goes with any decor and just makes everything around it look more elevated.
Price: $229
7. Parachute Linen Box Quilt
This quilt is gorgeous. The color is gorgeous. It’s just one of those things I’d longed for forever. And when they came out with it in this clay color (that matches the bathroom which thrills me to no end), I decided it was a sign. One side is cotton and the other side is linen, and there is NO more perfect quilt in the summer on its own.
Price: $319
8. Fellow Stagg EKG Electric Kettle
My husband is one of those people who has like a 14-step coffee-making process in the morning, and so if I have to look at a bunch of accouterment on the counter, I decided it had to include the most beautiful kettle of all time.
Price: $165 - $195
9. Furbo 360° Dog Camera
This is, by far, the best dog camera of all time. You can watch real time on an app, and the video camera follows Bunny around when she moves, and gives us alerts when she barks. It also dispenses treats which I’m too anxious to use because I imagine some horrible scenario in my head. Also, it’s so pretty; it’s almost like decor!
Price: $168
Audie Metcalf is the Editor-in-chief of The Candidly, and lives in LA with her family. You can find more of her articles here.
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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