How To Make Your Home Look Expensive On A Budget

How do you feel about your home, when you walk in through the door? Does it bring you happiness, a sense of comfort and joy?

If not, it might be a sign that your house or condo needs a change.

Your home should be a place where you find peace, comfort, joy and relax after a long day at work. It should also express your personality and make you feel proud you’re living there because, at the end of the day, home is where we always come back.

But don’t worry, we’ve complied a list of tips and tricks that will make your “blah” home look like a custom one. On a budget. Because who doesn’t love saving money? 🙋

Whether you are renting or own your home, you’ll probably wish you read this post long time ago.

So, let’s get started. Shall we?

Look at your curtains

How did you hang them? Extend the rod three to six inches beyond the window frame on each side. This will make your window feel bigger, your room feel taller and more spacious, and allow extra light to stream in when the curtains are open (the fabric hangs against the wall without blocking the glass). Who doesn’t love big(er) windows and a bright(er) room?

If you’re willing to go the extra mile and make your curtains look like those fancy ones you saw on HGTV, there are 2 things you can do:

Weigh them down. Sew small, flat weights into the bottom corners of your panels. This will create long, straight lines from rod-to-floor giving a neater, more tailored look.
Add banding or trim. You can be as creative as you want and add trim to the inside edge of the curtain panel, or attach banding at the bottom of the curtain to add colour and more visual detail. You can also opt for a permanent pop of colour or change of texture, sewing the trim or banding to the curtain, or for a seasonal look using a hook-and-loop tape.

Photo Credits: Homebunch, urbanoutfitters, ideaboz, houseofturquoise, ivydeleon

Paint your doors

This may not be for everyone, but painting your interior doors black (or a dark colour) makes your space look more luxurious. Still skeptical? Have a look at these doors below!

Photo Credits: sfgirlbybay, monicawantsit, apartmenttherapy, mydomaine, dailymail

Add mouldings

There are mouldings for everyone. Whether you like more of a classic style or a modern one, mouldings can give a custom look and create a sense of depth on your walls.

You can add additional trim underneath your existing crown moulding, or you can paint a white band around the ceiling to fake the look of an existing one.

Want to do something extra? Add panel mouldings to your walls to create a sense of depth while creating a customized look.

Photo Credits: House&Home, Dima Karma, Home Bunch, Studio McGee, Paul Mcraig

Declutter

Living and/or working in a well organized space can boost your productivity and improve your relationship with a significant other. And, yes, clean and tidy looks more expensive! So, maybe all your home needs is just some love (and decluttering). 😉 If you don’t know where to start, we have written a post on how to declutter your home room by room. Go check it out!

Use high end finishes as the focal point

We can all agree that using quality materials in the construction of a house/condo definitely shows through in the end product.

If your house wasn’t built with high-end finishes originally, why not add some of your own?

And the good news? It doesn’t have to be expensive!

Here’s the trick!

Using a more expensive material to create a focal point means bringing the attention to a small high-end finished area of the room, while giving a sophisticated look to the entire place. And since the upgraded area is small, it won’t cost nearly as much as trying to upscale the whole space. Here are some examples!

Photo Credits: Field Condition, EssenzialeHD, The Inspiration Nest, Goodsng

Replace light fixtures

There are so many options and price points when it comes to light fixtures, so you can really get creative here and the results are so worth it!

Older homes usually come with outdated light fixtures and builder homes usually come with really cheap fixtures, that all look the same. So, if you want your home to look YOURS, why not start at the lights? Replacing these outdated or $10-builder-fixtures with better quality ones, not only will give personality to your space and make it look more luxurious, but usually improves the quality of the lighting as well. Win-win situation!

Here are some drool worthy lights to get you inspired! 💡

Photo Credits: metalbuildinganswers, onechitecture, gongetech, snapshotlite, warmlydecor

Replace crappy hardware

This is an easy-peasy upgrade that will glam up your space to give it more of a high-end look.

Start substituting the knobs of your kitchen and storage cabinets with crystal or gold coloured ones or if you haven’t painted your doors black already, paint the knobs black and admire how your home will look more modern and luxurious.

Get some inspiration below and let yourself be creative!

Photo Credit: Renovatedfaith, cedarhillfarmhouse, realsimple, apartamenttherapy, schoolhouse, popsugar, tiphero, huntedinterior

Use peel and stick backsplashes

Want to renovate your kitchen, but don’t want to spend a fortune on tiles?

This upgrade can help both renters and homeowners! If you’re on a budget why not try peel and stick backsplashes? You can also find tile stickers to upgrade your bathroom, or can use them to create an accent wall.

Here’s some inspiration below.