Simple and inexpensive ways to make your home more luxurious

It’s a question we often ask ourselves when we’re on a tight budget: how do you give your home that touch of luxury without spending a fortune? It can actually be done. First advice: try to identify the little things you use every day, from glasses to hand soap, from stationery to pillows: you will see that every time your gaze rests on one of these objects, you feel a little joy.

Focus on the things you touch

When interior designers advise where it is worth spending and where to save when furnishing a home, a frequent suggestion is to spend on the things you touch: for example, in a bathroom or kitchen, you should focus on taps and on the handles. You may not be able to afford high-end kitchen cabinets or bathroom fixtures, but a solid, well-made faucet or cabinet knob will give you a little sense of luxury every time you touch it. In a living room or bedroom, make sure that the fabrics you come into contact with are pleasant to the touch, and you don’t need to spend much if you choose your materials carefully.

Try a special coating

If you are making curtains or cushions, or if you are upholstering a chair or a bed headboard, using a finish will make it more luxurious: just buy cheap fabrics such as linen or ticking and then finish them off with something beautiful (a profile, an embroidery…).

Choose organic materials

There is a particular conception of luxury that revolves around silks, damasks and velvets, but fabrics don’t necessarily have to be ultra-expensive to feel good. Always check the composition of the fabrics you buy: pure cotton and linen for bed linen, for example, are very affordable materials, but they look and feel wonderful against the skin. We are big fans for example of fabrics from Merchant & Mills for its casual striped and checked linens, by Tinsmiths for happy fantasies.

Monogram

Once you’ve arranged your organic cotton towels and hemmed linen napkins, consider having your initials embroidered on a few pieces of your choice. A monogrammed towel can lend a sense of elegance to even the most stark bathroom.

Eating at the table

A little formality always gives a sense of luxury. Does the takeaway arrive? Don’t eat on the sofa: it’s better to eat sitting around a table, with equipment, even if minimal: placemats, napkins, maybe even a small vase of flowers and, why not, maybe even a candle.

Drink from something nice

Buying a few beautiful pieces of china or glassware for your morning cup of tea or evening cocktail costs nothing, but can greatly enhance the experience. And drinking water from a beautiful Murano glass can liven up the most boring of drinks. You don’t need to buy a full set; treat yourself only to those that serve you from day to day. Gradually, you will end up building a collection with only beautiful pieces.

Give your laundry some love

If you don’t iron your bed linen, can we advise you to try? It is a pleasure. And when you do, try using a linseed water to perfume the final result. Mixing a little of your favorite essential oil with a little distilled water can make a lovely spray to spray your sheets with before ironing, or try a good quality rose water. The heavenly ironing water of The Laundresswhich you can add directly to the iron.

Consider the perfumes

And speaking of scents, scented candles and essential oil diffusers can make a real difference in how it feels when you enter a home. Musty or dusty smells at the entrance have a decidedly depressing effect and should be banned. Make sure your soaps are in shape too: they will add a touch of luxury to your day.

Create a tableau

One of our favorite tips from interior designer Rita Konig involves creating little scenes in the home. A side table or sideboard is always a good candidate to create a small collection of beautiful things: in the living room, a vase of flowers, a match holder and a decorative coaster can be all you need to create an attractive corner; in the bathroom a nice box of bath salts and a nice soap can be just as effective. Any advice on a scene to set up? A drinks tray with a few elegant glasses, a nice bottle and an ice bucket.

Use “real” stationery

Instead of leaving post-its to the neighbor or torn notes to warn your partner of a delay, choose a nice card, a postcard. Really, they can make a difference.