5 Ways to Make Your Home

Feel More Luxurious

Maybe this is just a designer’s secret, but there are ways to make your home feel more luxurious and expensive quickly and easily that you may not realize! Renovating can get expensive, especially here in Western Massachusetts, so we get it! It’s not always in the budget to do a complete remodel. But, we have some quick, simple little changes that can transform your home and put a smile on your face! Here are some of our secrets.

Tip #1- Clean and Declutter!
We all know how different our home can feel after cleaning up for company, why not do it for yourself?
Clean your surfaces off and put things away. Clear off your countertops, make the beds, pick up the dog toys. I keep Ozzy’s under our coffee table. It will make your home feel more pulled together. The kitchen island is a catch-all. Think about adding a decorative box for all the mail and things that don’t belong there. At the end of the day, take the box to your office, closet, or wherever the items belong and put them away. You can hide the box in a cabinet during the day, just don’t forget it’s there. If items have a designated spot, they have a better chance of making it there at the end of the day. If you have trouble with decluttering, check out my Declutter Challenge! I break everything down and make it as simple as possible with one simple task per day.

Tip #2- Custom Window Treatments.
They can really bring your home up a level. Trust me! I’ll admit, I never had custom window treatments until recently when I redid our master bedroom! I got custom draperies and matching roman shades. They make such a difference when they’re made specifically for your home and to the measurements of your window. You can be sure they’re the exact length for your room, made to just skim the floor. They’re made well so they hang better. They have a nice lining that gives them some weight and fullness. If you can’t afford to get custom window treatments, at least go semi-custom so that you can choose the length that you need. This blog post will tell you everything you need to know about window treatments!

Tip #3- Fresh flowers!
This is an easy one that doesn’t have to cost anything this time of year!
You can literally go cut a bunch of flowers from your garden and arrange them in a nice vase. There’s just something about having fresh flowers in the house that makes it feel more luxurious and expensive. If you don’t have flowers in your garden or it’s winter time, go to your local grocery store and pick some up. They will make you and your home happier!

Tip #4- Invest in the items that you sit on.
This is an important one.
If you’re on a budget, save money on your end tables, coffee table, etc. Put your money toward your sofa and chairs. They will be heavier, have a better frame and the fabric will be more easily cleaned. In case you missed it, I recently re-posted an old blog post because it received so much attention. It was Why the Heck Does That Sofa Cost So Much? In the post, I go into detail (LOL, see what I did there???) about what to look for in your upholstery, what makes them well made and why they cost what they do. So invest in your sofa, buy one good one and it will last twice as long instead of skimping on it and having to replace it in a few years. Spend the most that you can on the things that you sit on. The same goes for chairs. Think about dining chairs, if you skimp on them, over time the legs become wobbly and the fabric doesn’t clean well. Invest in quality pieces that aren’t going to fall apart.

Tip #5- Oversized items!
This is my TOP way of adding a luxury look to your home!
I talk about this one all the time. It’s one of my pet peeves, tiny little art, way too small lamps and itty bitty accessories. When you’re adding accessories and artwork, go big! Go twice as big as you think you’ll need! If you’re putting artwork over a sofa, it should be about ⅔ the width of the sofa. The same goes for a bed. For accessories on bookcases, don’t use small items. It will end up looking cluttered. Stand back away from your bookcase. If you can’t tell what an item is, then it’s too small! Use large accessories and keep it simple. Check out this tip sheet on How to Style Your Bookcase for step by step instructions!

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