17 BEST WAYS TO MAKE YOUR HOME LOOK EXPENSIVE
Hi!
I’m Wayna
I'm on a mission to help small space dwellers decorate their place without breaking the bank.
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I BELIEVE: a good designer can make a place fashionable and functional at any budget.
Agree?
You see, a good room design is defined not by the prices of the items you put in them, but by the creativity and skill that you put into decorating it.
If you want to make your apartment look expensive without spending much, you can!
Trust me, luv. That’s what I do.
With these game-changing tips, you can give your rental that luxury feel or even make your apartment look like a hotel.
Read on and find out how..
1. Books
I’m convinced that books are to decor as belts and bags are to fashion. Having books, especially in large format, will add that smart, lux feel to your place.
And if you find an affordable, good-size book that you like, even if the cover is not as expensive-looking, you can always re-decorate the binding yourself.
2. Fresh flowers
Don’t go buying flowers from the grocery store, because those will most likely be more expensive. Instead, I advise you to go to your town’s local florist shop.
You also don't need to have fresh flowers ALL the time. I personally mix up and interchange real and artificial flowers too.
An important note: white flowers = luxury.
That’s right. White gives that aura of sophistication and elegance to your place.
It also does not have to just be flowers too. You can add decorative indoor plants as well. There is something about bringing nature into your home that is so chic.
I always say, if you can’t afford decor, buy a plant. 😉
3. Curtains
If you want to have that expensive look for your place, then you have to treat your windows well.
The solution: CURTAINS.
You would want your curtains raised high, as close to the ceiling as possible. This way, it brings people’s eyes up and opens up the room.
Make sure to also buy 2 packs of curtains and not 1. Having two sets will give more fullness on both sides of the window.
ALSO, your curtains shouldn’t be on the window. It should be on the wall so that you actually frame the window and not cover it.
If you have blinds, remove them. It’ll make a huge difference to the atmosphere of your room.
Check out how I replaced my blinds with curtains in my apartment..
4. Lighting is Life
AND my all-time personal favorite part of the design.
Now when people arrive in their rental, they usually just make use of the existing lighting.
But you CAN change them. And if you do, it will change the entire room. It will add a focal point and provide you with lighting that is actually functional.
Don’t be scared to use different types of lighting too:
Ceiling lights
Floor lamps
Table lamps
Any lighting that works for your space
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I’m absolutely addicted to them - I have them in my shower, underneath my cabinets, inside my cabinets, behind my plants, inside my pantry..
There are so many types of lighting that you can use for any area in your house. You can be as creative as you want.
5. Scent
Adding a scent is an instant wow factor for any house.
Luxury hotels all have a signature scent as part of their hotel experience and you can recreate that in your own apartment.
I do this using different items - wall plug-ins, room sprays, scent candles, diffusers with essential oils… the list goes on.
Adding a scent adds a new dimension to your interior styling by also touching other senses. Because, it’s not just about what you see.. but also what you smell, what you touch, and the emotions and memories that you evoke.
6. Hang Your TV
This seems to be a no-brainer, but hanging your TV adds to that luxury look too.
It’s clean, it’s practical, you eliminate empty wall space, plus you free up your tabletop space for more decorations.
7. Area Rugs
Having rugs gives you several different benefits:
It anchors each space and tells you which area is for which activity
Its bring about warmth and coziness inside your home
8. Textures
To make your place look expensive, you have to use a variety of textures. This works very well especially if you have plenty of plain white walls.
For example, you can use different materials for your sofa pillows, like fur. You can also apply texture with your furniture or your curtains.
Adding texture to a rather plain-looking apartment gives it balance.
9. Play with shapes
I personally love modern style decor with lots of geometric shapes - circles, and squares and lines.
What’s great about having this variety of shapes is it “breaks up” your room. It makes the room visually dynamic and not monotonous.
10. Change your hardware
..on everything! Change your hardware on your furniture or on your cabinetry.. This is a real game changer.
Upgrading hardware is a great way that you can improve the look of your place without having to replace furniture or spend too much on big items.
They’re inexpensive too and you can find these products in Ikea or any hardware store.
11. Clean and Organize
I always say. If it ain’t clean, it ain’t cute. And I stand by that.
If you don't have the money to invest in your place, then invest your time and energy to clean and organize!
I love to say that every item in my apartment has a home. I know where everything should go, so it's much easier for me to clean and organize PLUS it makes my place better and bigger.
12. Furniture Scale
A very common mistake I see people make when decorating their place is buying furniture with the wrong scale.
If you have a small space but want to squeeze in a huge sofa, then you’re practically taking up all the small amount of real estate that you already had to begin with.
The same goes when you have a big place, you wouldn’t want to go cheap and buy furniture that is too small for it.
You have to choose the right size furniture for your place.
13. Paint
Painting the wall white works with almost any type of furniture and if ever you want to use wall paper, it will contrast well with the white walls,
14. Vignette
Vignette refers to a small grouping of objects that creates a pleasing focal point and “tells a story”
You can do this using a book, a candle, or a sculpture. It’s entirely up to you and you do this in any room of your house.
15. White Bedding
I’m a huge fan of luxury hotels. Are you?
What I absolutely love about them is their bedding which are always WHITE.
Why? Because it's clean and they just scream luxury.
So if you want that expensive look, especially for your bedroom, go for white bedding. And if you can iron them, that will make it so much better.
16. Built-ins
I absolutely love that built-in look on a budget. And I’ve done it multiple times.
I did it in my bedroom with 10-dollar kitchen cabinets from IKEA.
It just made my bedroom so much more luxurious and also, more functional. It gave me more space where I can put stuff on as well as storage. I did it in my living and dining room too.
17. Blings
Of course! Do not forge the BLING.
If you’re a modern-loving girl just like me, this is a must on your list. You can add some crystals over here and some gold items over there.
These add-on details will do the trick and make your place more high-end.
There's so much more I can teach you. At Luxe Rental Academy, I share my design methods and techniques based on my personal experiences.
You can learn more about the membership here.
Or, get a FREE Storage Solutions Guide by signing up here:
Until then…
Stay chic,
