Decorating
How to Get the Luxury Look for Less
Check out how to make your home look as if it’s kitted out in a host of luxurious materials – for a mere fraction of the price
Granite worktops, parquet flooring and real period features look great, but might amount to more than you can afford. However, today’s budget-friendly lookalikes are so impressive, only an expert eye could spot the difference. Employ some of these inexpensive hacks to give your home an extravagant sense of style.
Play with parquet
Laid down individually block by block, parquet flooring has always been a sign of decadence. Yet the latest engineered parquet flooring is almost indistinguishable from the real thing and much cheaper to install.
Chevron-style, engineered parquet, similar to that shown here, will often arrive part-assembled, which makes it much cheaper to install than traditional parquet.
Be inspired by more ways to use parquet
Laid down individually block by block, parquet flooring has always been a sign of decadence. Yet the latest engineered parquet flooring is almost indistinguishable from the real thing and much cheaper to install.
Chevron-style, engineered parquet, similar to that shown here, will often arrive part-assembled, which makes it much cheaper to install than traditional parquet.
Be inspired by more ways to use parquet
Add some panelling
Panelled walls give a room a rich, period feel and are easy to replicate. A quick online search will return a number of cheap MDF panelling suppliers. If your walls are smooth, the panels can be glued straight on and then painted. If you have rough walls, it’s still doable – you’ll just have to fix wooden battens on first and then stick the panelling to them with nails or strong glue.
If you’re the practical sort and want to save more money, it’s quite easy to craft panelling yourself from sheets and strips of MDF, which you can buy at most DIY superstores. This can then be fastened to your wall and painted to create an effect similar to that shown here.
Panelled walls give a room a rich, period feel and are easy to replicate. A quick online search will return a number of cheap MDF panelling suppliers. If your walls are smooth, the panels can be glued straight on and then painted. If you have rough walls, it’s still doable – you’ll just have to fix wooden battens on first and then stick the panelling to them with nails or strong glue.
If you’re the practical sort and want to save more money, it’s quite easy to craft panelling yourself from sheets and strips of MDF, which you can buy at most DIY superstores. This can then be fastened to your wall and painted to create an effect similar to that shown here.
Upgrade your splashback
This tiny kitchen has a luxurious feel thanks to the thin porcelain tiles used for the splashback. The large format tiles have a marble finish which is almost as good as the real thing, but a fraction of the price.
You can see more porcelain tile splashbacks here.
This tiny kitchen has a luxurious feel thanks to the thin porcelain tiles used for the splashback. The large format tiles have a marble finish which is almost as good as the real thing, but a fraction of the price.
You can see more porcelain tile splashbacks here.
Be deceptive with porcelain
Porcelain tiles now do a very good job of passing themselves off as wooden flooring. Although the price of these very realistic-looking tiles is still quite high, this will fall as their popularity grows, plus they require far less maintenance than wood, so they could work out cheaper in the long term. Here, a porcelain wood-effect floor tile is teamed with bespoke cabinetry for a luxurious but practical finish.
Bring a splash of style to your bathroom floor
Porcelain tiles now do a very good job of passing themselves off as wooden flooring. Although the price of these very realistic-looking tiles is still quite high, this will fall as their popularity grows, plus they require far less maintenance than wood, so they could work out cheaper in the long term. Here, a porcelain wood-effect floor tile is teamed with bespoke cabinetry for a luxurious but practical finish.
Bring a splash of style to your bathroom floor
Sift through salvage
Some of the UK’s most exclusive homeware stores are selling battered old school desks and old factory furniture for hundreds of pounds. Go to the places they buy from: auction houses, car-boot sales and antiques fairs, and buy these highly coveted pieces before they’re ridiculously marked up.
Most of the furniture shown in this stylish kitchen is sourced from vintage shops and flea markets.
Explore ways to use vintage materials in a modern setting
Some of the UK’s most exclusive homeware stores are selling battered old school desks and old factory furniture for hundreds of pounds. Go to the places they buy from: auction houses, car-boot sales and antiques fairs, and buy these highly coveted pieces before they’re ridiculously marked up.
Most of the furniture shown in this stylish kitchen is sourced from vintage shops and flea markets.
Explore ways to use vintage materials in a modern setting
Get moulding
Coving, ceiling roses, dado rails and architraves are all desirable features, and DIY stores and online outlets sell period and contemporary-style versions. Usually made out of a light, high-grade polymer and simply glued on, these add-ons are much cheaper than plaster originals.
Look for ones that come ready primed, so they only need one coat of paint when fixed. Applied correctly and carefully painted over, you’d never know they weren’t built in as part of your house.
Coving, ceiling roses, dado rails and architraves are all desirable features, and DIY stores and online outlets sell period and contemporary-style versions. Usually made out of a light, high-grade polymer and simply glued on, these add-ons are much cheaper than plaster originals.
Look for ones that come ready primed, so they only need one coat of paint when fixed. Applied correctly and carefully painted over, you’d never know they weren’t built in as part of your house.
Strike up a real flame fire
In this age of central heating, there’s something incredibly indulgent about a real flame fire. And today, you can see flames flickering in the hearth without even having to have a chimney. Some of the latest bioethanol smokeless fires don’t require a flue either and can be brought home and lit straight away. In this room, it’s been hung on the wall to create a striking focal point.
TELL US…
Have you managed to get the luxe look on a tight budget? Share your ideas and photos in the Comments below.
In this age of central heating, there’s something incredibly indulgent about a real flame fire. And today, you can see flames flickering in the hearth without even having to have a chimney. Some of the latest bioethanol smokeless fires don’t require a flue either and can be brought home and lit straight away. In this room, it’s been hung on the wall to create a striking focal point.
TELL US…
Have you managed to get the luxe look on a tight budget? Share your ideas and photos in the Comments below.
Solid wood is obviously more expensive than veneer, where a thin piece of wood is glued on to boards. Veneers, however, are now of remarkably good quality and it’s hard to tell them apart from the real thing. This beautiful kitchen, for example, has IKEA carcasses and plywood fitted doors with an ash veneer covering.
It’s worth getting an experienced carpenter in when working with veneer, as a professional will ensure it looks like a quality piece of furniture once it’s finished.
Look for more kitchens with wooden cabinet finishes like this in our photo section.