1. CREATE DEPTH FOR EFFORTLESS LUXE
Let's begin room-by-room, because, after all, if you make small rooms look expensive, the overall effect will be incredibly impactful. And this can be done with careful furniture placement. ‘When working in a home with tighter spaces, we find it important to layer in depth and to avoid filling up the space despite how much you want to,’ says interior designer Dustin Gerken of Dustin Gerken Design.
2. THINK LUXURY FABRICS
Whether you want to make a dining room or kitchen look more expensive, one noticeable way to do so is with upholstery. This will work to make both small kitchens and small dining room ideas look expensive. While the space may just be enough for two, three or four dining chairs or even bar stools, they can still make an impression.
3. DEFINE THE PERIPHERY
If you want an expensive look in a small house, there’s a temptation you should avoid, according to Peter Spalding, interior designer, co-founder and chief creative officer at Daniel House Club, especially if you are looking for ways to make a living room look more expensive.
4. FOCUS ON COLOR
An expensive look demands an airy feel, so how to deliver on this in a small home? Small living room ideas and those for other spaces might focus on decorating with neutrals. ‘Neutral colors create a serene and spacious atmosphere that makes your space look bigger and more refined,’ says interior designer Artem Kropovinsky. ‘You can add some color with accessories, artwork or plants, but keep the walls, floors and furniture in shades of white, beige, gray or black.’
5. DRESS WINDOWS BEAUTIFULLY
To make a small house look expensive, pay attention to the window treatment ideas. There may not be sufficient room for luxurious floor-length drapes with elegant headings, but don’t be tempted to swap in utilitarian treatments instead.
6. SWAP HARDWARE
Looking for ways to make a kitchen or bathroom look expensive? Pay attention to details such as hardware. There’s plenty of opportunity to elevate small bathroom or small kitchen ideas with your selections as hardware, too, will make its presence felt.
7. OPT FOR SUBTLE IMPACT
Wall decor ideas can bring upscale style to a compact home. ‘The key to making a small home look expensive is to incorporate subtle yet impactful design elements,’ says Jennifer Matthews, co-founder and CCO at Tempaper & Co.
8. INVEST IN ART
Don’t be afraid to dress up the walls of a small home with art – it needn’t make the rooms feel cluttered with the right hanging arrangement. Here, the bold artwork is hung low enough to be associated with the upholstered headboard and lamp base, creating a hit of color against the space-stretching neutral wall.
9. BE SMART ABOUT SCALE
‘The best way to make a small house look expensive is to be smart about scale,’ says interior designer Peter Spalding. ‘If your little house has low ceilings, embrace their lowness. Use crown moldings with profiles that look like they are bearing the weight of the ceiling. Apply shallow rough hewn beams and integral plaster to the ceiling as you’d find in old cottages of England. Give the place a sense of lineage.
10. CHOOSE STATEMENT LIGHTING
Tempted to choose unobtrusive lighting for a small house? For an expensive look, be bolder. The beaded chandelier in this San Francisco home is a fabulous focal point in the dining room because of its proportions and its beautiful detail.
If your style‘s modern, go for a contemporary take on the chandelier instead: these designs use interesting materials and elegant shapes to create a showstopping design.
11. DON'T NEGLECT THE EXTERIOR
'It's important to make the exterior of your house look expensive to boost its appeal,' says Lucy. 'Not only to does it improve its curb appeal, it offers promise of what's inside. You can't make a small house look more expensive without addressing anything outside, front and back, that is ruining that appeal.