10 Easy Ways To Make Your House Look More Expensive
10 Easy Ways To Make Your House Look More Expensive
Want to make your house look like a custom home without spending a fortune? Check out these 10 easy ways to make your house look more expensive.
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Want to make your house look like a custom home without spending a lot of money? Check out these 10 easy ways to make your house look more expensive.Whether you want your bedroom to feel like a luxury hotel or just want to add some rich-looking details, there are lots of little ways you can make your house look more expensive than it is. Since I live in a builder grade home which was a boring square box when I moved in, I can tell you from experience it is possible!As many of you know, I live in a builder grade house that I have been updating so that it doesn’t look so builder grade. Along the way, I have found some easy and relatively inexpensive ways to do this.Two of the big differences between a custom home and a cookie-cutter builder grade home are the quality of the materials and workmanship, and the number of custom details. Or in my case, the fact that there were NO custom details in my house!Trying to upgrade all of the standard-grade materials in the house isn’t a very affordable (or efficient) way of improving the look of your home. But fortunately, there are lots of things you can do which are easy, budget-friendly, and make your house look like it was custom-made even if it wasn’t.For a quick preview of some of my tips you can watch the video. Or keep reading to see my whole list of easy ways to make your house look more expensive.Consider All Surfaces (Ceilings, Walls and Floors)This post may contain affiliate links. We make a small commission if you buy the products from these links (at no extra cost to you). As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. But we only recommend products we would use ourselves. For more information, click here to see our disclosures.Traditional Living Room by East Anglia Interior Designers & Decorators Oliver Burns via houzz.comNote: This image cannot be pinned due to houzz.com restrictionsOne of the questions I like to ask myself when I’m coming up with ideas for upgrades is what would an interior designer do? Then I go and find some inspiration pictures…Pinterest and Instagram are my friends in this area!When an interior designer decorates a high-end home, they make a plan for all of the surfaces in the house…ceilings and floors as well as walls. That doesn’t mean that every surface has to be decorated, but if it’s not, it’s because the designer decided that the space would look best that way.I love the black and gold color scheme in the room above. The wallpaper adds interest to what would otherwise be large (boring) walls. And they painted the ceiling gold!!When I decided to makeover my den, I also went with the black and gold color scheme.My original plan was to paint the ceiling gold, too. But I decided in the end that it would be a little too much in this tiny room. So I went with the same color black as the walls. I know! That’s a decision that a lot of people think is more risky than the gold! But I love the way it turned out (and learned a few things about how to decorate a room in black in the process).Installing faux tin ceiling tiles added interest to the ceiling (and covered up the popcorn!)And it’s an inexpensive way to make the room look more custom.The finished room does not look anything like the boring beige builder-grade room that I started with! Sorry for the really bad before picture…it’s the only one I have 🙂If you need some ceiling and wall inspiration, try these Interesting Ways To Paint Your Walls and Ideas for Decorating the Ceiling.Add MoldingsVictorian Entry by Jacksonville Interior Designers & Decorators Andrew Howard Interior Design via houzz.comNote: This image cannot be pinned due to houzz.com restrictionsCrown moldings, chair railings, wainscoting, baseboards, and other kinds of architectural details make any room look more expensive. Most of them really aren’t that hard to install or that costly to buy, but make a huge impact on the look of the room.As you may have noticed in my den picture, I love to add panel moldings to walls. They are inexpensive and easy to put up…and they really add that custom look to your room.In my stairway makeover, I took the panel molding concept a step further by adding faux columns and more substantial moldings for the panels.Stairways tend to have very tall walls that are hard to decorate because you see them from different angles depending on where you are on the stairs.The moldings help to break up the large expanse of wall, and definitely add that custom look!Use High End Finishes As The Focal PointMediterranean Dining Room by Mill Valley Design-Build Firms SINGLEPOINT DESIGN BUILD INC. via houzz.comNote: This image cannot be pinned due to houzz.com restrictionsUsing quality materials in the construction of your house definitely shows through in the end product. But even if your house wasn’t built with high-end finishes originally, you can add some of your own.In the picture above, the floor-to-ceiling fireplace surround is definitely the focal point in the room…your attention is drawn to it immediately.Using a more expensive material in a small area that is the focal point of the room makes the whole room seem more upscale. But since it is a small area, it doesn’t cost nearly as much as trying to upgrade the whole space.This is another tip that I used when I was re-doing my den…that gold wallpaper was pretty expensive! But since I only needed one roll of it to fill the panels, I could afford to pay a little extra.And hanging wallpaper inside of panels makes it a much easier DIY project.I also decided to use this concept to my advantage when I did my guest bathroom makeover…by installing split-faced mosaic tile* behind the vanity.The tile was a bit of a splurge. I would never have paid that much if I was tiling around the tub or somewhere else that requires a lot of it!But installing it in this small area didn’t cost that much…and it makes such an impact on the room that I think it was worth it!Hang Large MirrorsTraditional Dining Room via houzz.comNote: This image cannot be pinned due to houzz.com restrictionsSplurging a little on one large mirror* makes a room look bigger and brighter, which also helps it to look more expensive.This long narrow dining room definitely looks wider because of the mirror. It also uses the large artwork idea from the last tip to create a focal point that will get reflected in the mirror…an good thing to keep in mind when you are hanging large mirrors!My mother used the large mirror idea in her home office makeover.It immediately opened up the space and added some sparkle to a very small room.Use Large Art WorkPhoto by Michael Wickham Photography — via houzz.comNote: This image cannot be pinned due to houzz.com restrictionsIf you look at designer rooms, you very rarely see small pieces of art hung on the wall (unless there is a whole group of them). That’s because large pieces of art command your attention and make it look like a gallery. Which adds a high end feeling to your room.If you don’t want to spend money on artwork and you happen to have some pictures that bring back memories (eg. a trip you have taken, a favorite park, a family portrait or even your own garden), you can have them blown up to poster size and frame them. With today’s technology, even pictures you take on your phone are a high enough quality to be printed at a large size.Online sites like snapfish.com and shutterfly.com will let you upload your pictures and print them at whatever size you choose.I had one of my favorite pictures from Tahiti (an awesome vacation spot!) blown up on canvas. Then I used it to cover the TV on my living room bookshelf. It definitely makes more of a statement than the blank TV screen.
DIY Geometric Art from thesoutherncouture.comPlease visit thesoutherncouture.com to pin this imageIf you are looking for more of a DIY project, you can also create your own artwork pretty easily. And this has the added benefit that you can tailor the colors to match your room decor.Like easy geometric art (in the colors of your choice) using this tutorial from thesoutherncouture.com.Replace Light FixturesTraditional Living Room by Houston Interior Designers & Decorators Debra Villeneuve Interiors via houzz.comNote: This image cannot be pinned due to houzz.com restrictionsReplacing light fixtures might cost you a little more money than some of the other options in this list, but it will make a huge impact!The fixtures that come with builder grade homes are really cheap (and I mean cheap…they usually cost the builder around $10 each and they look like it!) Replacing these fixtures with better quality ones not only improves the look of the fixture itself but usually improves the quality of the light as well.I think I have replaced every light fixture in my house now. And you may have noticed that I have a thing for chandeliers. Even when the ceiling is too low for a proper chandelier, I find a way to add some crystal 🙂I love the way that light is reflected through the cut glass causing it to be more widely distributed throughout the room…and it just makes the whole room look better.And, as this picture from my bedroom shows, the chandelier does not have to be expensive to make a difference…this one* didn’t cost much but still looks much better than the original builder light.Dare To Be DifferentTransitional Kitchen by East Anglia Interior Designers & Decorators Oliver Burns via houzz.comNote: This image cannot be pinned due to houzz.com restrictionsOne of the big differences between custom homes and a builder grade home is pretty obvious…the custom homes are “custom”. In other words, they have a design that is made specially for them. And you’ll notice the same thing with designer rooms.So an easy way to make your house look more expensive is to add some unique finishes. Something that you love but you will only see in your house!Using a chandelier and painting the walls and ceiling silver in a kitchen (like this picture) is certainly not something you see in everyone’s home!When I decided to stencil zebras on my wall as part of my master bathroom makeover, I’m sure a few people thought I was crazy! The zebra pattern is actually inspired by a very expensive Scalamandre wallpaper, and I love it! Painting it on is way cheaper than the original!Add Contrasting TexturesTransitional Dining Room by Los Angeles Architects & Building Designers Studio William Hefner via houzz.comNote: This image cannot be pinned due to houzz.com restrictionsUsing contrasting textured fabrics (like velvet, mohair, or sisal) with smooth surfaces like glass, metal or mirror is a designer secret for easily adding interest and richness to a room.In my living room, all of my tables have smoother textures (glass, mirror, metal, and leather), while the furniture, area rug and cushions provide differing degrees of texture.Cushions and throw blankets are a great way to introduce variety since they aren’t very expensive and are available in all kinds of fabrics. If you have a sewing machine, you can save some money and have even more choice in fabrics by making your own cushion covers.Build Built-InsPhoto by Enviable Designs Inc. – via houzz.comNote: This image cannot be pinned due to houzz.com restrictionsBuilt ins are a great way to add storage and make the best use of a small space. In this room, they provide display space for beautiful dishes, closed storage for other dinner ware and a spot to put serving dishes during dinner.I was able to add the same kind of storage that is very practical and looks great when I did my home office makeover. The shelves around the window are especially useful since they add storage to a space that is pretty awkward to use otherwise.Mix and Match FurnitureContemporary Living Room photo by Atmosphere Interior Design Inc. via houzz.comNote: This image cannot be pinned due to houzz.com restrictionsYou won’t see too many high-end designer rooms that are using matching sets of furniture. That’s because most people who are paying for a custom design want to have a unique space that you can’t get just by going to the furniture store.If you do happen to own a sofa, love seat and a matching arm chair all in the same pattern, try breaking them up so that they aren’t placed all together in one room. You can create great flow between the rooms by repeating the pattern and colors, without having the matchy-matchy look.When I updated my dining area, I did away with the matching dining room table and chairs…and I really like the eclectic look that came out of it.Plus, it’s much less expensive to go with benches at a dining table than to buy individual chairs…assuming you’re okay with the more casual look.To add some sparkle in this room, I added a mirrored buffet. And put it in front of a DIY upholstered fabric backdrop that is definitely the unique aspect of this area of my house!Hopefully, these ideas will give you some inspiration for home improvements you can do that will make your house look more expensive without spending a lot of money doing it!Have other ideas on how to make your house look more expensive? Tell us in the section below.Pin It So You Don’t Forget It!This post was originally published on August 10, 2017 but was updated with new content on November 2, 2021.Sharing is caring!
