Easy Luxury Home Ideas On a Minimal Budget

Everyone dreams of their home looking and feeling like a million bucks. However, not everyone can afford luxury living. That being said, there are ways to make your living spaces seem luxurious without having to break the bank in the process. Here are some easy luxury home ideas on a minimal budget that you can easily incorporate the next time you’re thinking about a home improvement project.

A lot of the ideas you will come across in this short read are DIY ideas. We’ll also take a quick look at a few luxe gifting ideas. 

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1. Paint it right

The color of your walls is one of the first aspects of home decor you ought to pay attention to. A freshly painted wall will always look richer and more inviting than a wall with dull paint on it.

If you want a more traditional looking home, your color palette might be limited to colors like white, cream, and shades of yellow.

However, if you want to give your home a modern makeover and add a pop of color to it, bold greens, turquoise and a host of other colors are yours to play with? 

Want to add a little drama into the mix? Have three walls in traditional colors but paint one wall in a bold color that will really pop. That wall will be the focal point of the room and will make a great space for paintings and artwork. 

2. Essential throw pillows

Throw out your old throw pillows. Yes, you read that right. In their stead, get fresh, fluffier, and fuller throw pillows. Color coordinate the colors and cover materials with the season. Right now, ochre, orange, and other earthy fall shades are what you need. Once winter falls, velvet pillow covers will keep you cozy, while spring and summer call for bright cotton covers.

3. Bathroom arrangements

While you may not be able to add a jacuzzi and walk-in closet to your bathroom set up just yet, there are a couple of small changes that can go a long way in making your bathroom feel luxurious.

Store all your toiletries in fancy containers, effectively hiding the brands of the products you use.

Replace your old towels with new soft, fluffy, and maybe even colorful towels. 

Simple things like color coordinating your towels, bathroom rug, and shower curtains will make your bathroom look like it belongs in a luxury home.

Most importantly, make sure you always keep your bathroom spotless and fresh smelling. Potpourri and automatic air freshener dispensers are two effective ways to keep your bathroom smelling fresh at all times.

4. Mixed-up bedroom decor

Traditional bedroom design elements can get boring. Stir things up by mixing and matching your bedroom decor.

For example, if you have a bedroom mirror that is part of a set with your dresser, swap it out for a mirror from another set. This eclectic mixing and matching will give your living spaces a contemporary feel, almost like those boutique hotels you see in magazines.

5. Show off your floors

While hardwood floors may be out of your reach right now, engineered hardwood and laminate flooring are much more affordable, while still looking stunning. So if you really want to give your home that luxurious look, this is definitely a step in the right direction.

Add layered area rugs to add a little more visual character to your floors.

6. Classy moldings

Crown molding, or even molding around your baseboards or chair rails are a great way to add oodles of class to every room in your home.

7. Light it up

Lighting accessories aren’t always very cheap. However, you do not need to spend a lot to swap your old bulbs with newer LED bulbs that will make your house look a lot brighter while helping you save money on your energy bills.

If you do have a little cash to spare, consider getting a couple of fancy light fixtures. It may be a chandelier for your dining room, pendant lights for your home office, or recessed lighting in your kitchen. These little things go a long way in making a home feel luxurious.

Of course, there is no substitute for natural lighting. White curtains with floral prints will make your room look elegant when shut, and will also let enough sunlight in during the day time.

8. The antique touch

If you’ve ever spent time wistfully flipping through luxury interior design magazines, you have, without a doubt, noticed that antiques and vintage furniture are often key features in home design ideas. If you think those pieces cost thousands of dollars and are out of your reach, you couldn’t be more wrong.

Estate sales, thrift shops, and small auctions often have a lot of quaint antique pieces that will fit in beautifully into your home. You don’t need to fill your home up with old stuff. Just a few tasteful items will suffice to make your home look luxurious.

It could be a single piece of furniture, such as an old chair placed by your living room window, or an old ornate framed mirror in your bedroom. A refurbished coffee table with a couple of books is another great idea. These subtle and minimal inclusions are sure to make heads turn.

9. Wall mount your TV

TVs often form the focal point of living rooms, considering they’re ideally placed in the center of the room, allowing everyone to easily watch it. We’re now in a time when TVs are getting slimmer by the day. These straight and simple lines will go a long way in adding the “wow factor” to your living room, especially if you get it off the table and wall-mount it.

A TV wall mount can be found for as little as between $15 and $25 at stores like Ikea, so the cost definitely won’t hurt your pockets. However, installing these mounts requires drilling and takes a bit of work. So roll up your sleeves and get to work. It will definitely be worth the effort.

10. Get a bar

A mini-bar displaying your liquor collection along with a couple of decanters and glassware is a must-have to give your living room a classy look. There are tons of ideas that you will find online on how to convert anything from credenzas, tea carts to bookshelves into mini bars, so this is definitely one of those DIY projects you can take on. 

Read more: Luxury home blueprints

Luxury gifting ideas

Here are a bunch of luxurious gifts that you could buy for your close friends, or maybe even for yourself you feel like it.

1. Luxe blankets

Winter is just around the corner, and cozy luxury blankets are just what the weather calls for.

2. Giant scented candles

Large portable scented candles are a great gift that can be carried anywhere and are sure to fill the room with a warm glow as well as a sweet scent.

3. Brand new speakers

Companies like Bose make home speakers that are sleek, small, have incredible sound clarity, and are unbelievably loud. What’s better to listen to your favorite artists?

4. High-end juicer

Every kitchen deserves a high-quality juicer to help keep you fresh and hydrated. Talk about being thoughtful this holiday season.

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Written by Megan Rynott. March 6, 2015

Megan is a professional writer, editor, and home design enthusiast based in California.