Feeling a little tired of your home space? I mean, you do spend a lot of time there. And although it may have been a minute since you entertained guests, your hosting days are around the corner. When it comes to those updates you’ve been thinking about for months, there’s no time like the present.
Gone are the days when a luxury home interior required the expertise of an expensive designer. Home décor ideas don’t require oodles of money anymore. That’s right. decorating on a budget is within your reach. All it takes is a bit of creativity and time.
Find Your Inspiration
There is no shortage of inspiration for home décor ideas. In addition to the tried and true Pinterest, a number of sites offer eye candy for the design-minded. The furniture and décor company Living Spaces provides an inspiration page featuring photos of every space in a home. Are they trying to sell you furniture? Yes. Can you find a cornucopia of ideas on their site without buying a thing? Also yes.
Long-time favorite home design magazines such as Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, Apartment Therapy, Elle décor, Country Living,and Traditional Home are a feast for the eyes. Gather an armful from the bookstore or Home Depot (look for these mags in the checkout aisle), settle in with a latte or glass of wine, and get to work on your vision board. Many of these publications are available at your local library and you can always take pics for a digital compilation of home décor ideas.
If you want to go truly analog, look for inspiration in the world around you. Think about the places you’ve been that felt luxurious. What colors did you notice? Textures? Pay attention to what catches your eye and use those things to help you learn more about your own designer leanings.
How to Make Your Home Look Expensive – for Cheap
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And one person’s luxury is another person’s tacky. But there are rules, design principles and home decorating tips to show you how to make your home look expensive on a budget. Here’s a few to keep in mind before you jump in or reupholster your sofa in cheetah print.
First, declutter. Clutter is the antithesis to expensive looking interiors. So get rid of it. Clean up that corner of your entryway where everyone in your household dumps mail, bags, coats and shoes. Figure out which countertop appliances you depend on daily and which can be spirited away under a cabinet or even put in storage.
Second, curate. With your head filled with images from Architectural Digest and the like, cast a discerning eye around your house or apartment. If your gaze lands on something and you feel a grimace, consider moving it out. Held onto that bean bag chair from college for a bit too long? Is that nightstand really useful or is it simply a piece of furniture you’ve had forever? Look at things around your home and consider their purpose, aesthetics, and your attachment to it. This will not only help you declutter, it will help you begin to develop a refined sense of your own taste as you learn how to make your home look more expensive.
Third, embrace the senses. What comes to mind when you think about luxury and something that is expensive? For many of us, it’s not simply how something looks, but how it feels, even how it smells or sounds. When it comes to home décor ideas, don’t neglect these things. Consider fabrics and touch. Velvet, faux fur, patterned textiles all communicate luxury and expensive surroundings. Maybe add a scent diffuser to your space. If all the luxury hotels do it, they must be on to something, right? As you embrace your senses, don’t forget the previous step. Curation is your friend and less is more.
Décorating on a Budget
You have a few ideas. You’ve rid your home of those things working against you like the toilet seat cover Aunt Mimi crocheted for your last birthday. You are feeling motivated and ready to go. Where do you start? The answer: with one room. Creating a luxury home interior takes a bit of time but starting with one room is a great way to kick things off and reap the rewards as you tackle the rest of your home.
Look first to the shared spaces in your home. Living room, kitchen, powder room – these are the places visitors see and experience. These are areas to focus on when making your home look expensive. Once you narrowed things down to one room, start with one feature like the floor, the walls or the windows.
If your floor has carpeting or an existing area rug, consider layering another rug over it. The addition of a second rug adds texture and comfort and can cover up unsightly stains or areas of wear and tear. This does not need to be an expensive endeavour. Indoor/outdoor rugs are usually one-third the price of traditional rugs and can serve as your base layer under an existing rug. Leave at least a 12-inch perimeter of your base layer rug visible. When adding a rug over another, smaller, less expensive versions are just fine. You are going for added texture and sumptuousness, not coverage.
When it comes to your walls, consider their color (both neutral tones and jewel tones denote luxury) and what you put on them. Make your artwork feel cohesive and expensive by using the same color or style of frame for each piece.
But wait! Don’t go out and splurge on new frames. A little spray paint goes a long way and is an essential tool for implementing home décor ideas. Remove the art or photographs from your existing frames and spray paint them the same color. Black, white, gold, or a deep navy blue–the shared frame color creates a unified theme no matter what the frame holds.
Finally, don’t forget the windows. Window treatments are incredible opportunities to make your home look expensive. And they don’t have to be expensive. Find some fabric you like in an appealing texture like velvet, satin or even gauze. Make sure your measurements are correct (a few inches above the window to a few inches below, or floor length for a truly luxurious look) and use shower curtain hooks to attach the fabric to the drapery rod. Be sure to get the shower curtain hooks with claps like mini binder clips on one end. You can finish the seam of your curtains with easy-to-use and inexpensive iron-on hem tape or hem glue. Voila! Within a few hours you have new window treatments that are also within budget!
More Home Decorating Ideas on a Budget
While the ideas above will certainly help your home look more expensive, you may also be in the market for some lighter lifts in time, effort, and money. And who doesn’t need a little extra help with specific ideas about how to decorate on a budget?
Keep scrolling for a few additional home decorating tips for a luxury home interior:
- Bring in one antique. If you can convince Grandma to part with that breakfront or have the time to stop at a few estate sales, do it. A beautiful and well-placed antique piece of furniture goes a long way towards creating a luxurious home interior.
- Remember the plants. And it’s not so much the plants as the pots they are in. Like frames, pots can be spray painted to create a coordinated look throughout a space.
- Let there be light. Lighting plays a significant role in a luxury home interior. Give that chandelier a makeover or design your own. Add picture lights to your favorite artwork and bask in the ambience you’ve created.
- Comfort is key. A few throw pillows and a cozy blanket can make a difference, whether it be in the primary bedroom or on the couch. If you feel comfortable and spoiled in a space, it definitely means luxury.
Our homes are our castles and creating a luxury home interior is key to enjoying the place we spend the most time. Remember, luxury is within reach and decorating on a budget is possible! Following these home decorating tips to make your home look and feel more expensive is a solid first step in your castle refinement.
