Adding a touch of class to your home

Adding a touch of class to your home

It’s your sanctuary, your safe place, the space which welcomes you and your family to relax and unwind after a long day – and for all these reasons and more, your home deserves a little attention from time to time! Here we take a look at a few large-scale improvements you can make to transform your home into a more glamorous, luxurious space – as well as a few easy and affordable DIY additions.

Match the style and color of furniture in a room

furniture in a room

It doesn’t take a wealth of interior design knowledge and experience to see at a glance that a room with furniture which blends well looks classier and more sophisticated. If purchasing a complete set of furniture is beyond the scope of your budget, there are plenty of affordable DIY fixes you can make use of – the simplest being to match colors as closely as possible. If you have a blend of white and wooden furniture for example, you can relatively simply sand down painted pieces to reveal their original look, or paint wooden items to match the rest of your furniture.

Add glamor to the living or dining room with some lux-looking wallpaper

luxury-wallpaper

There is an amazing assortment of wallpapers out there these days, and used tastefully – especially if you go for a busier, bolder design – they can add heaps of character and luxury to a room almost instantly. They’re also a great way to highlight your favorite pieces of furniture, act as a dramatic backdrop for the dining room table or TV or transform a bedroom into an escapist retreat!

Make your home smarter

home smarter

Not only does the addition of home automation systems give your home a sense of ease, comfort, luxury and sophistication; it also adds real value to your property – especially things like cutting edge access and security systems. Multiroom audio which connects effortlessly to your devices, and ambient lighting which can instantly transform the mood and atmosphere of a room turns your home into something akin to a living organism which adapts to your needs and desires. In addition, technologies such as smart thermostats and automated lighting can also help you save energy.

Dare to add a little black

dress-wardrobe

Black is frequently associated with opulence, drama and glamor – but many homeowners are still a little nervous to make use of it! A few less dramatic ways to use black include painting all the doors in a hallway in black (added bonus, dirty fingerprints don’t show up so easily!), giving older pieces of furniture a new lease on life with a really glossy black finish that will make them look modern and new, or painting all the picture frames on a wall in black to make the pictures they contain really stand out. Black also tends to work well in any space you want to modernize – such as the kitchen or bathroom – or coupled with a bright color in a room where you want to create excitement and intrigue.

Use curtain rods to create a DIY canopy bed

DIY canopy bed

Nothing adds a sense of luxury, romance and flair to the bedroom better than a full-on canopy bed – but they’re not exactly the cheapest items of furniture out there. With a little DIY skill and some simple curtain rods, however, you can make your own! The best part is you can choose whatever material, pattern, color or design you like – colorful and playful for a kiddie’s room, sheer and romantic for the master bedroom, light and bright for the guest bedroom, or full-on fantasy with beads or fairy lights.

Combine an accent wall with a popping feature

popping feature

Accent walls have become a design staple, especially when you’re decorating on a budget but still want to create an eye-catching effect. To get the most out of them, combine a bold color with a really impressive clock, large scale painting or print, oversize mirror or beautiful lamp or indoor plant to create contrast and lift the entire room.

If you can’t hide it, frame it

frame it

If you’re not inclined to fork out for a magically disappearing TV or voice activated lighting, you can turn eyesores into cute features just by creating a pretty picture frame or cover for them. This works well for light switches, plug sockets, air vent covers, TV’s – essentially anything which isn’t decorative on its own.

And finally, clear out the clutter

Having clutter lying around instantly detracts from the aesthetics of a room, making it look crowded and busy. If you need to have some items close to hand – such as TV remotes, pens and pencils etc., find an attractive box or basket to keep them in which complements your design scheme.