These Genius Home Products Work Smarter, Not Harder

These clever items will help you stop cursing at your messy utensil drawer and crying over dead plants.

At the beginning of every year, people all over plan to make big lifestyle changes to improve their lives in the year ahead. But we're more interested in all the small, everyday things that can have a big effect on our overall mood. For 2023, here are some resolutions we'd like to put up for consideration: No more messy and overcrowded utensil drawers, no more trying to wake up to dreadful alarm sounds, and no more throwing out yet another deceased houseplant. Luckily, we've already found solutions to all of these problems—and more. Below, shop 10 clever items that will improve your life at home this year.

Smart Bulbs

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Lighting can really make or break a space, and the ability to adjust it perfectly to your needs is a dream. However, not everyone wants to spend the time or money to get dimmer switches involved, so these Philips hue-changing smart bulbs are a simple and practical alternative. The bulbs start at a soft warm light and can be easily dimmed or changed to a night light setting all through an app on your phone. You can also set timers to automatically adjust the lights at different times throughout the day.

Price at time of publish: $50 for 4

Easy Plant

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Plant killers, rejoice! Whether you over- or underwater (or a combo of both), there’s hope. This container has a hidden reservoir—fill it once a month and watch your leafy decor thrive.

Price at time of publish: $145 for 3

Cutlery Organizer

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If the mere thought of your utensil drawer gives you a headache, you might be a candidate for this space-saving cutlery organizer. The cleverly designed product minimizes the amount of space your utensils take up in the drawer by neatly dividing them into slanted, stacked compartments. It takes up about half the space of a standard utensil organizer, leaving you more room for other items.

Price at time of publish: $12

Hatch Alarm

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This bedside clock includes a library of guided meditations and sound effects, and the sunrise light gives your morning a boost. We know kids and adults who sleep like a baby with this thing.

Price at time of publish: $130

Frame TV

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TVs are an eyesore—but most of us aren't willing to give them up just for a more attractive living room. The Frame TV offers the best of both worlds: the flat screen entertainment we all crave, and something that's nice to look at when we're not marathon-watching our favorite shows. When not in use, the Frame Smart TV offers an anti-reflection matte display of your favorite artwork or personal photos. The slim-fit wall mount allows the TV to sit flush against the wall, making it even more believable as a framed piece of wall art.

Price at time of publish: $1,500

Peel-and-Stick Wallpaper

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There’s lots of temporary wallpaper out there, but Chasing Paper was on the scene early and continues to boast quality stuff that stays put. Peel-and-stick wallpaper is great for the design indecisive, plus you can start with a $6 sample, so you can see how you really feel about a certain pattern before you decide to take that next step.

Price at time of publish: $45 for 2-by-4 feet

Govino Glasses

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Let us introduce you to your new favorite wine glasses, minus the glass. Govino glasses are shatterproof, reusable cups made from BPA- and BPS-free polymer. These glasses are especially perfect for hosting—because nothing kills the vibe like having to clean up broken glass in the middle of a party. If you happen to drop one, it’s just the rug you have to worry about.

Price at time of publish: $25 for 4

Tineco Cordless Stick Vacuum

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This vacuum is the epitome of convenience. Its cordless, rechargeable function offers 40 minutes of run time, so you don't have to stop, unplug, and relocate to tackle every room in the house. Plus, it can operate as both a full-sized stick vacuum, for when you don't want to get down on your hands and knees to clean, and easily converts to a hand vacuum, for cleaning up close.

Price at time of publish: $250

Cable Management Box

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Bring order to a chaotic charging station by sticking the jumbled web of cords into this sleek box. It has up to seven outlets, so everyone’s devices can charge at once.

Price at time of publish: $40

Keyless Lock

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Save yourself the half-way-through-your-commute panic. This smart gadget is controlled with an app, so you can lock the door remotely. You can also share and track entry codes wherever you are.

Price at time of publish: $180

Cooling Sheets

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Banish night sweats with heat-regulating bedding. The high-tech and oh-so-cozy fabric adapts to your body to maintain optimal humidity and temperature levels.

Price at time of publish: $100

:The 9 Best Cooling Sheets of 2023, Tested and Reviewed

Storage Coffee Table

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Storage coffee tables are always a smart move to reduce cluttered-looking living spaces, and this one can hold an extra blanket, books, electronics, and more odds and ends. What makes it one step above the rest, though, is the pop-up top, which can double as a laptop stand for those work-from-couch days.

Price at time of publish: From $600

Robot Vacuum

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We're big fans of any "set it and forget it" routine, and the iRobot Roomba makes cleaning the floors almost too easy. You can simply connect it to your smartphone and use the app to turn it on and off or set a schedule. The dirt, hair, and debris lingering on your carpet is gone with—literally—the touch of a button.

Price at time of publish: $179

Portable LED Lamp

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Getting the lighting just right is a fine art, and small lamps that you can move and place anywhere, at any time, make that even easier. Whether you're trying to spend some time outdoors at night or need more light in a room with poorly placed outlets, this practical—and adorable—portable LED lamp is a game changer.

Price at time of publish: $99

Smokeless Fire Pit

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Bonfires are a perfect way to spend quality time with friends and family outdoors, but we hate dodging the stream of smoke and dealing with the lingering smell in our hair and on our clothes. The Solo Stove creates a "secondary burn," blasting the fire with preheated oxygen, which burns off smoke before it leaves the fire pit, meaning you can just enjoy sitting around a fire without smoke ruining your good time.

Price at time of publish: $276

Washable Rug

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Rugs can trap allergens like pollen and dust, along with collecting hair, dirt, and other debris over time, so cleaning them is a crucial—but often not simple—part of keeping your home clean. Ruggable rugs (including this chic, black and ivory design by Jonathan Adler) make the process so much easier, as they can be simply thrown in a standard washer and dryer, and returned to your space looking good as new.

Price at time of publish: $279

Reduced Waste Cleaning Products

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If you're looking to reduce your carbon footprint in your own home, cleaning products are a good place to start. The Clean Vibes Kit from The Honest Company replaces disposable plastic bottles with refillable glass bottles that can last a lifetime, and uses concentrated cleaning pods as refills, which are shipped without water to lower gas emissions.

Price at time of publish: $40

Expandable On-the-Wall Organizer

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Cleaning products are rarely fun or glamorous to store, but this OXO wall organizer can quickly transform a cluttered mess into a streamlined system. The organizer expands and adjusts to your specific needs, so you can neatly assemble brooms, dusters, rags, and all the other things that end up propped in a corner or thrown in a bucket.

Price at time of publish: $29

Flawless Flooring

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You’d never guess this TimberTech decking isn’t real wood. Made with about 85 percent recycled materials (like plastic bags), it’s mold resistant and splinter-free, and it can last up to 30 years.

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