Decorating your home can be so much fun, but it can sometimes turn into a challenging and expensive exercise. It always feels like your budget can never stretch far enough for all the beautiful pieces you want to fill your home with. It definitely doesn’t need to be like that, with so many Furniture and Décor stores offering quality luxe lookalike items, it’s super easy to get the look you want for a lot lot less, allowing your home to have that that glossy interior magazine vibe but without needing to break the budget.
Just as Zara & H&M deliver Designer inspired looks at a fraction of the price, so do many of the furniture and homeware stores, their showrooms offering on trend pieces that provide the look and feel of the real thing.
When decorating your home, there are some important factors to consider; first things first, know your style aesthetic, (obviously). Are you going for a Byron Bay beach vibe, or the Hollywood glam style? And, the most important rule; set a budget and stick to it. It’s easy to get carried away, especially when there are so many amazing items out there to choose from.
When searching for furniture options for my clients, I always like to provide them with a selection of choices, i.e. examples of expensive versions, along with a look alike version, letting the client decide if they want to splurge or save.
If you have a bit of cash to splash, you can always look at splurging on one or two key pieces that will level up the luxe, but if you don’t, don’t despair my tips below will ensure your living room is dripping in style.
The Sofa
Our sofas are definately seeing a lot more action of late with Netflix binges being a big part of our life, a big comfy quality sofa is an investment that will elevate your room and be worth every single cent spent. There is a HUGE selection available out there, and you don’t need to spend the big bucks. From modulars, to sectionals to chesterfields, the range is enormous, it’s just about finding one that suits your style and your budget. Here are just some of my favourites.
Above is a perfect example of being able to get that luxe look for less. The Brosa Seta sofa is a stylish option and comes in an array of fabric choices and sizes.
The Accent Chair
OMG! I love an accent chair. Many people choose to go all matchy matchy with the sofa which does provides a unified look, but I’m here to tell you I think it looks just a little bit dull. MIX IT UP I say, it’s far more dramatic. Matching mismatched furnishing is a trend right now and it’s gaining more and more popularity. If you want your space to look interesting avoid boring matching furniture.
The Coffee Table
Coffee tables, these under rated pieces of furniture are actually the centrepiece of the living room so it’s pretty important to get it right. Size and style, sometimes it can be hard to find the right one, don’t be afraid to spend a little bit more if you find one that you love and is the perfect fit for your room.
The TV Stand / Entertainment Unit
Too often some pieces of furniture get totally neglected when you’re re styling your space, one of them being the tv unit. In fact, most of the time we just grab a big awkward unattractive tv stand to plonk our TV’s on it. WRONG. You should be putting a little bit more thought into what you place your screen on or above. Given that you are going to spend a lot of time staring at it, you should be searching for something that compliments the rest of your room and looks stylish and smart.
Size, storage and style are important factors when choosing your unit. Be sure to select something that fits nicely in your room, you definitely don’t want the unit to dominate the space.
Somewhere to hide all the wires, gaming consoles, set top boxes, etc, is also important, so choose one with drawers or cupboards to hide all those unsightly bits n pieces is a must.
Style, well that goes without saying, a unit that compliments the rest of your furniture is a must. A big black bulky unit will look so out of place when the rest of your room has a mid-century modern vibe. For me, rather than searching for an actual tv / entertainment units, I always shop for stylish buffets which look so much nicer and do the job perfectly.
The Rug
pic via home-designing.com
Next on the list is a rug – there are loads of what may be lovely looking low-quality rugs out there, but I promise you they won’t stand up to the high traffic that the living room dishes out, so if you can, spend just a little bit more on a rug if your budget allows, it will last a lot longer and give the entire room that expensive feel. Here are some examples.
The Icing on the Cake
pic via H&M
Just like you wouldn’t go out to dinner without adding earrings, a watch and a handbag to compliment your outfit, your living room furniture needs the same attention to make it shine. Without these accessories your space, no matter how gorgeous the furniture is, will feel extremely ordinary.
The right accessories make your room come alive and add visual detail and loads of interest. Perfectly placed objects such as vases, cushions, books and bowls really bring the whole scheme together. They act as the icing on the cake.
I’ve written a couple of “how to” style blogs which you can find here, but below are a couple of extra tips along with some of my favourite décor pieces that will level up the luxe (for less $) in your living room.
pic via mydomain.com
A vignette (whats that i hear you ask?) Well its a curated style statement, made up of a group of objects that are displayed on your shelf or table A bowl, books, scented candle or a vase are all items used to build a vignette. Be sure to choose items that reflect the style of your room and always group in odd numbers and vary the height and textures of the items. Sounds easy right? It might take a bit of time to play around with your pieces / swapping things up - but when you get the knack of it, you will be styling vignettes all around your home.
Nothing brings your room to life like ART, a beautiful big brightly painted statement piece will add personality and panache to any room. And the great thing is you dont have to spend a fortune. Online stores like MASH Art have a great variety of hand painted originals and prints all at very reasonable prices, they can even custom a piece in the tones your need and a style to suit your scheme.
Cushions Cushions Cushions, you can never have too many. Fill your sofa with cushions, and dont forget the karate chop down the centre. With so many stores selling a wide variety of covers to choose from, you won't have any problems finding ones that you love, and the best thing, changing the pattern or colour up every now and again, gives your room an instant refresh.
My obsession is Coffee Table Books - they sure are statement makers with their beautiful covers and colourful spines providing pops of colour and personality to any flat surface.
Books are definitely my number one go to item when styling a vignette. And they should be yours too.
Above is just a small selection to give you an idea of items you can use to style your living space. There is so many options available online to purchase from high street bargains to high end splurges. Places like Kmart, Target and Ikea are now stocking on trend home decorating items at incredible prices. Vases, Bowls, Candles, etc, and incredible prices meaning you definitely do not need to break the bank to get that high end luxe vibe.
Remember - Keep it simple, dont over clutter your space. Once your think you are done, stand back take a look and edit if you need to.
Still confused about how to get that luxe look, never fear, thats why I'm here. Drop me a message about our styling packages. Styled and Staged can come in style up your space with the items your already own, or if you are wanting a full make over, vision and mood boards are all it takes to help you envision your new room.
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