Cheap Decor Ideas That Look Expensive

Swap Out Your Throw Pillows

Throw pillows are an easy way to accessorize and brighten a room, whether you buy them or make your own. Jillian says homeowners should throw out their older throw pillows and replace them with bright, fuller pillows—or just buy crisp new pillow covers. “Mix and match colors and textures, and blend different groupings,” she says. But more is not better. “There can be too many pillows, so make sure you don’t go overboard.”

Use Bookshelves for More Than Books

Lines of books have to look like a stuffy library. “Intersperse with a few framed photos and interesting book ends,” says Ana Cummings, design expert on CTV’s Homes & Lifestyles Canada. “Make sure it is neat and tidy—that alone speaks volumes.”

Splurge on Statement Pieces

Dining room tables, stand-out rugs, chandeliers, and sofas all have the ability to upgrade a home’s sense of luxury. Identify a few key pieces that you see and use often (especially if they’re ones that are visible from several other rooms) and decide if it makes sense to budget for a splurge. If you decide it’s a go, choose colors and fabrics that are easily cleaned and not easily stained or destroyed.

Personalize Your Towels

Find plain white towels too ho-hum? Add a simple DIY detailing to basic towels to show off your signature style, suggests luxury interior designer Charmaine Wynter. “Just select a coordinating ribbon color and pull out your sewing machine,” she says.

Add Voluminous Accessories

Expensive items tend to have weight and volume to them (that’s why heavier gold bangles appear more luxurious than lighter ones that feel like—and possibly are—made of plastic). Avoid flimsiness at all costs: add an extra panel of curtains to your curtain rod, and search for quality carpets and throw blankets that great to the touch. Additionally, accessorize with weighty accent pieces; vases, picture frames, and ornaments should all feel like they’ve got something to them

Create Your Own Statement Artwork

If your room lacks a preexisting focal point, create one using artwork. One option is to create a multi-panel piece (one picture blown up and printed onto three panels hung next to each other) or a gallery-type display of frames.

Go Big

Hiking up the size of your decor creates a big impression, even if the pieces aren’t too pricy, says Yael Meromy of design firm Studio D. “We love to use large-scale art and décor, like a massive canvas that takes up an entire wall or a well-oversized thick-framed mirror that leans against the wall instead of hanging, to create a space that’s impactful, memorable and grand,” she says.

Create a Vignette

Otherwise “dead space” can be dressed up to make the whole room look more styled. “Areas like coffee tables, consoles, empty corners of a kitchen counter … are all prime real estate for a well dressed vignette,” says Cummings.

Stick With the Classics

Have you ever noticed how most high-end homes are flooded with neutrals? This is because neutrals feel calm and classic. Bring high style to rooms by choosing neutral hues for anything that’s expensive to update, such as floors, fixtures, and upholstery, and using accessories to introduce bold colors and textures; a neutral base lets hotter hues take center stage.

Spend Your Money Wisely

Pay attention to detail when buying staple items. Furniture that is made well will give your space a high-end look. And spending money on long-haul items, like a couch, allows you to mix in refurbished thrift items or DIY projects while keeping the look of the room upscale. It’s important to invest in your staple items, but buy budget-friendly items when purchasing throw pillows and other accessories. This combination creates a high-end look that has design longevity without making you go over budget.

Complement Your Door with a Burst of Color

It’s a common choice to paint front doors an inviting, vibrant color like a lush green or cherry red to help welcome visitors. Carry this idea inside by adding a splash of a complementary color in your entryway. This could be a bright rug, a painted chair or bench, a piece of art or an entire wall. The key is to continue that vibrant welcoming experience from the front door into your home.

Mother Nature

Let a local nature feature that you love, especially one that you already encourage outside your home, like birds, bunnies, herbs or flowers, inspire your entryway design. Use this feature to guide all your entryway décor decisions. Buy wall decor, frames and other compatible entryway items to create a unified space.

Pick a Single Piece to Show Off

For entryways that have a little bit more space and can give visitors an opportunity to look around a bit, pick one large art piece to showcase. Large paintings or statues are common choices (anything from pastoral scenes to abstract experiments can work well). Center your piece where visitors will immediately see it, and keep tables and other items to a minimum so they don’t distract.

Nesting Tables

Nesting tables work great for small spaces and cutting clutter. Use them as an end table and set a lamp on top, then pull out the shorter tables when you need more tables for guests.

Small Room Ideas: Furniture with Legs Showing

Opting for furniture with legs showing opens up a small space. Compared to large furniture pieces that rest directly on the floor without legs showing, which can appear too big and bulky for a small space, furniture with legs showing draws the eye upward and creates the illusion of more light and space in a small room.

Small Room Ideas: Clear Furniture

Opt for see-through furniture, such as a glass coffee table or clear acrylic desk. Clear furniture helps to make a small room feel more open while still proving a useful surface and a unique design element. This is a great tip for how to make a small living room look bigger.

Hanging Wall Bookcase: Suspended Bookshelves

The steel cable and shaft collars add style and strength to this bookshelf. Build this simple set of book or display shelves in a single weekend. They’re strong and stylish. By changing materials or finishes you can easily customize them to fit the décor of any room.

Modular Masterpiece

This modular masterpiece is a stunning wall unit that’s infinitely flexible-customize it to suit your space and your stuff.

Simple Rennie Mackintosh End Tables

These end tables fall on the higher end of difficulty for DIY home projects but if you’re up to the challenge they’ll be pretty rewarding.

Stunning Stone

For the intermediate do-it-yourself handyperson, this stunning stone accent wall is a perfect project. The look of exterior stone veneer in an indoor space complements industrial, cottage or rustic decor and the beauty speaks for itself.

Paneled Panache

With a few strips of MDF and very little money, you can create an elegant and restful accent wall for your bedroom. This treatment adds a luxurious element to your space and is the perfect backdrop to your headboard.