9 Home Items Every Bona Fide Adult Should Own by Age 30
Once you graduate from dorm life, home decor is all about stocking up on the essentials and investing in a robust home furnishing collection, piece by piece. Once you reached your mid-twenties, college-era red cups should never be used in lieu of actual glasses—and you definitely shouldn’t still be sleeping on the twin bed you’ve had since high school.
But where, oh where do you begin?
We have some ideas. Below, you’ll find a quick and dirty checklist featuring nine home items you should definitely upgrade, like, ASAP in your twenties. By the time you’re 30, hopefully you’ll have checked all of this off your list, and then you can worry about upgrading some of the other home essentials you snagged at budget spots like IKEA and Target.
1. Matching Flatware, Plates and Glasses
Let’s be real: After 30, you should toss out plastic in favor of glass. (And if you can’t bear to part with your favorite plastic plates and glasses, just be sure not to whip them out at any gatherings with your in-laws.)
Ideally, you should have enough of each category of thing (so cups, bowls, plates, etc.) to serve eight people at any given moment. Remember, glass doesn’t have to mean “fancy” or “expensive”—just, you know, nicer than plastic. And try to be sure everything matches (unless you’re going for a kitschy, mismatched vibe).
16-Piece white dinnerware set, $49 at Amazon
2. An Organized Closet
Once you’re a bona fide adult, there’s really no excuse for clothing strewn all over your room—or closets bursting at the seams. It’s time to get organized and efficient—trust us, your morning routine will be way more pleasant after you take this step. (And seriously, if you can stay on top of your bills, you can definitely manage to give your closet some TLC!)
Start by ridding your home of unwanted clothing items. (Pro tip: If you haven’t worn it in two years, you probably don’t need it.) Then, invest in a space-saving organizing kit to help keep everything in place.
ClosetMaid organizer kit, $114 at Amazon
3. A Sophisticated Mirror
Nothing elevates a space like a kickass mirror. And even better: It can create the illusion of more depth and space, too. Instead of opting for an over-the-door mirror (like you might’ve in college), try to find a statement piece that’ll fit in your entryway or a full-length mirror you can prop up in a bedroom corner.
Molina wall mirror, $125 at Wayfair
4. A Console Table
A console table is an elegant way to add more storage to your home, display floral arrangements and succulents and drop whatever other trinkets you don’t feel like carrying around. A console table will fit in almost any space—an entry way, a hallway, even your bedroom—with the added bonus of offering additional storage to make your life more efficient.
Nichols console table, $150 at Wayfair
5. A Headboard
The easiest way to take your bedroom from college dorm status to totally adult-worthy: Upgrade your headboard. It doesn’t matter whether you go luxe or minimal—you’ll feel super sophisticated every time you look at your stunning new bed set-up.
Aslop upholstered headboard, $170 at Wayfair
6. An Organized Bookshelf
Piling books and magazines in every corner of your home is definitely a look, but keeping them organized on a bookshelf is a pretty solid approach, too (and one that’ll make it way easier to find that book you need the next time you’re looking for it).
Invest in a bookshelf that matches your interior, and have fun figuring out how to display your favorite titles. If you’re in a small apartment, you can always go for a corner or ladder book shelf to save some space.
Mid-century modern bookshelf, $183 at Amazon
7. A Full Set of Pots and Pans
Once you hit the big 3-0, there’s really no excuse to have a kitchen without the right tools to cook a full meal for guests. You can expect to be hosting and entertaining more and more as you get older, and this means you’ll also be cooking more, too. Invest in a high-quality stainless steel set of pots and pans—one that will last you for years to come. You’ll thank yourself later.
Farberware 17-piece cookware set, $149 at Amazon
8. Personalized Art Collection
I’m not saying you should go out and spend your life savings on an original Monet, but you might want to consider swapping those movie posters you relied on in college for some genuine framed art.
Not sure where to start? We’ve got some suggestions.
Franz Kline framed art print, $200 at Amazon
9. An Area Rug
Interior designers unanimously agree that the first thing that greets anyone who enters your home is—you guessed it—an area rug. Since it’s such a statement piece that will (ideally) remain in your home for years to come, you can afford to splurge a little on an area rug that transforms your space.
Loon Peak Floya area rug, $230 Wayfair
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