5 Fail-Proof Ways to Make Your Home Look More Expensive
5 Fail-Proof Ways to Make Your Home Look More
Expensive
By Tess Wilson
Every once in a while, I get to
visit a truly grand home in which every piece is obviously there on purpose,
nothing is cobbled together, and there are no placeholders. I love these
homes—especially because I love their residents—and have tried to find ways to
incorporate what makes them work into my own decidedly more humble abode. Here
are five ways to fake fanciness, without looking cheap.
(Image credit: Emma
Fiala)
Buy
frames in bulk
Art makes a home feel more personal
and intentional, and coordinating/matching frames can make museum postcards,
children's art, menus saved from meaningful meals, and photo booth strips look
gallery-worthy. If you find a cheap frame you love, buy as many as you can
afford and add/switch out art whenever you're in the mood.
Pro Tip: IKEA makes stylish frames for super-cheap, like the
Ribba, for example, or consider unifying dirt-cheap secondhand
frames with the same paint color to fake the funk.
(Image credit: Kristan Lieb)
Pick
a palette, and stick with it
Kristen's living room features
Target pillows, an IKEA sofa, a Target rug, and a Society6 art print, and the
whole is much swankier than the sum of its affordable parts because it's
cohesive. Commit to a unified palette, add affordable coordinating pieces
whenever you come across them, and keep everything looking totally intentional
and chic.
Pro Tip: H&M sells a ton of $5.99 pillows in a wide
variety of colors, perfect for every palette.
(Image credit: Emma
Fiala)
Minimalism
is your friend
Buying fewer pieces is inherently
cheaper than buying more pieces, and, fortunately for those of us on a tight
budget, we live in a time when minimalism is coveted. While it's nice to have a
dining table and chairs, bench, buffet table, bar cart, rug, art and a
chandelier in a dining room, all you really need is a table and a place to sit
(and maybe a place for cocktails). The resulting look will be dreamily
spare—and much cheaper.
Pro Tip: If you're going for the minimal look, choose the simplest
version of each piece that you can find/afford, such as IKEA's $199.99 BJURSTA expandable table.
(Image credit: Emma
Fiala)
Display
beloved details
If your home is full of fascinating
pieces that mean something to you, there's a very good chance that your guests
will be too busy asking you about the stories behind them to notice that your
textiles are frayed or your furniture is banged up.
Pro Tip: Groupings are your friend. A matchbox might look like
clutter on its own, but group it with a ceramic tile, a souvenir postcard, and
a seashell, and you've got yourself a vignette.
(Image credit: Esteban
Cortez)
Make
your intentions clear
You might have noticed that I keep
using the word "intentional." That's because I consider it the most
important element when it comes to making a home look attractive and
expensive—and because decorating a home intentionally is a major luxury. In
fact, when the title says, "Make Your Home Look Expensive," what I
mean is "Make Your Home Look As Though You're Lucky Enough To Decorate It
They Way You Want With Pieces That Actually Function." If you can't afford
to choose and purchase pieces that you love or update pieces when they're worn
out or broken, you're dependent upon hand-me-downs, curb finds, garage sale
bargains, and whatever you can create and/or jury-rig. This means faking
intentionality whenever possible. You can do that by carefully fluffing and
placing your throw pillows rather than just leaving them scrunched down
wherever, keeping all horizontal surfaces free of clutter, displaying your saved monthly bus passes as art,
and using your clothes/accessories as decor .
Pro Tip: When you're struggling to be able to put your home
together, it's so easy to get discouraged. Try to avoid being all,
"Whatever, nothing will help" when it comes to the look of your home.
Stacking clutter into neat piles is very effective, and cleanliness is next to
fanciness.
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