How to Make a House Look Expensive

If you want to create the illusion of a luxurious and expensive home (even if you don’t have one), look no further than our guide on how to make a house look expensive. From what lighting makes a house look expensive to ways on maintaining a luxurious looking home, we will reveal the secrets to getting that million dollar look in your home for less.

As someone who lives in a home that is less than 1,200 square feet, I know that I don’t have the size of an expensive home, but I still want my home to have an expensive feel to it. I told my husband that my goal was to make our bathroom feel like a hotel bathroom and this weekend we had one of our family members tell us just that! So I am here to share with you exactly how to make your a house look expensive and ways that you can achieve that without an expensive price tag.

In this blog post, we will show you how to make a house look expensive in 10 realistic ways. Whether you are looking to avoid things that make your home look cheap or just want some expensive home inspiration, we have got your back with the best ways to make your house look like a million bucks!

This post is all about how to make a house look expensive.

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Things That Make Your Home Look Cheap

Here are some things that you may want to avoid if you don’t want your home to look cheap:

• Damaged furniture pieces (stains, holes, broken)
• Plastic furniture items (fake fruit)
• Cluttered corners
• Furniture pieces that are too small or too large for your home
• Decorative pieces with words on them (wall decor with quotes)
• Too much furniture
• Cheap candles and fragrances (invest in your homes scent)
• High gloss paint finishes
• Avoid tacky faux florals (We love Afloral’s high quality selection)

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1. Declutter the House

Most celeb homes and expensive homes have a minimalistic look with beautiful large scale furniture and accents. Realistically, we don’t all have the luxury of hiring a designer or replacing all of our furniture, but we all can declutter our homes!

How To Declutter The Home

Decluttering your home can make the home feel more minimalistic. A method that the experts use to declutter, is pretending to view your home like you are a guest walking in for the first time. Look for items that are unpleasant to the eye and work on each room section at a time to avoid getting too overwhelmed.

Decluttering Tips

• Kitchen: Go through your fridge, pantry, and put away any unnecessary items on the counters. Is there something that you haven’t touched in months or items you are holding onto just in case? Donate the items or give them away!

• Closets: Even though the closet isn’t visible to guests most of the time, it is a crucial part of the decluttering process. Getting rid of clutter in the closet can free up extra storage space for essential items that are out on the counters or tables.

2. Make Sure Your House Smells Good

Invest in a fragrance system that will make sure your home smells amazing 24/7! The Pura 4 home diffuser is always an elegant touch to the home because it can be set on a timer that runs all day or when you are expecting company. When your guests walk in, then they are greeted with a fresh and clean scent that you would typically find in upscale homes.

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3. Clean Up Your House

A clean home is essential in achieving an expensive looking home. If guests are on the way and you are short on time, start with a quick clean in the main bathroom. Make sure the toilet is clean, sink is clean, and handles. Shine is super important so be sure to wipe down the counters, backsplash, and all surfaces with a good glass cleaner!

The next area to clean is the counters in the kitchen and the appliances, again making sure everything is shiny. Try using this all purpose cleaner that way you can tackle multiple surfaces at once (we highly recommend this one in the kitchen).

Lastly, if you are short on time, mopping the floors and polishing them is a quick and simple way to make a house look expensive. We recommend using this floor polish once every few months. We use it and people always comment on how amazing our floors look (little do they know we haven’t polished them in months LOL).

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TIP: The real key to an expensive looking house is to clean and freshen up the home on a regular basis.

4. Freshen Up the House

Cleaning goes hand and hand with freshening up. Changing the sheets, towels, and washing your area rugs are essential to freshening up. Having fresh cut flowers in a vase always elevates the look of a house!

Buy flowers every week with your groceries and disperse them in different rooms. My local grocery store, for instance, has flower bundles that are 3 for $15 and they usually last 1-2 weeks.

Fresh fruit, greenery, or even herbs on the counter are both functional and bring scent and color to the kitchen. Ditch the dusty fake looking plants and buy some affordable indoor plants. Indoor plants not only look great, but as a result can purify the air while serving as decor.

SHOP FOR INDOOR PLANTS:

We love shopping on The Sill for our houseplants because they are high quality and shipped with love!

5. Upgrade the Lighting in Your Home

Lighting changes the feel of a house drastically. Think about it, if you go into a dingy garage where there are cool toned lights flickering on and off, that would just give a terrible first impression!

For those on a budget, the easiest and most affordable lighting fix is switching all the bulbs in the home to have the same lighting temperature. If you want all the rooms to have warm tones then buy the same shade of warm toned bulbs. If you find a light bulb “temperature” you love then stock up on them so your bulbs always match!

GET THE LOOK FOR LESS:

Under cabinet lighting is easy and inexpensive to install in the kitchen (these Amazon lights are amazing).

TIP: Don’t forget about your candles! Candles offer a beautiful glow for that perfect last minute touch!

6. Add Hotel Like Touches

The final touches are what your home feel like a hotel or luxurious stay. Put out a great smelling soap and lotion in the bathroom. Placing disposable hand towels in the bathroom for hand drying is an easy trick that adds an experience in the bathroom. Extra towels and toilet paper in the bathroom make the bathroom feel luxurious and hotel like.

In the main living space, setting a table if you are having a dinner makes the dinner feel more like an experience as well. Display nice wine bottles and wine glasses to give that luxurious touch. Light a fire if you have an indoor fireplace or even light an outdoor fire to welcome guests outside.

Making the bed and fluffing the pillows gives the house that expensive hotel feel as well. These are just some of the many ways to make a house feel expensive.

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7. Choose High Quality Furniture Pieces and Finishes

Have you ever heard the expression quality over quantity? That applies to making your house look expensive! For an expensive looking home, invest in fewer, high quality furniture pieces instead of several poorly made items.

TIPS FOR BUYING FURNITURE:

• Be sure to look for timeless furniture pieces that are durable and long lasting.
• Look for pieces made from top of the line materials like marble, wood, velvet, or leather for an instant luxurious feel.
• Take your time when shopping for furniture, don’t just buy things to fill the space, instead look for pieces that make sense.
• Make sure your furniture is the appropriate size for your room to avoid overcrowding a space or underwhelming a larger space.

8. Hang Art On the Walls

If you have ever walked into an expensive home, you will notice the appreciation for fine art with the artwork on the walls. To achieve that expensive look in your home, you don’t need to spend thousands, but simply just try hanging large framed art to create focal points in the home. Try looking for art pieces that are abstract and don’t look like they are just mass printed.

GET A SIMILAR LOOK ON A BUDGET:

9. How To Make Your House Look Expensive Exterior

The exterior of your home is the first impression your guests will get of your home. Enhance your curb appeal by freshening up your landscaping, investing in some high quality outdoor furniture, and upgrade your lighting.

TIP: If you are on a budget and want a quick home upgrade that you can DIY, try painting the front door. Choose a bold but modern color to transform your door instead of buying a new one.

10. Decorate Your Home With An Elegant Color Palette

Believe it or not, the type of paint you choose for your walls and the paint color can make a huge impact on the way your home looks. Be sure to use neutral paint colors like greys, whites, beiges, and blacks for a modern and timeless look in your home. Carry out this color palette throughout the home for a cohesive look.

TIP: To add visual interest to your walls, trying hanging picture molding or create accent walls to make your walls look like artwork too.

This post was all about how to make a house look expensive.

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