After a grueling day of hauling boxes up the four-story walkup of my new apartment, I assumed the “Dad in Home Depot” stance and looked around. “I apologize to you in advance,” I said to my wallet. See, as someone who covers design trends for a living, it’s kind of my job to find and test the best homewares on the market (or that’s what I tell myself as I watch my bank account dwindle). Not to mention that I’m basically salivating over this season’s interiors—from sunken seating and luxe chocolate brown furniture to checkerboard printed everything.
Yet, in order to avoid an Augustus Gloop in Willy Wonka situation, I’ve taken a capsule-wardobe approach to curating my apartment with investment-worthy pieces. Think: timeless decor, furniture, artwork and splurge-worthy gadgets and appliances that will save you hundreds down the line. So out of the thousands of products I’ve seen this fall, see below for 15 items that are actually worth adding to your cart this season. (And yes, 15 is my idea of scaling back.)