Your Nest Will Feel a Little Less Empty With These Upgrades

Spilled drinks, crusty crumbs, dirty feet, shedding pets — your sofa has seen it all. Your couch has probably seen better days, and they were probably about 20 years ago. Now is the time to upgrade to a big and comfy sectional or sofa in whatever color you want. After all, you don’t have to worry about kids staining your new cushions anymore.

Break out the booze! Especially now that only the adults are home. If your bar situation looked more like a locked cabinet than a stylish bar cart, now is the time to get yourself a proper setup. This one has room for both wine bottles and liquor bottles, and the top is the perfect prep surface for practicing your bartending skills. Plus, since there are fewer people at home now, it’s less likely someone will break your fancy wine glasses or cocktail coupes. Time to snag some of those to deck out your bar cart.

If you refused to upgrade to a larger TV just to teach your kids a lesson about want versus need, but suffered yourself in the process, now is the time to indulge. Movie night looks a whole lot better on a high-definition, big-screen TV. Whether you plan to binge your favorite shows or finally put your impressive DVD collection to use, having a larger screen means you can enjoy each and every detail of whatever you’re watching, or maybe you’ll catch some details you missed from when you used to only watch shows hiding in bed on your iPad.

There’s no shame in missing your kiddos once they head off to college or move to a new city. A digital photo frame doesn’t only allow you to upload family photos you love, but your kids can send photos of their new adventures to the frame, too, so you can see what they’ve been up to between trips back home. 

Even getting dressed for bed can be a luxury when you have the time to actually do it. Eating dinner, taking a shower or bath, and putting on some silky pajamas can become a peaceful nighttime routine that you get to enjoy every single evening. This buttery soft silk slip dress is cute enough to wear outside of the house, but we have a feeling it’ll make crawling into bed each night feel a bit more extravagant. 

If you live at home alone, cooking for one is a pain. There are always leftovers, it takes too many pans to fix a meal, and those pans you’ve been using for years and years are seeing more of your food than you are thanks to the worn-off nonstick coating. If you want to get ripped scrubbing your cookware for hours each night, keep on keeping on — but if you don’t, go ahead and upgrade to a new nonstick set that will look like art on your stovetop. 

It’s time to make time and space for the finer things in life, especially now that you have an extra closet to put to use. Swapping out your sheets for something cool, smooth, and durable will make your bed feel more like a hotel room, and we all know there’s nothing quite comparable to a great night’s sleep on crisp hotel sheets. 

Every night is spa night when there’s no one waiting for you to finish your shower (and you’re not left hoping the person before you will save some hot water). Filling the bathtub will be just as satisfying as filling your wine glass and setting it on this gilded bath tray that’s big enough to hold a candle, book, and your drink. 

If you’ve been working out in the basement for years, it’s time to move things above ground. Utilizing an extra bedroom as a home gym gives you ample space to practice your downward dog, take a quick ride on a stationary bike, or go for a jog on a treadmill. Already have a gym membership? Turn that old bedroom into a craft space or home office. 

It’s time to say goodbye to the shag rug you’ve had since the ‘70s. Yes, midcentury is back in style, but matted wool carpets and questionable stains from years of use are not. If you want something easy to clean and simple to swap out when you want a new style, this pad and carpet system will make it simple for you. Ruggable creates thin rugs (in both low pile and shag styles) that sit atop a cushy velcro pad that keeps it in place. But now that there are fewer spills and dirty feet to worry about, opt for something super sophisticated and luxurious looking, like Ruggable’s faux hide collection. It’s the rug you’ve always wanted (just less expensive and more practical) but avoided when children were running around.   

This one is self-explanatory. Since you’ve got an empty nest, it’s time to take advantage of all that privacy and bring someone or something new home. This will spice up date nights, make your alone time a little more fun, and give the other toys in your bedside drawer a new friend. There are five patterns and five vibrations to choose from, ranging in intensity from soft rumbles to toe-curling pulses.