This week’s how-to post is all about faking luxury without looking like you tried too hard. It’s all about small details that add up to create a luxe look and feel.

Create a Unified Palette

This doesn’t mean every room in your house needs to have the exact same palette and vibe. Just stick with one base palette that you can expand upon room by room. Having a consistent base palette will enable you to mix pieces from different stores and price ranges while also keeping everything coordinated. For example, keep all your major furnishings in shades of white and gray, and then add color in with accessories and textiles.

Give Minimalism a Try

Minimalism helps your design feel more intentional. When you have fewer pieces placed thoughtfully throughout a room, things will feel more grown-up and put-together. Having fewer, more expensive (or just expensive-looking) pieces lends a more luxe feel to a room than a bunch of clutter.

Frame Artwork

It’s rare that you’ll see an unframed piece of art in a truly luxurious home. Whether your artwork consists of original oil paintings or prints you downloaded from Etsy, framing it is an instant way to make it look fancy and polished. Unify your artwork by buying frames in bulk or painting all your existing frames the same color.

Use Layered Lighting

Using more than one light source adds depth to any room. Don’t just rely on overhead lighting. Use table lamps, floor lamps, candles, and even sconces. Dimmer switches are a great addition to any room, allowing you to adjust the lighting to suit the mood or activity.

Let Curtains Hit the Floor

Adding a beautiful window treatment to a room is like giving it a little facelift. Buy curtains and draperies that reach the floor, not just the bottom of the window. Curtains that are too short look cheap. Buy them longer, hem them if necessary, and give your room an instant custom look.

Mix Textures

Give a room more texture by mixing up wood, glass, metals, and woven materials for a curated look that’s not matchy-matchy. Invest in wool, velvet, and leather furnishings if you have room in your budget; or if you need to spend a little less, add a faux fur blanket to the couch and place some brushed metal accent pieces on a reclaimed wood coffee table.

Incorporate Metallics

Metallic accessories and fixtures add a little glitz and glam to any room. Let a metallic side table, desk, mirror, clock, or other decorative item be the wow factor your room needs.

Add Moldings

Add molding to a room for instant character and interest. Draw the eye up with a pretty crown molding. If you have narrow baseboards, install wider ones or think about adding some wainscoting.

Scour Thrift Stores

Heirloom pieces are a surefire way to add a little vintage luxury to your home. If you’re not lucky enough to have inherited any cool pieces, check out local thrift stores and antique malls. Look for vintage barware, mirrors, chandeliers, and art. You’ll spend less on a more original and interesting piece than you would on a brand new, cookie-cutter one from a department store.

Be Intentional

The key to giving your home that super luxurious feel is to make everything look intentional. This means keeping surfaces free of clutter, arranging accessories and decor in a thoughtful way, fluffing throw pillows and folding afghans in an attractive way, etc. You’ve put a lot of thought into how to arrange and decorate your home; now make it look that way!