By Allison Duncan

As much as a house is a home, says Palmer Weiss, it's also many people's biggest investment. We don't want bad decor or even missed decorating opportunities to downgrade it. Living in the space, said the San Francisco interior designer, is like "being surrounded by stock tickers all day long showing your portfolio value. Don't we all want to see those in the black?"

The good news: You needn't spend a lot to bring your decor up to a triple-A rating. Instead, "spend smart," said London interior designer Charlotte Eustace, who has posted TikTok videos titled "Things That Are Making Your Home Look Cheap."

Here, design pros' budget-friendly upgrades that make your home look premium. Here, design pros' budget-friendly upgrades that make your home look premium.

Give yourself a raise. Maximize natural light to help your home feel grand, say high-end stagers Hollister and Porter Hovey, the sisters behind Hovey Design in Brooklyn, N.Y. Furniture on slim legs and recessed plinths, like those shown above, let illumination and air flow freely underneath. In a large-enough room, float your furniture off the wall for a similar effect.

Illuminate your pictures. Give your art prominence with a cordless picture light, an elegant, low-effort effect, says Allison Mattison of Trellis Home Design in Hingham, Mass.

Dial back the flash. Mellow metals such as polished nickel and antique bronze patinate and give a space a sense of history. Chrome finishes "lack the personality of an expensive home," said Jill Kirk, an interior designer in Stamford, Conn.

"Keep an eye out for solid brass, bronze, iron or copper that's uncoated, " said Rita Donahoe, a Santa Barbara, Calif., designer who sources such fixtures and hardware inexpensively from estate sales, flea markets and even Facebook Marketplace.

Mount your art. When displayed in an interesting frame and linen mat, even a child's doodle or a page torn from a thrifted coffee-table book reads pricey, says Leslie Martin, one half of M+M Interior Design in La Jolla, Calif. "Source a low-cost frame from an antique or resale store," she suggested. Traditional images can carry an ornate surround. A modern piece looks best with a minimal frame and oversize mat.

Scale up drapes. Hang curtains close to the ceiling rather than at the top of the window, says Barry Bordelon, one of the Brownstone Boys, a pair of historic-home restorers in Brooklyn, N.Y. Extend the rod a few inches past the window trim, too. Your ceilings will feel taller, your windows wider and your home grander.

"Big-box retailers sell extra-long curtain panels," said Bordelon. "It's the placement that'll give you a custom, tailored look." Look for 96- to 108-inch lengths made of linen or cotton, which "won't overpower the room."

Mismatch cabinet hardware. "The same pull on every drawer and door feels bland," said Seattle interior designer Allison Lind. She selects a knob, a bar pull, and then a fun accent, like a cup pull or a textured handle -- all in the same finish for coherence sake -- to make cabinetry appear high-end.

Fill an odd spot. Reimagine the "random 18," said Anne McDonald, referring to the foot-and-a-half section of wall "that everyone has but no one knows what to do with." The Minneapolis interior designer hung two small prints, sized differently and in mismatched frames, in the corner of a client's dining room. She also moved a too-small painting from over the fireplace to above a chair in a corner. "You've created a visual vignette without spending a dime," she said.

Don't ignore inner doors. Painting them a color makes a space feel "more custom and therefore, more expensive," said Melissa Oholendt, a Minneapolis designer who slicked her own in classic black. Heather French, of French & French Interiors in Santa Fe, N.M., recommends pulling color inspiration from nearby textiles, artwork or existing finishes. "It's an easy way to inject luxury," she said.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 22, 2025 17:45 ET (21:45 GMT)

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