See the Best Finishes from Our 2024 Design Awards
If you’ve ever had to choose a paint color for your home, you know how crucial (and high-pressure!) picking out the perfect finish can be. The same goes for things like wallpaper and hardware, too — but we’ve got you covered. Apartment Therapy just launched the first-ever Small/Cool Design Awards, a curated, expert-approved list of the 44 best home products across six different categories. That includes the need-to-know finishes that should be on your radar (and in your home) right now.
Check out our list of winners below and get inspired with some of the most stylish finishing touches out there, including pretty home tech finds (yes, those do exist).
Table of Contents
Best Finishes
Wall Catchall: Heller Swell Wall Catchall
Hardware: Hapny Smiley Knob
Switch Plate: Legrand Adorne Gloss White 1-Gang Screwless Wall Plate
Sound-Proof Tiles: Felt Right Engraved 2’x2′ Tiles
Paint: Farrow & Ball Dead Flat Paint Finish
Diffuser: Aera Mini
Smart Lock: Yale Assure Lock 2 Limited Edition Key-Free Touchscreen
Wallpaper: Little Greene Spring Flowers Garden Wallpaper
What Makes Up This Category of Winners
Of course, this category of finishes highlights our top paint and hardware picks, but you’ll also find slightly overlooked home essentials, like a design-forward diffuser and sound-proofing, customizable wall tiles that double as decor — just to name a few.
Small Cool 2024 - Finishes
Heller Swell Wall Catchall Heller Swell Wall Catchall
Heller
$100
"This lightweight, visually punchy, wall-hung catchall is a problem-solver," says Afternoon Light co-founders Minya Quirk and Deirdre Maloney. "For hanging leashes and purses, stashing keys, cards, glasses, and lip balms, it’s so good-looking and ready to work hard for any household."
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Hapny Smiley Knob Hapny Smiley Knob
Hapny Home
$16
Add a few of Hapny’s irresistible Smiley cabinet knobs to your dresser, cabinets, or desk, and you’re guaranteed good vibes. At 1.5 inches around, they’re sizable enough to line up in a row as wall hooks, even mixing and matching the three solid brass finishes — black, brass, or nickel.
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Legrand Adorne Gloss White 1-Gang Screwless Wall Plate Legrand Adorne Gloss White 1-Gang Screwless Wall Plate
Legrand
$6.87
The sleek switch plates from Legrand’s Adorne collection are simple enough to blend in with any decor, but what you’ll love most is the innovative design of the corresponding outlets. Instead of being stacked, the two outlets are staggered — making it easier than ever to accommodate bulky plugs.
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Felt Right Engraved 2'x2' Tiles Felt Right Engraved 2'x2' Tiles
FeltRight
$34.99
Felt Right offers felt tile shapes that add texture and sound absorption to any space. With endless configurations and vibrant colors (offered in 40+ colorways), it’s an easy, stylish way to create high-end-looking wall art and add better acoustics with minimal effort.
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Farrow & Ball Dead Flat Paint Finish Farrow & Ball Dead Flat Paint Finish
Farrow & Ball
Farrow & Ball's Dead Flat finish just might be the most matte paint we've ever used. Try it on walls, trim, and even metal for a long-lasting, flat finish that's ultra-rich and even cleanable, should you need to erase any stains or scuffs.
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Aera Mini Aera Mini
Aera
$95
Designed in collaboration with Apartment Therapy, the tiny-but-mighty Aera Mini can scent rooms up to 400 square feet. But you wouldn’t even know where the fragrance was coming from — the sleek design and fun colors make it look more like decor than a diffuser.
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Yale Assure Lock 2 Limited Edition Key-Free Touchscreen Yale Assure Lock 2 Limited Edition Key-Free Touchscreen
Yale
$259.99
There are smart locks, and then there's Yale's Assure 2 collab with Pantone. Not only can it send e-keys to your guests and be used to auto-lock and unlock your doors with your Apple Watch or iPhone, but this system also looks good doing it, thanks to its funky magenta encasing and sleek, small touchpad.
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Little Greene Spring Flowers Garden Wallpaper Little Greene Spring Flowers Garden Wallpaper
Little Greene
$221
It's springtime, all the time, courtesy of Little Greene's retro-looking Spring Flowers wallpaper. Deck out your bathroom, bedroom, and beyond with the small-scale floral print, inspired by a Morris & Co. pattern from the historic Standen House and Garden in Sussex.
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How We Picked Our Winners
Of course, there’s so much good design out there, so to compile this list of bests, we first consulted our editorial and commerce teams for the need-to-know products on their radars, plus reviewed a handful of reader-favorite bestsellers. We also welcomed submissions from some of our go-to brands, but to be considered for inclusion, all products must have been released within the past three years and cost under $1,000 (with the exception of sofas).
We tapped a team of in-the-know panelists to share their own design-forward faves as well: Ellen Van Dusen, founder of colorful textile brand Dusen Dusen; Sebastian Brauer, senior vice president of product design at Crate & Barrel and Crate & Kids; Priya Vij, founder of cabinet hardware company Hapny Home; Sarah Sherman Samuel, interior and furniture designer; DuVäl, interior designer and Small/Cool pop-up alum; Deirdre Maloney and Minya Quirk, co-founders of online shopping platform Afternoon Light and two of Apartment Therapy’s 2024 Design Changemekers; and Jeremiah Brent, interior designer and Queer Eye star.
2024 Small/Cool Design Awards
Want to see more winners? See here for the full list of winners for the 2024 Small/Cool Design Awards.
All prices were accurate at the time of publishing, but may have changed since then.
Further Reading
We Tested (and Rated!) Every Sofa at West Elm — Here Are the Best for Every Type of Need
We Tested (and Rated!) All the Sofas at Pottery Barn — Here Are the Best for Every Type of Need
