How to make your house look expensive
If you want “old money” style at your house, there are a few things you can do.
With beauty and fashion trends like the ‘old money’ aesthetic sweeping the internet, perhaps it’s time we let what’s in vogue into our homes too. But there’s a deep irony about this attitude, as slavishly following what’s popular with Joe Bloggs is never something the truly wealthy would do. This aside, you’ve got to admit that a well-heeled home really does have a certain, classic appeal.
The old adage goes that ‘fashion is what they offer you, style is what you choose’, and it does seem that somehow, the elite (not nouveau riche) are decorating from the same Terence Conran hymn-book.
How, then, can we steal this for ourselves, mostly sans pricetag?
Declutter
Clearing surfaces in your home of unnecessary bits and bobs might just be the lowest-cost activity for the highest impact.
Think of it as an act of curation. Your home is yours and should reflect you as such, but overdecorating with knick-knacks or being sloppy at putting things away is a sure-fire way to make your house look less than luxurious.
Update your glassware
Fantastic, appropriate, matching glasses (and enough of them) will elevate not only your everyday experience of your home, but every soiree you hold too.
Red wine, white wine, champagne, cocktails and whiskey beverages all have their own specific shapes. Specifically, wine should be drunk from a glass with a stem.
While stemless varieties have been popular in recent years, any wine connoisseur would be horrified if presented such a glass, as holding a wine by the bowl rather than the stem alters the temperature and therefore the nature of the wine.
Hand-blown varieties are, of course, beautiful, and have s to match the level of skill required to create them.
To create an elegant feel without spending too much, consider machine-made glassware in pale green, smoke or pale pink.
Add book ends
Organise your book shelves and lift the look of your home library with a few pairs of sculptural book ends.
Or if you don’t have a book collection, now is a good time to start. Kindles might be convenient, but chic, they are not.
Make flooring sleek
If you’re redoing your floors or building anew, polished concrete or hardwood flooring is a way to set a sophisticated tone throughout your home.
Sleek floors come with the added benefits of easier cleaning, making them better if you have pets, and they also give the opportunity to decorate with rugs.
If you can’t afford to ditch carpet throughout your home all at once, pick a seamless flooring solution that your provider has in regular supply, and plan to do your home in stages instead.
Dress the table
Using a tablecloth might seem terribly old-fashioned but if you want your home to look like the place where a garden party might just happen, then this is a notion to revive.
Cotton or linen napery (table cloths and napkins) create a sense of occasion around any meal, and they don’t just have to be the stiff white sort that you would find at a restaurant.
Batik, ikat, suzani embroidered, gingham, stripes, prints and salvaged vintage styles can all look amazing on your table, inside or outside. For glamorous brand new sorts, head to boutiques like Newmarket’s Madder and Rouge; in the mid range, TradeAid often has some neat options; or lower still, check out your local op-shop.
Opt for linen
Largely because they are impractical for many people’s lifestyles, nothing says expensive living like a large, white linen sofa. That said, my goodness, they look good, and fortunately they are currently for sale just about everywhere.
The larger and more relaxed the sofa, and the coarser the linen, the more style points you get. Be sure to also buy plenty of Scotch-guard.
Embrace patterns
If there’s one thing that’s decidedly posh, it’s being totally unafraid of a print. The smaller, chintzier, more floral, more flamboyant, or more wall-covering, the better.
From bold William Morris wallpaper-clad atriums to exotic textural cushions picked up on their latest overseas jaunt, the rich do not shy away from colour and pattern, and they aren’t afraid to look eccentric.
So be expressive and inventive in your use of pattern, and especially wallpaper. That means using wallpaper in unusual spots, even in your bathroom a la Kate Moss.
Design your garden
Every ‘old money’ home has a tidy front yard and a defined entrance. You don’t need a lead-up like Buckingham Palace, but a well-thought-out mix of hard and soft landscaping will help to enhance your kerb appeal. A tidy fence or hedge with pathway to the front door, and planting in classic varieties like magnolia, camellia, lavender, buxus or jasmine, will help to set your home apart.
Hang art well
Elevate the artwork in your home by uniting it visually with similar framing. This could be as simple as displaying all your pieces in white, deep box frames (for which you could pay anything from $16 up, depending on where you shop).
Be intentional about how and where you hang your art. Measure well for symmetry before making holes, and adjust your paintings with a spirit level in a final act of attention to detail.