As corny as it may sound, your home really is your castle. It’s your place of rest and relaxation at the end of a long, difficult work day; it’s your safe space when the world is getting to be a bit much; it’s where you nurture your dreams, your hopes and aspirations, your family. It should be a place that you enjoy coming back to every day after work, school and all the daily tasks that make up our crazy, hectic lives.
Your castle should be comfortable, luxurious, beautiful – a sanctuary to find refuge in, a place of pride to show your family and friends. Unfortunately, not all of us have an endless budget to buy whatever décor and furniture we like, so it helps if we can do it on a tight budget. These tips will show you a few tricks to turning your house into a palace, fit for your dreams.
The Look
Creating a sophisticated look will make your home feel special and luxurious, while making it look like you’ve spent a good deal of money on it. There are ways around going super-expensive though.
1 – A neutral palette
White paint provides a great base to start from and immediately looks more sophisticated than brightly colored wall and trims. A neutral base palette also leaves you a lot of room to change your décor or develop the space. Painting your walls and ceilings white is not only inexpensive, it has the added benefit of giving the room an illusion of spaciousness and of brightening it up. When you add color, keep it to pops or splashes, or look for classic patterns.
Top tip: Paint your doors and their trims black – it gives a sleek and expensive look without costing too much.
Build around a neutral base palette for true sophistication
2 – Classic patterns
Speaking of which, there are several patterns that instantly provide luxury and sophistication to a room, and there are hundreds of ways of including them. Whether you have a damask-covered sofa with solid-color cushions, or use pin-stripe wallpaper to cover one wall, investigate classic pattern designs and get creative incorporating them. You don’t even need to overdo it, as just one or two highlights will instantly give your room a more luxurious feel.
Top tip: Ask your local fabric store if they have any off-cuts of classic pattern fabric and use it to cover a cheap footstool or throw cushion as an accent piece.
3 – Keep to a theme
If you prefer the sleek look of white, black and chrome, try to stay in the theme, highlighting it with glass or clear plastic accessories and so on. If you prefer a softer, more country-cottage look, seek out things that suit that theme. If you stick to a theme, you’re less likely to waste money on an expensive item that may be attractive on its own, but doesn’t fit the scheme. Continuity with less expensive items always looks more sophisticated and luxurious than a mismatched bunch of expensive items.
Top tip: Build the theme around an affordable piece of furniture that you love, like your dining table, rather than choosing a theme first and trying to find affordable furniture that matches.
This comfortable, beautiful room is designed using neutral colors, classic patterns and a clear theme
The Feel
The way a room feels is as important to a luxurious home as visual appeal. A sofa that looks beautiful but is uncomfortable to sit on, or unrelenting solid color with no pattern texturing can ruin the effect.
4 – Comfort reigns
Nobody wants to be uncomfortable on their sofa, at their dining table or at a friend’s home while visiting. When shopping for furniture, try out every single piece you’re considering before you buy it and make sure it’s good to sit or lie down on.
Top tip: Overstuffed cushions can soften up just about anything and add luxury. Use a smaller cushion cover than the cushion itself to really create that overstuffed feel.
5 – Texture highlights
The right textures can add instant luxury and glamor to a room. Add molding and box trim to the ceilings, doorframes and fireplace edges for sophistication, or find a soft and luxurious rug that you can sink your bare feet into. Make the room a feast for all the senses.
Top tip: If you have any wooden fittings, strip them of paint, polish them up and varnish them to bring out the grain and beauty. Find furniture that complements that wood.
Neutral, but rich, coloring coupled with various textures brings this room to luxurious life
6 – Sensory pampering
Even the most beautiful room can have its effect spoiled if it smells bad, or even just odd. Make sure there are no sources of unpleasant odors inside the room, and look for external sources, like a nearby restaurant, as well. Add pleasant scent sources, like scented candles, a little incense or essential oils.
Top tip: a bowl filled with dried lavender, occasionally topped up with lavender oil (or other dried flowers and their oils) add not only texture, but a delightful scent.
7 – Light it up
Lighting is a wonderful way to accentuate and create luxury. Dimmable lights give you mood lighting, while a well-placed chandelier can make a statement of luxury in even the smallest room. Candles or small LED candle equivalents can turn almost any room into a calm, relaxed space.
Top tip: Want a chandelier but can’t find an affordable one? Make your own! It could be something as simple as repainting an old one, or as complex as making an intricate beadwork chandelier. There’s no shortage of ideas for them online.
Clever lighting combinations, pattern highlights and textured objects turn this room from plain to luxurious
8 – Get creative
Stretch your crafting muscles by turning cheap items into glamorous pieces. Get creative with paint, string, fabric, beading, collage – there are hundreds of crafting techniques that can turn plain, everyday items into luxury pieces.
Top tip: Keep your theme going with crafting items. Paint an old vase silver for a sleek room, wrap it in twine for a cottage feel, or cover it in the same fabric as your throw pillow.
A simple covered stool, a repurposed vase and creative use of found objects make for a unique and luxurious home
The Furniture
Even without all the extras, the right piece of furniture can make your room luxurious. Don’t be afraid to spend a little more cash on the focal piece of the room – but also don’t get ripped off. Take your time choosing, for example, your dining table and choose a piece that’s going to last for years – don’t be forced to replace it in just a few years!
9 – Plan your furniture budget
Work out what your workable budget is for your room and allocate between two-thirds and three-quarters of the money to the focal furniture. Remember that accessories, paintings, rugs and all the other little extras can be added in over time. If you try to get a complete look in one go, you may skimp on the furniture and get poor quality, uncomfortable pieces.
Top tip: At Amish Tables, we pride ourselves on offering incredible, long-lasting, quality furniture at affordable prices. Take some time looking through our catalogue – we are always happy to provide help.
This single-extension Chancellor Single Pedestal table forms a perfect focal point in this design, while being affordable at $1,065
10 – Research
This may seem like the most obvious tip, but you’d be amazed how few people do it, even with the internet at their fingertips. Before buying anything, take your time to research what your options are, learn about the different types and styles of furniture and find out who can provide you with the best deals. Read reviews to make sure the supplier does what they promise to do, in terms of quality, delivery and after-sales service
Top tip: Look for end-of season sales and ask about discontinued lines. You could find plenty of attractive items that the manufacturer or retailer is willing to offer at discount.