52 ways to make your home look more expensive

“Velvet or velour has both a luxurious feel and look,” says Croughan. “In fact, most soft-to-touch fabrics work best.” Go bold with a deep jewel tone or pair a neutral colour scheme with pastel ‘ice cream shades’, like mint green or blush, she says.

Quit making lighting a second thought, says McKenzie. “Very often in luxury homes and apartments, you’ll find that the lighting is subtly done but brings your attention to certain areas,” she says. Installing warm LED strip lighting on top of a bookshelf or under a mirror adds interest and dimension.

When you find a bed or couch you love, you might be tempted to buy the whole set to guarantee a good match, but that can look cheap, says Bowry. “All homes are much more interesting if things coordinate but are not all matchy-matchy,” she says.

Hiking up the size of your décor creates a big impression, even if the pieces aren’t too pricy, says designer Gail Dunnett. “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.

A well-composed gallery wall will exude elegance, thoughtfulness and will stand out to visitors,” says interior designer Jillian O’Neill. A gallery wall can pack a big punch and highlight the effort you put into your décor, but they can look like a mish-mash if they aren’t designed well. To create a cohesive look with minimal effort, choose frames that work together. Picking two or three colours like black and gold or silver and white will help the display look coordinated, even if the pictures inside don’t match as much, says O’Neill.

Sprinkling just one or two accent colours throughout the home will add a pop that looks cohesive without going over the top. “Adding too much colour will immediately make it feel shabby chic or Boho, which is nice but a very different vibe than luxe,” says Henry.

Don’t ignore design in your laundry just because you don’t love spending time there. “Laundries are a great room to paint a fun colour that you may be scared to use on other places,” says Bowry. “Rugs and artwork also make the room more inviting.” She recommends parents hang their kids’ artwork there. Your little ones will feel special with their art displayed proudly, but you can keep your pricier pieces in the rooms guests see.

A fresh coat of paint isn’t the only DIY job you can use to liven up a drab space. Staining your kitchen cabinets will give them a whole new look and won’t set your budget back by much, says interior designer Blima Ehrentreu. “We often like to two-tone our kitchen design,” she says. “It adds a unique quality to the cabinetry.”

Living rooms aren’t the only rooms that can benefit from a statement wall. Creating one in the bathroom will create a big impact where guests won’t expect it. “Changing a wall with a different colour or tile gives the space a subtle and distinctive design element,” says Ehrentreu.

You may want to add a plant or two as well. Here’s what to look for when buying bathroom plants.

Your furniture and appliance choices might be the first things people notice, but giving details special attention makes it seem like you spent even more time and money creating your space. “Switching out small fixtures and hardware in the home for more thoughtful pieces can make the design of the home feel more intentional, which, in turn, makes it feel more expensive,” says designer Justina Blakenly. Replace a dated flush mount light with a modern style, or swap plastic wall plates for metal, she suggests.