From the perfect leather chair to a prescription mattress and a well-outfitted wine fridge—these are the products that made us feel like we’re living in the lap of luxury this year.
By Krista Jones And The Esquire Editors
Quiet luxury, loud luxury, über-luxe—the word luxury dominated the way people defined their style this past year. Not completely by mistake, the word is often assumed to be synonymous with a high price tag, but a luxury can also be something that makes your life just a little bit easier, a little bit more comfortable, or a little bit more beautiful. When we’re talking about your home, sometimes it’s an insanely large sofa, a plush area rug, or even an outrageously well-outfitted wine fridge that will make you feel like you’re living in the lap of luxury. But maybe it’s smaller—a deliciously scented candle or a soft and sumptuous blanket.
During the pandemic, we all went hard on home-buying binges, looking for hacks that would help us carry on while stuck indoors. Once we returned to the real world, though, we rediscovered feeling good for the sake of feeling good. Treating ourselves. Doing it big, even. After getting back out there again and visiting our favorite hotels as well as brand-new restaurants and bars, we instantly forgot about our Snuggie. Being exposed to so much newness, we wanted to surround ourselves with all things linen, cashmere, marble, velvet, and smart tech—and bring it home this year. Thankfully, our favorite home brands delivered. Soho Home designed beautiful furniture. Four Seasons made bedding. CB2 started churning out club-worthy bar items. It’s easier than ever to fill your home with stunning pieces, so where do you start?
We know investing is never simple and shopping for home items is overwhelming. With so many retailers, a ridiculous number of influencers hawking paid partnerships, and prices that make your head spin, it can be damn near impossible to know where to spend your precious moolah. That’s where we come in. Our team thoroughly tests products, and this year I enlisted our entire staff to lounge on couches, road-test the newest smart-home gadgets, sleep under all kinds of sheets, dry off with organic cotton towels, and drink whatever the hell they wanted from the finest glassware—in order to find the best of the best for you. Behold: the finalists for the Esquire Home Awards.
These are real reviews by real people, because, in 2024, honesty means everything on the Internet. While you might find a few robots on this list, they didn’t contribute any opinions—they just did the cleaning.
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A sponge isn’t just a sponge. It’s oftentimes an ugly, smelly, bacteria-filled cleaner that we use for far too long and on far too many items. Sorry to inform you that it’s time to upgrade. Dotti spent years creating the perfect antibacterial, odor-free, food-grade silicone surface scrubber that can do it all. The unique shape isn’t by accident, as it’s made to easily clean edges and spin inside glasses and bottles. Because of its smart properties, the brand boasts that it lasts six times as long as a normal sponge. I’ve had mine for months now, and it doesn’t need replacing just yet. So this fancy sponge upgrade may be $9, but it’ll save you in the long run.