Combining the beautiful and the practical

Combining the beautiful and the practical

• 10.05.2017

 A recent piece of home advice I heard was, if you only have a small budget for decor items, choose elegant versions of practical items you need to buy anyway. Bathroom trash cans, broom/dustpan sets, butter dishes... it might cost slightly more to buy a nicer-looking version, but then you have something that adds rather than detracts from the decor if/when it shows, and you feel good about it when you use it.

As a sort-of minimalist who constantly aims for efficiency (of money, space, and mental energy), this concept has my name all over it! I've been thinking about the items I see in homes I like that look great, but are also useful objects. I rounded up a few I suggest you think about, too!

Source

Combining the Beautiful and the Practical - 3 Useful Home Accents

The first thing that came to mind for me was cooking tools. I love the look of a Dutch oven on a stove in an otherwise clean kitchen! I have a red one but dream of a white one like this or this.

Olive oil and vinegar storage is another good one. I've heard of people taking the labels off their shampoo bottles to make them look less cluttered, but no one but me sees in my shower so I don't care about that. But, some olive oil and vinegar labels are not pretty, and if you keep them out, they show! And, if you do keep oil out, it's best to keep it in a light-blocking container to protect it from light/heat which oxidize it faster.

Finally, I looooove clean white striped Turkish cotton hand towels, particularly ones like these which have terry cloth on the back so they're absorbent, too. So much cuter than the basic bath/hand towel that has been in suburban bathrooms for decades.

Here are some of my inspirations!

Inspiraton image sources: 1 / 2 / 3

What do you think of when you picture replacing utilitarian items in your home with more elegant ones?? Do you have a regular budget for decor and/or household items??