Do you long for a luxurious home where you feel like you’ve stepped into a richly decorated mansion? Surprisingly, you don’t need to be rich in order to live this way. It’s really all in the details and is something anyone can do with access to the right supplies, including paint, curtains and flooring options.
Luxury and comfort often go hand in hand, but you can easily accomplish that feeling with just a few simple tricks. Here’s how to get the luxurious feel you’ve always wanted in your home.
START WITH THE COLOUR PALETTE
While everyone tends to have their own idea of what comfort looks like, you can almost always accomplish it by selecting warm, rich colours that make you want to sink into them. Autumn colours are a good place to start, with deep reds, browns, oranges, and charcoals, but don’t be afraid to look at forest greens and ocean blues if you prefer. This is your home and you should be happy in it.
Don’t just pick a colour and start painting. Instead, select the main colour and then two colours that work well with it and an accent colour to really make the space pop. While dark is nice and cosy, you want to be sure the room doesn’t feel too heavy. This means you will usually select a dark colour, but then choose lighter shades of it.
As an example, a rich chocolate brown is beautiful, but when all four walls are this colour, it can really drag the space down. Instead, use the chocolate on one wall or in an alcove and select a lighter shade to brighten the space without ruining the ambience. You can use your accent colour on a few key pieces to really make the room feel properly put together.
Your colour palette will extend beyond paint and wallpaper, however, so get those paint samples and keep them handy so you know exactly what you will use where. You can carry them with you to compare fabrics and determine if a carpet is just what you need or if you should choose another tone. Don’t forget that mixing various colours in one piece is always helpful for pulling a room together, as well. This can also go for art.
LAYER YOUR TEXTURES
Textures are key to creating the perfect space where you can relax and feel like the room is giving you a hug. These don’t need to be huge variations, but even the difference between a tiled floor and an area rug on top of it will really add to the ambience.
Begin with the furniture. This should fit your colour palette from the previous step, but don’t worry about matching everything perfectly. It’s actually nice to have a few different pieces that are not exactly the same. It gives the room a styled look, rather than appearing that you purchased a living room set out of a catalogue.
A smooth chair will go nicely with a fluffy pillow or a quilted throw and a softer sofa can be made to look more exciting with a silk pillow or a light pashmina as a throw. Layer some different thicknesses of area rugs on the floor and enjoy mixing and matching patterns on the bed. You can start with a smooth tile or wood floor and then add carpets to make it feel cosier, as well.
Don’t forget that patterns are also textures, so if you start with a large pattern on the wall, you can repeat smaller versions on cushions, or choose patterns representative of dots or stripes to create focal points throughout the space. A striped area rug in the same colours as the wallpaper will set it off nicely, without clashing, and provides visual interest to the space.
You don’t have to rush into filling your home with various textures if it makes you nervous. Start small and build up the layers over time as you find items that will help pull it all together. Over time, it will all begin to look better and better, though you can always hire an interior designer, if you desire, to help create the look of your dreams.
ADD CURTAINS TO YOUR WINDOWS
Your windows can be the eyes of the room, but they do need to be properly dressed. Blinds may be the preference in some homes, but if you’re going for luxury designs, you want curtains. It’s best if these are layered, too. Start with sheer curtains that will let in plenty of natural light and then frame them with heavier curtains to make the room feel cosier.
While any lovely curtain that suits your colour scheme will work, you should keep the idea of the patterns and textures in mind. Heavy brocade curtains can add a certain ceremony to a space, while lighter ones may be pulled back with ties that add some interest to the room and create a flowing look.
Opt for long curtains to ensure they fall all the way to the floor. If they puddle, this will add even more elegance to the look. You should be aware, however, that stiffer fabrics aren’t likely to puddle well and should be stopped once they reach the floor.
There are so many choices for you that you’ll be sure to have a space that is all your own and never replicated.
LIGHT UP YOUR SHOWROOM
Your home is your showroom and it’s where you can go to be happy and comfortable. This means you need mood lighting and the lights must be suitable for the various needs throughout your home.
In areas where you’ll be working, such as the kitchen or office, plan on strong illumination that will not leave you struggling with shadows as you chop food or sign papers. Elsewhere, you can soften the lighting and give the room a few options for lighting. It can be useful to have dimmers on some of your lights so you may adjust them as needed to get the right mood.
Overhead lights give a general illumination, which is useful for cleaning or when you have nothing special going on. However, lamps and wall sconces can be useful for setting the mood, particularly in the bedroom or living room. They provide enough light to do what you need to do, but they’re not intrusive or unpleasant.
Be aware of the colour of your lighting, as well. Warmer lights create a cosier space, while white lights will illuminate workspaces, but make a room feel colder.
PAY ATTENTION TO THE DETAILS
Homes that are decorated by an interior decorator have a special feel to them and you’ll find that you can often get that by paying careful attention to the details in the room. Each item used for décor should be carefully chosen to complement your space.
Curtain tiebacks, mirror frames, and even candlesticks and coasters will all contribute to the feel of the area. These need to be looked at with care. Eliminate anything in the space that doesn’t make it feel good and you are well on your way to the perfect home.
Some other details you may wish to consider include:
Mouldings: These may run along the bottom of the wall or both top and bottom, but they matter immensely. Even if no one is looking directly at the moulding, they will notice the overall effect and it can make or break a room.
Electrical outlets: The outlets in the room should fit into your décor and not stand out too much. This also applies to light switches.
Drawer pulls: Handles on drawers and cupboards are a part of the overall look of the space, as well. Consider carefully if the pulls you choose will fit into the décor style you’ve chosen.
Flooring changes: When your floor changes between rooms, how do you handle the shift? Is there something to transition one space to the next?
As you can see, there is a myriad of decisions to be made and while most of them are quite small, they can have a profound effect on the space you are decorating. Everything, from carpets and tiles to curtains and blinds will change the way your rooms look, so you need to test frequently and come up with new ways of doing things to make your space feel like yours and yours alone.
If you’re looking for the perfect flooring options and window treatments to give your home a more luxurious look, consider Lewis Interiors. We’re ready with plenty of samples to help you find just the right feel for your home. Contact us today.