The backyard is no longer just for grilling. From Napa to the New Jersey suburbs, homeowners are carving out dedicated wellness zones for yoga, cold plunging, meditation and recovery, turning ordinary patios into private retreats. The shift is backed by billions in consumer spending, a reshaped wellness industry and a growing conviction that home should do more than shelter us.

What’s happening

The Global Wellness Institute valued the wellness industry at $6.8 trillion in 2024 and projects it will reach $9.8 trillion by 2029. A visible share of that growth is landing outside, on decks, in gardens and along the edges of suburban yards.

Cold plunges are the clearest example. The global cold plunge tub market was valued at $354.6 million in 2025, is projected to reach $381.7 million in 2026 and is forecast to grow to $659.9 million by 2033, according to Grand View Research. That is nearly double in less than a decade.

The movement spans more than cold tubs. Yoga decks, infrared sauna cabins, meditation gardens, hammock corners and outdoor soaking tubs are being installed in yards once reserved for lawn chairs and tomato plants. Design firms are reporting more client requests for permanent wellness features, and retailers are expanding the price range so homeowners can start small or invest in a full build-out.

For wellness-minded homeowners juggling demanding schedules, the appeal is practical. A dedicated zone brings restorative routines home and removes the drive time and monthly fees that come with gyms, spas and studios.

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Why it’s happening

Three forces are driving the trend.

First, pandemic-era investment in the home never fully reversed. Homeowners who upgraded kitchens and offices during the shutdown years are now looking to the yard, and designers report rising demand for permanent outdoor wellness features.

“[People] want to create beautiful spaces that not only encourage more time spent outside year-round—tapping the related health benefits of simply being outdoors—but include dedicated wellness elements like saunas, heated and cold plunge pools, meditation gardens, and yoga platforms, among other things.”
Allison Messner, co-founder and CEO of Yardzen

Second, the case for outdoor time keeps growing. Research on nature exposure, sunlight and stress reduction has moved from wellness blogs into mainstream health advice, giving homeowners a concrete reason to shape their yards around rest rather than entertainment alone. California-based interior designer Sarah Barnard told Better Homes & Gardens that “meditating to birdsong or soaking in an outdoor spa while watching butterflies and hearing the hum of bees can create an incredibly grounding and relaxing experience.”

Third, the market has caught up. Portable infrared sauna tents, repurposed stock-tank plunges, interlocking deck tiles and modular pergolas have brought the price of entry down sharply. A homeowner no longer needs a renovation budget to install a usable wellness corner.

What could be next

Expect the backyard wellness zone to move from novelty to standard home feature over the next three to five years. Three near-term shifts stand out.

1. Cold plunges will go mainstream and start to look like design pieces. With the global cold plunge market projected to nearly double by 2033, manufacturers are competing on aesthetics, not just chilling power. Expect sleeker tubs, better insulation and smaller footprints that fit standard patios. Price points now run from under-$200 stock-tank conversions to five-figure built-in installations.

Your next step. If a cold plunge is on your short list, decide early whether you want a permanent fixture (which may need electrical work and a drainage plan) or a portable chiller you can tuck away in winter. Talk to your doctor before starting, especially if you have a heart condition, and never plunge alone.

2. Mindfulness corners will replace the “staycation” patio. Rather than one large entertaining space, more homeowners are zoning the yard, with one area for gathering and another for stillness. A meditation nook anchored by a shade sail, a weather-resistant cushion and a small fountain can be built for well under $200. Add a few potted ferns, a lavender planter and a soft lantern string and you have sensory layering without a designer invoice.

Your next step. Walk your yard at 7 a.m., noon and 6 p.m. this week. Note where the sun hits, where it’s quiet and where you feel most private. The right wellness zone usually reveals itself in one of those windows.

3. Year-round use will become the standard. Fire pits, propane heaters, pergolas with retractable covers and heated blankets are making it realistic to use outdoor wellness zones in cooler months. Expect retailers to lean further into shoulder-season gear, and expect saunas (both barrel and cabin styles) to show up in more suburban yards.

Your next step. Before investing in a sauna or hot tub, confirm your HOA, landlord or local zoning rules allow permanent structures, electrical work and water features. A single call now can save a costly reversal later.

For wellness-minded homeowners planning a 2026 refresh, the clearest move is to start with one anchor feature (a yoga deck, a hammock corner or a cold plunge) and layer in lighting, scent and sound over time. A backyard wellness zone does not need to be ambitious to be useful. It needs to be used.

THREE SIGNALS TO WATCH

1. Grand View Research’s next update on cold plunge market growth beyond the $381.7 million 2026 projection.
2. New Yardzen and designer client-request reports showing which anchor features (sauna, plunge or yoga deck) are rising fastest in 2026.
3. Local zoning or HOA rule changes in your area affecting outdoor structures, water features and electrical installations.
   

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Finale drops, Sunday football, awards shows. Your group chat is already blowing up about who’s hosting next, and your budget is… almost non-existent. Good news. The hosts nailing watch parties right now aren’t the ones dropping hundreds of dollars. They’re the ones making a Dollar Tree run, printing a Canva bingo card and calling it a night. Here’s your move list, in prep order, so you can pull off the party everyone screenshots.

What’s happening

Watch parties have expanded way past the Super Bowl. People are planning full gatherings around NFL games, season finales, awards shows, big fights, the Oscars and reality TV finales, which means every event comes with its own theme and color palette to riff on.

The whole budget-first vibe starts at the dollar store. Finance Buzz named Dollar Tree’s solid-colored plastic partyware (plates, cups, napkins and table covers sold separately in matching colors) one of its best dupes for pricier party sets.

The food setup is lighter, too. Instead of cooking a full meal, hosts are putting out one hot item from a slow cooker, a dip or wings and pairing it with an assembled snack board. Drinks move to self-serve stations with a themed signature cocktail and a zero-proof option. Interactive add-ons like prediction ballots, commercial bingo and halftime mini games show up right next to the food.

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Why it’s happening

Three things are driving this shift.

Hosting costs come first. Noella Williams, writing for Apartment Therapy, framed the squeeze bluntly enough that she’s telling hosts to let guests pitch in instead of eating the whole bill solo.

“Hosting can be expensive. Sure, everyone’s coming over to socialize and enjoy the show, but they’re definitely going to be hungry, at least for finger foods. Just remember that there’s nothing wrong with asking for help and turning the watch party into a potluck.”

Noella Williams, writer, Apartment Therapy

Cheap partyware now reads as intentional when it’s matched to a theme. That Finance Buzz call-out of Dollar Tree’s solid-color sets as a top dupe reflects a bigger shift. When plates, cups and napkins share a palette tied to a team or show, the setup looks curated instead of cut-rate.

The entertainment layer is pulling real weight, too. Free tools like Canva’s bingo card maker let hosts print custom cards for commercials, awards moments or announcer clichés without spending a dime. Prediction ballots and a dollar-store trophy turn passive watching into something guests actually play, with minimal lift on you (and your wallet).

What could be next

Here are three moves to make right now, in the order you’ll actually do them.

Make the Dollar Tree run first. Pick your theme before you shop (team colors for sports night, show palette for a finale) and grab solid-color plates, cups, napkins and table covers in exact quantities. Add balloons, streamers and a poster board or two while you’re there. If your event runs longer than three hours, Williams’ potluck advice is doing you a favor. Send a signup sheet with the invite, assign categories (one hot item, two snacks, one dessert, drinks) and keep your contribution to the anchor dish and the drink station.

DIY the decor and the games. Build a homemade scoreboard or ballot wall on poster board. It doubles as decor and entertainment, which earns its spot on the wall. Set up a themed drink station with a signature cocktail and a zero-proof pour so nobody feels left out, and keep the mixers to a few options so you’re not running a full bar. Print at least one game per event, like a free Canva bingo card for an awards show, a first-score ballot for a game or a one-word cue card for a reality finale, and stash a dollar-store trophy for the winner. Low cost, high memory.

Do a day-of check nobody else thinks about. The parties people remember are the ones where the host handled the invisible stuff. Sightlines, seating, a charging spot, a plan for coats and bags, a quiet corner for the talkers and a sound check before kickoff. Pull up captions, test the volume with your streaming app actually loaded and make sure your Wi-Fi can handle a room full of phones. Small lift, huge payoff.

The through-line is simple. The best-remembered watch parties aren’t the most expensive ones. They’re the ones where you handled the small stuff and let dollar-store supplies plus a game or two carry the rest. If you’re hosting anything between now and the end of awards season, the cheaper version of your plan is probably the better one.

THREE TO WATCH
1. Dollar Tree partyware restocks in team and show-palette colors ahead of the next major broadcast on your calendar.
2. Canva bingo card template activity climbing before awards shows and finales, a tell for which events hosts are actually planning around.
3. Potluck signup links appearing in your group chats earlier than usual, a sign guests now expect to contribute rather than be fed.

Hosting overnight guests in your own home is one of the real thrills of homeownership, and the spare bedroom is where you get to show your taste. Here is how to style and prep the space so it feels intentional from the moment the door opens.

How do I welcome overnight guests so the stay feels curated from arrival?

Think like an Airbnb host and sort the logistics before anyone pulls into the driveway. Confirm dietary preferences, allergies, sleep habits, pet concerns and mobility needs, then shape the weekend around what you learn.

Send a pre-arrival note with arrival details, Wi-Fi, parking and a loose plan for the visit. When guests walk in, take them on a short tour of the house. “Do a walk-through,” Martha Stewart recommends on MarthaStewart.com. “Demonstrate how to use the TV and remotes (and provide passwords for streaming their favorite shows). Ditto the fireplace and any special kitchen gear.” Then step back and let them settle.

What bedding and styling turn a spare bedroom into a hotel-worthy retreat?

Layered bedding, blackout curtains and clean neutral linens do most of the heavy lifting, taking a plain spare room from functional to boutique.

Dress the bed with a good mattress topper, two pillow firmness options and a spare blanket folded at the foot. Hang blackout curtains and keep a sleep mask, earplugs or a small white noise machine within reach for light sleepers. Clear each nightstand down to a lamp with an easy switch and a phone charger. “A beautifully made bed can truly evoke a sense of peace, reminiscent of stepping into a lovely hotel room,” Autumn Pochiro, founder and principal designer at Autumn Dawn Design in Dublin, Ohio, told Architectural Digest.

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How do I style the bathroom, lighting and scent for a high-end feel?

A curated toiletry station and warm, layered lighting are the fastest ways to make your guest space feel considered rather than generic.

Lay out a bath towel, hand towel and washcloth, rolled or folded. Arrange a mini lineup of toothbrush, toothpaste, makeup remover, shampoo, conditioner and lotion, plus a razor if needed. Keep a hair dryer, a small lined trash can and extra toilet paper visible. Clear a drawer and leave a few hangers in the closet. Keep scent subtle with a candle or diffuser and skip anything heavy. Swap the lone overhead bulb for warm, dimmable lamps, check the thermostat and tidy the common areas on the guest’s path.

What hosting mistakes should I avoid as a new homeowner playing host?

The biggest misses are making guests ask for basics, overscheduling the weekend and saving house rules for after someone has already broken one.

Pacing matters as much as styling. “Creating space for downtime, rest and connection really is a gift to guests coming to visit for any length of time,” Jennifer Porter, an etiquette expert with Satsuma Designs LLC, explained to Parade. Share preferences like shoes on or off and quiet hours during the walk-through, not after. Build in unstructured hours for napping, reading or wandering. When you tell guests to make themselves at home, mean it.

Reaching for a cleaning wipe is so much easier than tracking down the disinfectant spray and paper towels—especially when the container is cute enough to stash on your kitchen counter or in your car. But the real magic? Cleaning wipes can tackle a lot more than countertops.

From dusty plant leaves to deodorant marks on your favorite black top, these two-minute tricks are the kind of satisfying little wins you’ll want to try the same day you read them. We tapped Will Gahagan, CEO and co-founder of eco-friendly wipe brand Biom, for his customers’ most creative uses—and rounded up some wipe-worthy celebrity habits too.

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1. Dust air vents in two minutes flat

“Nobody thinks about them until you look up and see the dust,” Gahagan says. “Grab a disinfecting wipe, wrap it around your finger, and run it through the slats. Floor vents, ceiling vents, the return by the hallway. Takes two minutes and it’s weirdly satisfying.”

2. Keep a stash in the backyard

Between the grill, the garden and the kids, your hands are constantly getting grubby outside. Gahagan says customers love keeping hand sanitizing wipes in a waterproof container out back so they’re not running inside every time things get messy.

3. Tame your car’s center console

Your steering wheel and cupholders see more action than most surfaces in daily life, which makes the car a smart spot to stash wipes. Gahagan recommends a dispenser (he uses the Biom Mini) that keeps the wipes from drying out—so they’re ready the second coffee spills.

4. Dust real (and faux) plant leaves

A damp, mild, residue-free wipe—or even a baby wipe—gently lifts dust off indoor plant leaves. Bonus: cleaner leaves absorb light better, so your houseplants will thank you.

5. Tame static and flyaways

Running an unscented dryer sheet or a damp wipe over your clothes or hair instantly cuts static cling and smooths flyaways. It’s one of those tricks you’ll wish you’d known years ago.

6. Clean baseboards and blinds

Wrap a wipe around a flat spatula or a pair of tongs and easily slide it between mini-blind slats or along tight trim gaps. It gets into every spot a vacuum attachment can’t reach.

7. Erase white deodorant marks

A quick swipe with a barely damp wipe or baby wipe lifts powdery white deodorant streaks right off dark shirts—no soaking the fabric or starting a laundry do-over.

8. Freshen the base of your trash can

Drop a disinfectant wipe into the bottom of your kitchen trash can underneath the fresh bag. It catches small leaks and neutralizes those lingering odors you can never quite place.

9. Refresh dirty shoe soles

A fast pass with a disinfectant wipe over the rubber soles of your sneakers keeps outdoor street grime from getting tracked across your floors.

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The celebrities that swear by cleaning wipes

Stars have strong opinions about wipes—ranging from germ-conscious travel routines to emergency substitutes for actual bathing.

Naomi Campbell’s airplane protocol

The supermodel went viral on YouTube for showing her non-negotiable flight routine. Donning rubber gloves, she uses antibacterial wipes to thoroughly sanitize every surface around her seat, including the remote, seatbelt, TV screen, tray table, window and plane walls.

“This is what I do on every plane I get on,” she explained. “I do not care what people think of me. It’s my health and it makes me feel better!”

Lisa Rinna’s hotel sanitization kit

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum is known for bringing disinfectant wipes whenever she travels to sanitize light switches, TV remotes and hotel room phones.

“Hotel rooms are gross,” she told Bravo in 2016. “I’m sorry, but if you think of the who, what and where that TV changer has been, you would wipe that whole f***ing place down just like I do with my alcohol wipes. By the way, I also wipe my plane seat down and everything around me. You betcha OCD baby, but if that keeps the bodily fluids/germs off of me, then it’s so well worth it folks!”

Lisa Barlow’s dedicated wipe closet

The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star and Clorox brand partner discussed her cleaning routine with Homes & Gardens last year, sharing that she’s “obsessed with clean” and even built custom cabinets in a dedicated basement room specifically for her wipe stash.

How to choose a cleaning wipe

A quick note before you stock up: not all wipes are created equal. Many conventional options contain plastic fibers (like polypropylene or polyester) that don’t break down very easily in landfills, plus harsh ingredients.

That’s why Gahagan says Biom skips PFAS, phthalates, parabens, triclosan, known endocrine disruptors and plastic fibers—even the wipe substrate itself is 100% plant-based fiber. “If we don’t feel comfortable using an ingredient in a formulation regularly in our own homes around our own kids, it’s out,” he says. For disinfecting wipes? He recommends looking past the industry-standard quaternary ammonium compounds (often called quats), bleach and ammonia.

Let’s take a moment to celebrate the humble cleaning wipe: Because the easier a cleaning product is to grab, the more likely you are to tackle those little messes before they become big ones. And that’s a giant win!

The suburban backyard is being redrawn. Instead of one open lawn or a single generic patio, homeowners planning renovations for 2026 are carving their yards into a sequence of small, purpose-built outdoor rooms designed around how they actually want to spend time outside.

What exactly is an outdoor micro-room?

An outdoor micro-room is a distinct, highly specific zone within the yard, each one built around a daily ritual rather than general-purpose use. Think of the yard as a floor plan rather than a single open space.

Those zones can include a quiet reading nook, a shaded coffee corner, a dining terrace, a garden pocket or a sauna-and-cold-plunge recovery area. Outdoor rooms are not a new idea, but the practice of layering several of them into one yard has accelerated over the past few years.

Which backyard zones are trending in 2026?

Multi-use layouts are the headline. In an April article, Elle Decor named “Zoned Outdoor Layouts” one of its biggest backyard trends of 2026, and Yardzen’s sixth annual outdoor living trend report, released in June, called 2026 the “Year of the Experiential Yard”.

“It’s not uncommon to see a backyard plan that includes an outdoor kitchen, a shaded dining area, a fire feature lounge, and even a quiet corner for yoga or cold plunges,” Kaitlyn Hall, interior design manager at Revive Design and Renovation in Florida, told Elle Decor. “The goal is flow and function, not just aesthetics.”

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How big is the outdoor living market right now?

A 2024 report from Grand View Research valued the U.S. outdoor furniture and kitchen market at $9.84 billion in 2024 and projected a 6.9% compound annual growth rate from 2025 to 2030.

Those numbers help explain the appetite for more ambitious backyard projects. Pandemic-era habits reshaped the daily use of outdoor space, with yards doubling as overflow living rooms, remote-work spots and social hubs. That shift moved outdoor design from occasional entertaining toward everyday utility.

Which zones show up most in renovated backyards?

Lounge and seating areas lead by a wide margin, appearing in 83% of projects, according to the 2026 U.S. Houzz Outdoor Trends Study.

The study, which is based on a survey of 1,191 U.S. homeowners fielded from April 25 to May 6, 2026, also found that dining areas appear in 55% of renovated spaces, quiet retreats and reading nooks in 53% and gardening zones in 49%.

Furniture isn’t cheap, pets aren’t tidy, and shoppers have found a workaround that keeps surfacing in trending product roundups. The washable couch cover, often compared to a fitted sheet for sofa cushions, is being passed around online as the aha product for pet owners and anyone trying to stretch the life of an aging couch.

Why now? Replacement costs are up, pet ownership stays high, and most households would rather spend less to refresh what they already own than finance a new sectional.

Why the washable sofa topper is having a moment

The appeal starts with a simple comparison. Shoppers describe these covers as a fitted sheet for a couch, something you can pull on, pull off and toss in the wash without hiring an upholsterer or hauling the whole piece out of the living room.

That framing is landing with two groups in particular. Pet owners want a way to let dogs and cats share the sofa without surrendering the upholstery. Budget-conscious buyers want a low-cost reset for a couch that still has structural life left but looks tired.

What a couch cover actually protects against

For animal households, the stakes go well beyond shedding. Megan Geal with Good Housekeeping UK says, “As most pet owners will (regrettably) know, the battle against pet hair is a constant one.”

Geal notes that hair is only part of the story. Mud, claw marks and pet odors all come with letting animals snuggle up on the furniture, and she points to waterproof, machine-washable designs, including some with straps that hold the cover in place, as a way to keep expensive furniture looking its best while still spending time with pets on the sofa.

The same logic applies to human messes. A removable cover shields upholstery from coffee spills, food stains and the everyday wear that ages a sofa faster than its frame.

What to look at before buying one

Not every washable cover works the same way, and shoppers are learning the fine print matters. Sarah M Vazquez with Apartment Therapy writes that “not all washable covers are created equal.”

Her guidance breaks down into three questions worth asking before you buy.

• Material. Natural fabrics like linen and cotton feel softer to the touch, while synthetics such as polyester hold up to more wear and tear. Canvas sits in the middle, and treated or performance fabrics are designed to repel stains.
• Care instructions. Washable does not always mean machine-washable at home. Some slipcovers are still dry-clean only, so read the label carefully before you ruin the cover trying to clean it.
• Size and color. Light-colored covers in a high-traffic room will need more frequent washing, so match the fabric and shade to how hard the sofa actually gets used.

Why the trend keeps growing

Beyond the mess control, a cover offers a couple of secondary payoffs that help explain the social momentum.

It extends the life of a sofa by cutting down on direct wear and tear, which preserves the original upholstery underneath. It gives an old or dated couch a budget-friendly refresh without the cost of buying new furniture. And swapping covers lets shoppers experiment with new colors, patterns and textures as decor or seasonal trends change.

For households weighing a pricey replacement against a washable topper, the math is doing a lot of the convincing.

Walk into a room that smells like warm vanilla and amber on a rainy evening, and you understand the appeal instantly. Fragrance has quietly become a design decision, and the way a home smells is now treated with the same intention as paint color or furniture. Interior designers and perfumers are calling it scentscaping, and it is reshaping how people think about the vibe of each room.

Ceci Tucker, the principal interior designer and perfumer behind Wilde Folk Studio, and master perfumer Ruth Mastenbroek of Ruth Mastenbroek Perfumer London are among the voices framing fragrance as a tool for shaping atmosphere.

How home scentscaping works

The idea borrows from landscaping, but for your nose. “A play on the term ‘landscape’, scent-scaping is creating distinctive environments or territories in your home through fragrance,” Mastenbroek told Woman & Home. “You may choose to create a different atmosphere in the living room than you would in the kitchen, the bedroom or the bathroom.”

Instead of chasing one signature note, the goal is a combination that evokes a place or mood. A smoky fireplace scent reads as a cozy cabin on a winter evening. Tomato leaf suggests a Mediterranean garden on a summer afternoon. Leather and cedar can turn a study into an old library. Salt, marine notes and citrus pull you toward the coast. Vanilla and amber set a candlelit, romantic tone.

Candles, diffusers, room sprays and incense do the work, and the vessels themselves have become part of the look. Beautiful packaging and sculptural containers mean these products increasingly sit on a shelf as décor, not just function.

Why a scented home feels different

Tucker frames the practice as design, not decoration. “Scentscaping treats smell as a design element. A well-scented home feels more intentional, more alive, and more welcoming. It can make guests feel instantly at ease, signal transitions like winding down for the evening, and even influence energy levels and focus,” she told Better Homes & Gardens.

That is the pitch. Fragrance can mark the shift from workday to dinner, cue the body toward sleep or make a guest feel welcomed before they have set down their bag.

How to choose scents for each room

Room by room matters. For communal spaces, Tucker leans toward broadly appealing picks. “With communal spaces, such as the kitchen or living room, I recommend something crowd-pleasing and non-polarizing,” she said.

The kitchen is its own case. “Since kitchens are naturally a bit more fragrant due to cooking, we don’t want a scent that competes with the food aromatics,” Tucker said.

The through line is restraint and intention. A home that smells like a coastal getaway in the entryway, a quiet library in the office and something soft and warm in the bedroom is doing with fragrance what good design already does with color, light and texture.

Does $7,000 sound like a lot to spend on an apartment you don’t own? Maybe. But what if it gave you the kind of home you’d been waiting to buy someday?

That’s the calculation Nnedinma Obiwuru made in her Austin apartment. Over several years, she and her fiancé spent about $7,000 turning their two-bedroom rental into a Parisian-inspired retreat filled with vintage furniture, layered artwork and DIY features including a restaurant-style banquette and collapsible bar, according to Business Insider.

The important part is that none of it was permanent. “The cool thing is that everything I build and design in the apartment is renter-friendly,” she told Business Insider.

Her decision to invest in a rental also reflects something a lot of millennials are living through right now. According to a 2025 Federal Reserve report, 68% of renters said they can’t afford a down payment, 49% can’t cover a monthly mortgage and 42% can’t qualify for one. Only 39% said they actually prefer renting.

“Owning a house in Austin feels more like a 10-year dream,” Obiwuru told Business Insider. “Renting is where I’m at, and many of my friends are in the same situation. That’s why I focus on making my place feel like home.”

Her apartment isn’t a blueprint every renter needs to follow. Not everyone has $7,000 or the time for major DIY projects. But the way she approached it offers some genuinely useful apartment decorating ideas for anyone wondering how to decorate an apartment they don’t own.

Renter-friendly lessons from a $7,000 rental transformation

1. Find inspiration before you start buying

Obiwuru’s apartment feels cohesive because she built it around places and experiences she already loved rather than decorating room by room without direction.

Her primary bedroom was inspired by a suite at Paris’s Relais Christine. Her guest room took on a bar-and-restaurant theme with red velvet banquette seating and a collapsible bar. She’s also drawn from New Orleans hotel Maison Metier for the layered, eclectic look that runs throughout the space.

Having a reference point doesn’t mean copying someone else’s home. It means knowing what you’re drawn to before you start spending money.

2. DIY can make expensive ideas much more attainable

Obiwuru’s guest room is the clearest example. She wanted restaurant-style banquette seating, but the options she found online ran north of $4,000. She and her fiancé built their own using wood, foam and fabric for about $700.

The collapsible bar cost even less. She made it for roughly $80 using plywood and hinges, with Home Depot cutting the wood to size.

DIY isn’t for every project or every person, but when the skill level matches the ambition, it can turn a wish-list idea into something real for a fraction of the cost.

3. Thrift to save money and add character

Much of Obiwuru’s home came from local thrift stores, with many pieces costing between 49 cents and about $20.

Her bathroom is one of the best examples. She and her fiancé set a $100 budget and found 51 picture frames at Goodwill stores around Austin, then filled them with Harlem Renaissance and Prohibition-era artwork.

Thrifting kept costs down, but it also did something a furniture catalog can’t. It gave the space the kind of lived-in, collected feeling that makes a rental look like it belongs to someone rather than just being occupied by them.

4. Spend more where it will actually make a difference

Not everything in Obiwuru’s apartment was a bargain find. She spent $1,000 on the large brown leather sofa in her living room while keeping most of her smaller decorative purchases inexpensive or secondhand.

That’s a useful hierarchy for any renter to borrow: save on pieces that are primarily decorative and consider spending more on furniture that gets heavy daily use and can move with you to the next place.

5. Don’t be afraid to change if you outgrow your space

A renter-friendly home doesn’t have to be a finished product. Obiwuru has continued evolving the apartment as her style shifts. In a recent Instagram video, she showed herself reworking an accent wall she had outgrown rather than staying committed to an earlier design choice.

That flexibility is one of the biggest advantages of renter-friendly decorating. Wallpaper, paint treatments, artwork, furniture layouts and other decorative layers can all evolve without a full renovation.

Before you upgrade your rental, ask yourself these questions

Obiwuru’s approach worked because she thought about the investment, not just the look. Before spending money on your own rental, it’s worth running through a few questions:

• Can I take this with me? Furniture, art, lighting and portable appliances hold more value for a renter than permanent improvements you leave behind.
• Does this make the space more useful, more personal or both? Obiwuru’s strongest changes didn’t just decorate. They changed how she used the apartment.
• Can I get the look for less? Before buying custom, consider DIY, thrifted pieces or secondhand finds that deliver the same effect at a lower cost.
• Is this where I actually want to spend more? It may make sense to splurge on something you use every day, like a sofa or a bed, while saving on decorative details.
• Will I still like this a year from now? Removable and reversible choices make it easier to evolve the space without starting over.
• If I had to move next year, would I still be glad I spent the money? If the answer is yes because the item moves with you, improved your daily life or helped the rental feel like home, it was probably worth it.

The goal isn’t to spend like you own the place. It’s to make the place feel worth living in while you’re there.

Looking for more renter-friendly home upgrades that don’t require a big budget or a DIY project? Start here.

Kitchen space is almost always there, you just can’t see it. Interior designers and professional organizers say most cramped kitchens have more usable room than homeowners realize, from ignored vertical walls to appliance clutter that eats every inch of counter.

Why does my kitchen feel so cramped?

Poor zoning is one of the biggest culprits. Interior designer Jaclyn Szerdi Morrison said setting up separate areas for food prep, cooking and cleaning keeps traffic from piling up in a single spot.

Morrison told The Spruce that poor zoning “creates unnecessary bottlenecks and makes the kitchen feel more cramped than it actually is.” Mapping out where each task happens, then storing the tools and ingredients used for that task nearby, can free up counter real estate without a single renovation. The fix is organizational, not structural, and it costs nothing to try this weekend.

What kitchen clutter should I get rid of first?

Duplicates and gadgets you’ve already replaced are the fastest wins. Lauren points to coffee grinders kept long after a switch to single-serving pods, plus stockpiles of water bottles, as classic examples.

Writing for Real Simple, Lauren asks why anyone using single-serving pods daily is “still holding onto that coffee grinder.” She notes it is “just taking up unnecessary space on your shelf,” and warns against stockpiling duplicates. On water bottles, Lauren writes that “you probably don’t need fourteen water bottles (maybe just two or three).” Audit each shelf for tools you haven’t actually used in the past month.

How do I clear the clutter around my kitchen sink?

Start with the counters flanking it. Professional organizer Ria Safford said appliances and the sink are her top two clutter culprits, and the counters quickly read as messy once small appliances creep in.

Safford told Southern Living she has “two clutter culprits” in her kitchen, appliances and the sink. “The appliances were completely taking over the space, and no matter how clean I kept them, they always looked cluttered, just from the counters being taken over by appliances,” she said. Moving even one or two appliances off the counter changes how the whole sink zone looks and functions.

How can I use vertical space in my kitchen?

Walls, backsplash areas and the room beneath upper cabinets can all be converted into storage. Those zones usually sit empty while drawers underneath overflow.

Options include rails, pegboards, magnetic strips, floating shelves and hanging baskets. Each one moves daily-use items like knives, spices and utensils out of drawers and up to eye level, which frees the drawer and counter space those items used to occupy. Pick one wall to start rather than covering every available surface at once.

Where should I store bulky kitchen appliances?

Off the counter. Small countertop machines like air fryers, stand mixers, toasters and coffee makers can live inside appliance garages, on pull-out shelves or on appliance lifts.

A dedicated storage cabinet works too, especially for anything used once a week or less. Appliance garages hide gear behind a roll-up door, pull-out shelves bring heavy mixers up to counter height on demand, and lifts raise them out of a lower cabinet. The point is to keep daily-use machines accessible without letting them claim permanent counter real estate.

How do I create a drop zone in my kitchen?

Give everyday clutter one assigned home before it ever reaches the counters. A small drawer, basket or wall-mounted organizer can absorb the daily pile.

Mail and keys drift into kitchen work zones when no other spot is set aside, along with reusable bags, lunch containers and water bottles. A dedicated drop zone keeps that traffic contained and protects your prep space. Pick the entry point closest to the kitchen so items land there first, not on the island.