Whether you’re hoping to put your home up for sale, or you just like the feeling of living in luxury, making your home look and feel more expensive doesn’t have to actually mean spending a lot. By learning a little bit about interior design and locating the right home decor, you can create a luxurious space on a tight budget. Working with the square footage you have and upgrading details can make a huge difference! In this article, we’ll outline some ways to raise the lux-level of your abode. With this advice, you’ll be living in style in no time.

Create the Feel of a Larger Space

More expensive homes and apartments tend to have larger living spaces than most expensive ones. Even if you’re working with a small room, there are plenty of ways to decorate that will make a space appear bigger. Here are three of our favorites:

1. Installing mirrors is perhaps the quickest and easiest way to give the illusion of space. In addition, decorative mirrors can double as elegant wall art. If you’re looking for practicality, place a full-length mirror near the doorway. This will give an instant feeling of space when guests enter — and it will also allow you to check your outfit before you head out the door. On a tight budget? Thrift stores are a great place to find inexpensive mirrors.

2. This one may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how often people discount this idea: You can literally create space by choosing sleek furniture that doesn’t take up much room. Removing a rug — especially a busy Oriental rug — can go a long way toward opening up a room, and maintaining lots of space on the walls will further promote the feel of a wide-open room. Remember — The more crowded a room is with decoration and ornamentation, the more crowded your guests will feel in that space. For this reason, a gallery wall might not be the right approach if you’re looking to create a sense of spaciousness. Rugs, curtains, picture framing and wall decor can also highlight the boundaries of a room, causing it to feel smaller.

3. Color theory is vitally important when it comes to interior design. To create more space within a room, you’ll want to go with light, neutral colors. This holds true for walls as well as furniture and decor ; using light and bright paint colors can go a long way toward creating space and making your home look more elegant and expensive. Subway tile also makes for a great decorative addition, for this reason.

Give Everything a Place — And Keep It There

It probably comes as no surprise that clutter can make a room look cheap and messy. Whether we’re talking about kitchen items, old clothes or random knick-knacks, objects scattered throughout a room can be unsightly and give a sense of discord. Think of the photos you’ve seen of expensive homes — one thing you never see is clutter!

You don’t necessarily have to get rid of anything, but you will need to find a space to put it all. If objects are going live out in the open, they need to feel like they were placed there with intention. If finding space for everything feels daunting, do some research on creative storage ideas. Here are a couple of ideas we love:

Decorative baskets are a great place to store random items. Keep a large basket in your living room to store blankets and extra pillows when they’re not being used. You can use smaller baskets to display fruit in your kitchen, or place a small basket near your door to hold your keys and other pocket-sized items.

Bookshelves can also be a great place to store smaller, more attractive items that don’t really have a specific home. In addition, decorative statues and plants interspersed among the books can contribute to a sense of luxury. And if you have memorabilia that’s collecting dust in a box, consider using picture framing to display it, and placing it on the bookshelves.

Details, Details, Details

In many ways, making a space look more expensive comes down to details ; little things that may seem unimportant actually contribute to the overall look and feel of a home. Think carefully about all of the details in your home — from pen holders and utensil storage to bedside clocks and coffee table books — and consider how they may be adding to or detracting from the overall sense of elegance.

Here are some more detail-oriented tips:

Lamps! There are so many beautiful tabletop and floor-based light fixtures in the world, and lamps create a sumptuous ambience that you simply can’t get from harsh overhead lighting. And unlike the singular focal point of an overhead light fixture, lamps add multiple focal points to a space, increasing the sense of roominess. If you’re happy with the lamps you own, consider changing out the shades for either a lighter color or a sleeker and more compact style. Shop for lower-wattage bulbs, rather than looking for the brightest bulbs possible, especially in the dining room. There’s a reason fancy restaurants are often dimly lit — because it adds to a sense of opulence.

The right curtains can make your rooms feel much more luxurious. Floor to ceiling curtains that span the whole height of the wall will also create the illusion of higher ceilings. Also, wide and long curtains have more folds, creating a luxurious feel. To pull the room together, consider adding some throw pillows that echo the colors of the drapes.

Upgrading the hardware in your space can be a great, easy and relatively inexpensive way to add interest to your kitchen or bathroom decor styles. Sprucing up cabinet knobs, drawer pulls and sink handles with more fashionable hardware can add to the sense of luxury in your home.

The Takeaway

As we mentioned, making a space look more expensive isn’t necessarily about spending a lot of money, but it is all about the details. That said, while many of these ideas are simple, some of these options may require you to shop for new furniture pieces.

If you’re still feeling nervous, don’t fret! Decorating on a budget can be easier than you think. Acima Leasing’s lease-to-own solutions* can unlock your shopping power by giving you the option to bring home the furniture items you need to make your home look expensive. As you are planning on how to go shopping to refresh your home, consider the flexible lease renewal payment options* that you can choose from with Acima Leasing. You also work toward ownership by making all the payments as defined by your lease or opting to purchase early. Additionally, if you shop using Acima Leasing and decide that what you chose doesn’t quite fit, you have the option to terminate the lease at anytime by following our instructions as long as the item is in good condition, and you are current on your lease renewal payments*. Learn more how Acima Leasing works, and see if our shopping options are right for you. If you are still interested in reading more about Acima Leasing check out this page or our FAQ page.