That luxe look sometimes has more to do with clever creativity than a massive price tag
After years of flipping through luxury home magazines and daydreaming about how that hip metallic chandelier would look in your own space, it's time to get planning. Giving a room that high-end quality doesn't mean that even detail has to break the bank. It all comes down to a few subtle shifts like updating your crown molding, enhancing your lighting, or even making small layout tweaks that transform the way you use a room.
Let's take a look at how some of today's inspiring home designers and DIY experts made a space look expensive and elegant with some clever planning.
Designer Kathy Kuo demonstrates how to "anchor" a room with just a few high-quality or custom-made items that you'll keep in your home for years. The eye-catching coffee table and crystal chandelier sit center stage and set a tone of stylish elegance. Build the rest of your room around these anchor items to both set the color palette and make a bold, yet customizable statement as you make changes over the years.
If you've yet to experience the growing trend of a wet room, you will likely cross its path in the next few years. Wet rooms allow the shower to blend seamlessly into the rest of the space, creating an open, vast look to even the small bathroom. When embarking on a major major bathroom renovation and are hoping to experience a bit of daily luxury, designer elements like wet rooms, soaking tubs, and high-tech water features are making quite the splash.
The minimalism movement goes beyond clutter-free spaces and neutral color palettes—though these don't hurt either. Graceful Spaces Organizing added a natural flow to this tranquil bedroom by adding a work-from-home desk and dressing area without a hint of busy energy. Even the wall decor serves a double purpose.
"We love to incorporate functional decor where we can, such as utilizing empty wall space to display a client's hat collection," explains co-founder Christina Lee.
Piling on the plants isn't just a great way to tap into a blossoming hobby—greenery can upgrade a room as well. If you're playing with a minimalist, bohemian, or cottagecore design, a bit of lush foliage goes a long way. Balance a room by playing with the height of the plants and pay extra attention to their pots and stands—these are another opportunity to pull in your color scheme.
While the main living spaces tend to steal the spotlight when it comes to home decor, areas like the laundry room and mudroom are excellent places to extend your style and make your home look a bit more chic.
Tasha Agruso of Kaleidoscope Living filled this space with color and playful patterns—both through geometric stick-on floor tiles, removable wallpaper, open shelving, and a chic metallic light fixture. Check out how the gold in the chandelier links back to the faucet, picture frame, and cabinet hardware.
Never underestimate how much good organization can increase the aesthetic value of your home—and this goes for spaces out in the open as well as storage. Unit shelving provides that built-in look without having to make major changes to the architecture of your closets. And if you have a bit more space to play with—such as a walk-in or a spare room—use it to create the growingly popular luxury closet that will instantly qualify your home as high-end.
There is one trustworthy trick to making your home look like a country hideaway no matter the trends of the time—a natural aesthetic. Sun porches deserve as much care as the other hosting areas in your home.
If the walls and framing of your sunporch show off a soft cherry or pine wood—such as in Laura Sima's newly designed space—handpick your furniture design based on this color scheme and texture. Next, add deeper complementary colors in your furniture that pick up the blue, green, and white hues outside.
Part of cracking the design code is keeping an eye on how top designers and brands discuss this year's trends. Of the many 2022 colors of the year, the delicate misty green tops many of the paint brand charts, reflecting our new appreciation for the great outdoors and soothing, neutral tones that pick up the natural light. Add these pale greens everywhere from the living room to the bedroom and pair with other soft neutrals like tan, gray, and forest green.
If bright white walls and black accents feel too bold for your aesthetic, take another look. A grounding color—or two highly contrasting colors—can make quite the luxurious impact. This kitchen design uses black and white hues as an anchor to out with the soft natural wood cabinets. One of the best perks of this design is that the pops of green stand out further against the simple color scheme.
Whether you own or rent, wallpaper is back in a new way. Skip the permanent glue and rollers and opt for the stick-on trend that's allowing designers to change up their style as they choose. For a simple color palette, accent one side of the room by only adding the pattern to one wall or even one panel between your molding. Be sure the pattern pulls in colors throughout your light fixtures, furniture, and rugs before choosing.
There are easy ways to add that expensive-looking touch, but keep in mind that an extra hand from an experienced interior designer can make a world of difference.
