You don’t need much of it—just a pop here and there—to really brighten things up, and it looks especially good in rooms that have a black/white/gray color scheme. For instance: this gorgeous serving plate would be aces on a table with all-white plates.

I think this nifty coat hanger would add a nice amount of cheer to a front hallway.

The old-school design of this electric clock works nicely with the bright hue here.

A fun candle to use instead of candlesticks when you next throw a dinner party.

Yes, I’ve shown you this nifty desk lamp before, but I just love the design for adding a touch of midcentury-ish chic to even the most workaday of office desks.

Wow, would I love to swap out my motley assortment of mixing bowls for this ceramic set.

My bedroom is mostly black and white with a bit of gray, and I think this linen duvet cover would contrast with that in such a pleasing way.

You can use this cool radio and bluetooth speaker with wet hands, making it ideal for those who require music in the shower.

Just a cute striped beach towel in an almost-mustard shade.

This placemat is a bit fussier than I typically go for, but I somehow really like it.

How fun: a trippy-looking lunch box for when you’ve got to start showing up at the office again.

A cute, quilted storage bin for your whatnots.

And here’s a sweet little cheery vase.

I am seriously contemplating purchasing a couple of these pillows for my gray living room sofa.

And finally: a Warhol banana plate for serving food or hanging on your wall.

“You always seem to be talking about cool quilts,” writes a reader named DC. “What are some favorites that aren’t too granny-ish?” It’s true, I do love a quilt, and I like them best when they aren’t, as DC says, grannyish, like this gorgeous textured one. It comes in a few colors, including a very good yellow, but I like this dark grey best.

This sunrise pattern is rather cheery.

This one is a little granny-ish, pattern-wise, but the bright colors make it modern.

This one dates from the 19th century (and costs a fortune) but doesn’t it look so contemporary?

A patchwork throw in a surprisingly versatile colorway.

This map of New York quilt is by a brand called Haptic Lab, and it is just stupendous.

A solid yellow quilt would play nicely with blacks and greys.

A slightly hippie girl quilt from L.L. Bean  that’s very nicely priced.

This is kind of a mashup of traditional and contemporary quilt styles, and I think it’s just great.

This moon quilt is nicely minimal.

“How about house refresher items that we can all order in January while we are sitting at home waiting for our turn at the vaccine?” asks a reader named Betsy. And I love this idea, of course, as I recently moved and have home decorating on my mind in a big way. What follows are items that have piqued my interest lately, including these chic amber mugs.

The confetti print on this duvet cover is fun, and nicely subtle. Also, I feel that it would camouflage stains well.

Congratulate me, please, as I have found the only attractive paper towel holder in existence. Most of them are cheesy and fabricated of white plastic or some other synthetic material, but this one is composed of wood and leather and looks just fantastic.

I just love the yellow of this bright planter, and think it would be a perfect home for one of my succulents.

I asked my dear friends Claire Mazur and Erica Cerulo—late of the awesome commerce site Of A Kind (check out their fantabulous newsletter here)— for a shower curtain recommendation, because that seemed like the type of thing they’d know. They directed me to several great options, including this irregularly striped number, which is in my shopping cart as I type.

One of my little luxuries of life is the big glass of fresh orange juice I make myself every morning. I’ve got a cheapo citrus juicer that is on its last legs, so I’m thinking of going for this handsome specimen from Smeg.

A really cool midcentury storage rack.

I have wanted this Fornasetti trinket tray forever, but have never been able to justify the purchase. Maybe your powers of self-persuasion are stronger than mine, though.

I purchased this runner for the hallway between my dining room and living room, and it’s just aces.

My new place is a duplex, with the bathroom on the top floor, which means that if I’m running out the door and want to do a quick-check of what I look like, I’ve got to go upstairs, and I’m not complaining but I go up and down those stairs many, many times over the course of the day, which is not too easy on my bum knee. So I’m looking for a mirror like this, which I believe is a dupe of this much pricier one.

It occurs to me that this glass vase looks a bit like the backside of a bong, but I still think it’s rather elegant, and for sure looks pricier than it is.

I also quite like this brass vase from Hawkins New York. It’s chic and unbreakable, and just about any arrangement will look good in it.

I have a very small collection of pieces by midcentury ceramicist Waylande Gregory—like this small bowl—and am always looking for more. Check out Etsy and eBay for more options.

In my old place, the walls were mostly all windows, and it’s been nice to display some of the pictures that languished, un-hung, during those years. But I’ve still got plenty of wall space to cover, so I’ve been checking out vintage posters like this one from Swiss brand Bally.