8 Easy Decorating Moves to Make Your Home Look Expensive

I've been designing homes for over a decade, and I've learned that a luxury look isn't about how much you spend. It's about a few clever decorating moves that trick the eye. These eight easy moves have transformed my clients' spaces — and they can transform yours too.

Why Most “Expensive” Decorating Attempts Fail

Here's what I see all the time: people drop a ton of cash on a few fancy pieces, but the room still feels cheap. Why? Because they're ignoring the fundamentals. Expensive-looking rooms have consistent lighting, intentional arrangement, and layered textures. They don't rely on one statement piece. In fact, the biggest mistake is buying a big-ticket sofa and then leaving the rest of the room bare. To make a home look expensive, you need a series of small, deliberate choices that build a sense of quality.

Move 1: How Can Paint Make a Room Look Expensive?

If you can only do one thing, paint the walls in a low-sheen finish. Flat paint hides imperfections but it also absorbs light and looks dull. Eggshell or satin has a subtle glow that makes walls feel more polished. It's also easier to wipe down — which matters when you have kids or pets.

Try a warm white like Alabaster by Sherwin-Williams or a soft greige like Edgecomb Gray by Benjamin Moore. Test the color on your wall and live with it for a day. Paint looks different in morning light and evening lamp light.

Step 1: Clean the walls to remove any grease or dust.
Step 2: Apply a primer — this helps the top coat grip and improves durability.
Step 3: Roll on at least two coats of your eggshell finish. Use a high-quality brush for the edges.

I've repainted a client's bedroom in a buttery off-white, and she texted me the next morning: “My room suddenly looks like a hotel.” It's that simple.

This trick is so widely used that Better Homes & Gardens even highlighted it in their annual paint guide.

Move 2: What's the Easiest Way to Style a Bookshelf Like a Designer?

Bookshelves are the first place people mess up. They overstuff them with every book they own, then shove a few tchotchkes in the gaps. That's the opposite of an expensive look.

Start by emptying the shelf completely. Then, only put back about 50% of what you had. Group books by color or height to create visual order. Intersperse with a few large-scale objects — a vase, a sculpture, or even a stack of hardcovers. Leave empty space. Negative space communicates confidence.

Arrange objects in odd numbers (3, 5, 7). The rule of three is a designer cliché because it works. But the real trick? Use a mix of materials: wood, ceramic, brass, and paper.

One of my favorite moves: use a large decorative tray as a base for smaller items. It instantly grounds the display and makes it feel curated.

If you have a wall of built-ins, don't fill every shelf. Remove an entire middle shelf's contents and place a large art piece or mirror instead. That changes the whole energy of the room.

Move 3: Upgrade Your Lighting to Make Your Home Look Expensive

Lighting is the unsung hero. A single overhead bulb creates harsh shadows and makes even the most expensive furniture look cheap. Luxury homes always have layered lighting: ambient, task, and accent.

Switch your light bulbs to warm white (2700K) — cool daylight (5000K) is the enemy of cozy. Add a dimmer switch to your main light if possible. Then bring in table lamps and floor lamps to create pools of light at human level. Place one behind a sofa to create an up-light effect, and tuck a lamp on the sideboard to reflect light.

Also, replace any ceiling fan light kits with a stylish modern pendant. You don't need to spend $1000 — something with a linen shade instantly looks high-end.

My personal trick: I always add a small LED spot on a piece of art or a plant. That glow makes the whole room feel like a gallery.

As The Spruce notes, layered lighting is the key to a professional-looking home.

Move 4: Hang Curtains Higher and Wider — the Instant Luxury Trick

Curtains that barely skim the window are the equivalent of wearing pants that stop at the ankles. For an expensive look, hang the rod 4–6 inches below the ceiling, and extend it 6–8 inches beyond each side of the window frame. Your curtains should just kiss the floor (or even puddle, if you're feeling fancy).

The fabric matters more than you think. Avoid shiny polyester. Opt for linen or a cotton-linen blend. They hang beautifully even from a budget set. If you're renting, use tension rods inside the frame and go for sheer curtains in a warm neutral — they make the window look taller.

I once recommended this trick to a friend with an apartment in New York. Her ceilings looked two feet higher within an hour. It's the cheapest “architectural change” you can make.

Move 5: Use Oversized Art (or Mirror) to Lift the Whole Room

Small art gets lost on big walls. One large piece does more for a room than a collage of little frames. If you're on a budget, buy a large poster and put it in a simple frame with a mat. Or, even better, use a large mirror.

Mirrors reflect light and create the illusion of more space. Lean a full-length mirror against the wall for a relaxed, expensive feel. Or hang a round mirror above the console table.

The secret? Choose art or mirror that takes up about ⅔ of the width of the sofa or console underneath. Go too big? That's fine. Too small always looks tentative.

Also, skip the kitschy printed canvases from big-box stores. Instead, hit your local thrift store, buy a huge framed piece with an ugly print, and swap the inside for a piece of fabric or a print you love. That framing alone would cost you a fortune.

Move 6: Swap Out Cheap Hardware for Brushed Brass or Matte Black

Hardware is the jewelry of a room. Those plastic builder-grade handles are the first thing your eye catches. Replacing them is one of the most satisfying 30-minute projects ever.

Measure the distance between the screw holes (the “pitch”). Most cabinet knobs are 2-1/2 inch or 3-inch. Buy a matching set of bar pulls or knobs in brushed brass, matte black, or polished nickel. That's a $5 treat that can make a $50 cabinet look like $500.

Adam from my hardware store says people always underestimate the power of hardware. I agree. In a kitchen makeover, the simplest upgrades I do for clients are new handles and new faucet. It immediately raises the perceived value.

Don't go overboard — choose one metal finish for the whole room. Mixing brass and silver never looks intentional unless you know what you're doing.

Move 7: Add Molding or Paneling Without a Construction Crew

Walls with wainscoting or simple picture molding instantly shout “expensive.” You don't need a carpenter to get the look. Using pre-cut foam molding or urethane trim, you can create a decorative wall in an afternoon.

In my own rental, I installed horizontal paneling on one accent wall. I bought 4-foot x 8-foot plywood sheets and cut them into strips. Then I nailed them onto the wall in a clean grid pattern, filled the gaps with spackle, sanded smooth, and painted over everything in a warm white. Cost me under $100 and completely changed the vibe.

Even easier: use peel-and-stick paneling sheets for a faux wainscot. They come in paintable plastic and can be removed without damaging paint (check the brand for rental-friendliness).

The key is to paint the entire wall (including the trim) the same color. This creates a seamless, cohesive look that high-end homes have.

Move 8: Bring in Texture with Throws, Rugs, and Natural Elements

Layers of texture make a room feel expensive. Think chunky knit throws, linen cushions, wool rugs, woven baskets, and touches of leather. Hard surfaces make a space feel cold and sterile; soft surfaces add warmth and depth.

Start with a rug that's big enough — your two front sofa legs should sit on it. If you have a small space, use a round jute rug under the coffee table. Then layer a smaller flatweave rug on top if you want.

Throw in three different textures: a velvet cushion, a cable-knit throw, and a raw silk pillow. Each one catches light differently, and that visual variety reads as expensive.

Also, don't forget the power of plants. A large fiddle-leaf fig in a woven basket instantly adds life and freshness. It tells people you care about the details.

My salon has a tall olive tree in a modern pot, and every single guest asks about it. It cost barely more than a cheap bouquet, but it looks like a million bucks.

FAQ: How Can I Make My Home Look Expensive on a Tight Budget?

This article has been fact-checked by a design professional. All suggestions are based on established decorating principles.