It can be quite challenging to make your living room look more expensive. Especially when you’re decorating on a little bit of a tight budget. You may also find yourself frequently buying something, bring it home, and then wondering to yourself wondering why it doesn’t look as good as it did in the store. If this is you, I’ve got five easy tips to help!
If you’re starting fresh in your living room (furniture and all), I first recommend checking out Nicolle’s guide to arranging living room furniture as your layout will ultimately lay the foundation for creating a luxurious living space. Now that you have the foundation (or at least the inspiration for your foundation), here are five tips to elevate your modern farmhouse living room to a luxurious living space.
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Tip #1: The Right Rug Will Make Your Living Room Look More Expensive
The right rug can go a long way toward elevating your living room. Selecting too small of a rug can quickly make the room feel out of sorts and skimping on quality will dramatically impact the look of the room. With that being said, you may want to know how to pick the right one to elevate your space?
Choosing a good rug truly deserves an entire blog of its own, but for the sake of this blog, we’ll keep it simple. First, ensure your rug is large enough to go at least 4 inches behind the front legs of your furniture, if not large enough to completely fit under all of it. Second, look for a rug with at least 200 knots per square inch to ensure it will look as good in one year as it did its first day on the showroom floor. More knots will give the design cleaner lines and create a denser rug making it both more durable and more lavish.
Tip #2: SelectProper Pillow Inserts For A Luxurious Look
Do you ever wonder why your pillows never have that nice fluffy look to them? Well, that’s because you don’t know about the number one secret interior decorators use. The key to getting the showroom pillow look is to size up one pillow size (or about 2 inches) from the cover. If you have 24″x24″ pillow covers on your couch, you should have 26×26 inserts inside of them.
Not only does the size of the inert matter, but you should also be aware of the type of insert you choose. If you like the look of the “karate chop” pillow (as seen on HGTV), opt for a feather insert. Feather inserts hold their shape well and provide the most elegant look. However, if feather pillows don’t work for you, elect for a synthetic down insert as they provide an excellent secondary option.
Tip #3: No More Matching Sets – Mix Up Your Couch & Accent Chairs
This one may ruffle some feathers, but if you’re looking for that designer living room look you need to give up your matching Ashley Furniture living room set. For years, everyone saved up to buy that gorgeous living room set from the showroom floor so I understand how hard it is to part ways with it (Trust me, I’m still trying to convince my mom to do so). However, mixing in new fabrics and textures with varying furniture pieces will instantly elevate your space.
With a plain couch, I recommend opting for a patterned or colorful chair to add an element of intrigue to the space. You can tie the accent chairs into the space by matching the couch pillows to the chair color or create continuity by keeping the same pillows throughout the entire space. If you’re not ready to let go of your matching set, elevate the room with a mix of various textured and patterned throw pillows for added visual intrigue.
Tip #4: Don’t Match Your Coffee Table & Side Tables
This may be another tough pill to swallow, but the dated matching side and coffee tables do not exude luxury. Instead find complimentary coffee tables and accent tables. These pieces can be completely different in style, color, and design as the important thing is to remember to duplicate the same color throughout the space. This creates balance and symmetry which will aid in improving the aesthetic of the room.
Can’t get behind the dual-toned wood look? Swap one of the tables for a different material. Perhaps use a metal or concrete material for the coffee table, but use a wooden side table with metal accents. Another option is to swap your coffee table for an oversized ottoman, which eliminates the need to mix and match.
Tip #5: Your Decor Size Matters
Smaller decorations in a larger space or on a bigger piece may start to feel a little lost. This often leads people to pile on a bunch of these tinier items making the space look cheap and cluttered. Don’t fall victim to this design mistake. Swap your smaller decorations for larger ones (within reason of course).
You will notice that once you make this change, everything in the space will feel grander. I recommend erring on the side of bigger is better. As long as your items aren’t falling off the edge or crammed together, they should help cultivate your desired look. Let me know in the comments below if these five tips helped you to make your living room look more expensive!
