There’s something deeply satisfying about starting and ending your days in a home that makes you feel pampered. The fact is that this feeling of luxury does not always come down to expensive furniture or grand architectural features. More often, it’s about thoughtfulness and putting in subtle touches that speak to you and bring harmony to your home. As with many of the best things in life, a luxury home is not necessarily the result of what one buys but the intentionality that goes into the small details.
Again, expensive solutions like fancy furniture or a remodelling may be right for you. Still, it’s entirely possible to make a luxe-feeling home without burning through thousands of quids. Inject these deceptively simple, yet affordable details into your home to turn it into something truly special.
- Rethink Your Wall Art
Nothing says “well-thought-out” in this day and age like the incorporation of artwork in interior spaces. If you’re on a budget, well-curated art posters and prints can be just as impactful and authentic as anything else. Even if you have all the room you need in your budget, DROOL's curated selection of original, limited-run, artist-endorsed prints is a great choice, coming with clean, quality frames, including some off-beat choices like slot-in orange GLO Frames.
- Keep Your Colour Palettes Tight
A luxe atmosphere often comes down to intentionality. While cohesion isn’t strictly the only way to achieve that, a defined colour palette (even one built around neutrals) can make your home feel so much more polished. You’d be surprised at how much you can achieve by avoiding busy or contrasting colours. Consider adding “hero pieces” of art or furniture that strongly anchor your colour palettes, as well as closed storage to minimise the appearance of objects that don’t quite fit the theme.
- Texture through Textiles
Plush, natural, or textured fabrics can give any space a sense of richness, avoiding the cold, mass-manufactured look that’s become so common in contemporary living. Think of items like boucle cushions, chunky knit throws, velvet drapes, or linen upholstery, and see if these make sense for your space.
- Don’t Clutter—Curate!
Whether it’s books, model kits, or travel mementoes, collections can start to look messy if you’re not on top of them. Being more thoughtful with how you group and display your collections can add tonnes of refinement to your room. Be sure that anything on permanent display is edited ruthlessly so that it fits with everything else. Anything else should be kept in closed storage or within an elegant display case that fits your theme.
- Upgrade Your Lighting
Boring overhead lighting is one of the least luxe-looking things you can have in your home. Relying on just default overhead lights in white can completely flatten a space and make it look drab.
You don’t have to rip out your overhead lights, but you do want to have a more layered lighting setup with table lamps, floor lamps, sconces, and even candles. Keep the white lights in your kitchen, garage, and storage spaces and opt for soft, warm bulbs and dimmers everywhere else for a luxurious mood.
- Invest in Key Sculptural Pieces
By sculptural, we don’t necessarily mean actual sculptures. Rather, any beautiful three-dimensional object, be it a wonderfully designed coffee maker, a unique chair, or a real sculpture, can fit the bill, becoming an important visual anchor for a room. If you pick the right ones, you’ll have useful conversation starters that really signal taste and intentionality. Don’t be afraid to spend a bit more to obtain useful but beautiful things that always need to be visible in your space.
- Create a Signature Scent for Your Home
Take a cue from luxury hotels and resorts and use reed diffusers, essential oil blends, or scented candles to redefine your space’s character. To drive the idea of “luxe” home, ditch the food-scented options and go for subtle fragrances like sandalwood, bergamot, or cedar. This small touch may not always be that obvious, but it’s sure to leave a lasting impression on you and everyone else who visits.
- Stick with Time-Tested Natural Elements
Natural pieces like real wood accents and real stone accessories aren’t necessarily distinguishable from their substitutes in a one-to-one comparison. But if you have a lot of these in your space, the wonderful irregularities of the natural pieces tend to add up and bring a subtle warmth. Fortunately, even just sticking with a few key pieces is usually more than enough to introduce an organic quality that reads as quiet luxury.
Luxury Lives in the Details
Again, luxury is all about intentionality, not overspending. Once you quit impulse purchases and get into the habit of seeing your home with a more intentional eye, a more luxe vibe usually follows. Start small and don’t sweat over every detail, and you’ll soon have a plush, comfortable space that is both chic and identifiably yours.
