For more home makeover ideas, see our main guide.
10 luxury home design ideas
We asked professional interior designers for their take on the best luxury home design upgrades – many of which you can achieve without spending a fortune.
1. Bathroom remodel
Benjamin Heginbotham, Director and Head of Design at The Practical Planning Company (opens in new tab), says: ‘Simply put, by remodelling your bathroom you can ensure all fixtures and plumbing are up to date and working efficiently. By incorporating new features such as recessed lighting and modern tiling and flooring products, you can bring in a real sense of luxury.’
2. Bring the outside in with house plants
‘The addition of plants, both real and false, is a great way to instantly uplift any space,’ says Alex Willcocks, owner of Burbeck Interiors (opens in new tab). ‘An easy way to add color, plants are also great for making instant statement pieces in any room. Choosing the plant pot or vase can be a creative way to add texture and a good focal point, and is almost as important as choosing the plant itself.’
3. Use neutral hues
Neutral shades can offer the calming influence we need right now to turn our home into a tranquil sanctuary. Interestingly, research by Sell House Fast (opens in new tab) found grey is the most popular interior color, according to average monthly search volumes on Google. And Polished Pebble by Dulux is the most popular shade of grey, at 9,900 average monthly searches.
4. Add interest with temporary wallpaper
Alex Willcocks, owner of Burbeck Interiors, says, ‘Adhesive wallpaper is a growing trend as people look to creating new spaces, including home offices, within their home. ‘Adhesive wallpaper is perfect for people looking to refresh a space on a temporary basis, or who want to explore new colors and patterns for their rooms. Wallpapers are great for statement walls or bringing color into an otherwise dull or white room. And a great benefit of temporary wallpaper? You can change it easily when you get bored.’ He added: ‘My advice – choose lighter colors, and subtle patterns, especially for your working space, or for a smaller room. Harsher colors may become distracting or make a small room feel even smaller.’
5. Upholster a tired chair
‘With so much time on our hands, and unable to get to the shops or order what we like online, we are able to do those little projects we have been putting off,’ says Alex Willcocks. ‘Upholstering chairs with new materials, or sewing new cushion and pillow covers seem to be the most popular.’ See: Kit Kemp’s tips on upholstering a chair in style
6. Invest in high-end touches
Sophie Attwood, owner of Husoe Home (opens in new tab), says: ‘Add small touches of high-end materials such as antique gold, solid wood or marble throughout your home. Swap modern ornaments for a vintage ornament or vintage books, and you’ll instantly up the price tag on your decor.’
7. Update lighting
‘Another easy fix is to focus on updating old light fixtures throughout the home,’ says Sophie. ‘Whether you update your pendant light in the kitchen or add new stand-out lamps to the living room, a new light fixture is a great way to give your home the right ambience to feel cosy and luxurious.’
8. Create space
‘One of the best ways to make your home feel luxurious is by creating open space and sometimes simply rearranging, decluttering, and investing in some clever storage solutions is enough to achieve it,’ says Benjamin. ‘But, when that’s not enough, a home extension or garage conversion can help by creating a new, separate space, or enlarging an existing room. Both can be done on a budget with some clever cost-saving ideas. Please remember, professional advice is always required with home improvement projects such as extensions and conversions in order to comply with building regulations.’
9. Add a loft conversion
Benjamin says: ‘Loft conversions can add huge improvement to any home where extra bedrooms or multi use rooms are needed, particularly now when so many people are working from home. It costs comparatively little but adds so much, potentially increasing house value by as much as 20%. ‘A loft is usually dead space and a conversion, which doesn’t require planning permission if it’s under a certain size, doesn’t eat into valuable space like an outside extension – something to consider if you have a small footprint. ‘Although it’s a higher investment than changing some doors, for example, it is usually worth doing in the long run. It can be used to create the ideal space away from the noise and chaos of everyday life – complete with a roll-top bath for the height of luxury.’
10. Upgrade glazing
‘Bifold doors tend to be the dream aesthetic, with floor to ceiling glazing allowing natural light to flood a room,’ says Benjamin. ‘However, they can be expensive. A cheaper alternative to achieve a similar, luxury effect would be to replace existing windows at the rear of the property with traditional patio doors (French doors), which opens up the living space and makes it appear larger, while blending the outside space seamlessly with the inside. This works especially well in kitchens and kitchen extensions.’
