Whether you’ve got the look complete or are just starting out, most of us strive to not only make our home feel beautifully decorated but also more luxurious and expensive in feel as well. But how do you get the look right without spending a head-scratching fortune? To help you find solutions to make your home feel just so, we turned to the interior designers at Décor Aid for their takes to help you stylishly elevate your home to feel like it actually did cost a fortune to complete.
1. Start with a Room’s Foundation
When it comes to decorating a room, any interior designer will suggest starting with it’s foundation – the flooring. Before you bring in any furniture and plan for placement, consider polishing your existing flooring or bringing in new rugs as its better to start from the ground up as a starting point for everything you envision the room to be.
2. Refresh Your Walls
One of the quickest and least expensive room refreshes of them all is a fresh coat of paint. And though there’s nothing wrong with a serene white wall, a vibrant accent wall, expressive wall coverings, and graphically painted panels will make any room feel well-judged, more expansive, and expensive. Go for the unexpected and make a unique statement as, after all, it’s only paint, and it’s easy to change out as seasons and trends pass.
3. Add New Moldings and Details
Whether it’s for your foyer, living room, or stairwell, inexpensive and easy to install molding, trim, and paneling will instantly make any area feel all the more luxurious and complete. As you can see, simple molded panels made this stairwell look like they took a much bigger investment to bring in than they actually did. And for more depth and a sense of everyday elegance, paint wall trim and molding in a high-gloss black that’ll make a room feel more grown up.
4. Look For Heirloom Pieces
It should go without saying that just because you’re looking to make your home look more expensive, it doesn’t mean that you have to limit yourself to only shopping at the best décor outlets. Save money while bringing in delightful, unique finds that won’t cost a fortune but will make a huge impact. Be resourceful and shop local secondhand stores, look up estate sales, and online retailers for well-made heirloom finds that are more than likely to be better quality than newly produced pieces while lending your home a one of a kind feel.
5. Bring In Metallics
High-shine metallic finishes and details are essential when looking to make your home look and feel more expensive and luxurious. And since reflective metallics pair well with just about any design style, you should have no problem finding stylish solutions to bring them in as they’ll help to make any room look larger and brighter at that. Mirrors are a great and affordable way to bring in extra shine without spending a small fortune.
6. Add Texture
Even if you are working with minimal décor or tonal rooms, quick shots of texture can make a huge difference when looking to create a rich and cozy feel. Best of all, bringing in texture doesn’t have to break the bank. Small doses of texture will do just the trick via pillows, throws, and trim for an instant room upgrade.
7. Invest In Fine Art
Sure, DIY art practices for the home can be fun, but when it comes to a more formal feel in commonly used spaces, they read as too casual. Instead, source fine art prints and affordably have them framed to create distinct focal points that double as conversation starters. And that’s not all, sculptural elements and artfully minded throws and pillows can also make any room feel and look well-judged and complete.
8. Add Curtains That Hit The Floor
When it comes to luxurious window treatments, the more expansive they are, the more they’ll make a room feel instantly elevated. To get the look right, make sure that your curtains pool along the floor for a languid, casual look that’ll also make your ceilings look higher. But if you’re working with blinds or unsightly window treatments in a rental, a simple set of curtain panels covering them will make all the difference.
9. Layer Your Lighting
One of the most common mistakes interior designers often note in many a home is the lack of adequate lighting schemes. In fact, most homeowners usually rely on the overhead lighting that came with their home. And by doing so, their homes feel stark or even worse, clinical. Instead of relying on what you have, consider creating a moodier lighting scheme that’ll feel more comforting and inviting by placing different lighting sources at different heights. This could be a table lamp here, a floor lamp there, a newly installed wall sconce in the middle – all with different bulb wattages for a layered effect. By doing so, your new lighting approach will also make any room feel more inviting and well-judged.