How to Make Your Apartment Look Expensive: 9 Creative Ideas & Tips
How to Make Your Apartment Look Expensive: 9 Creative Ideas & Tips
- Kaila Daley
- Published: December 26, 2022
Learn how to bring the expensive look to your apartment without the expensive price.
Learn how to bring the expensive look to your apartment without the expensive price.
If you love the luxurious look of a modern apartment with an expensive feel then you’ve come to the right place. We’ll share 9 creative ideas that we believe will bring that expensive vibe you love to your own apartment!
When trying to make your apartment look more expensive you want to consider adding three key elements: texture, accents, and a theme.
Whether you’re moving into your first apartment or have been at your apartment for some time, it’s always a great idea to redecorate your space to make it feel more like a home.
Having the expensive look you desire can be affordable, accessible, and easy to do yourself
1. Upgrade Your Light Fixtures and Lamps
1. Upgrade Your Light Fixtures and Lamps
When renting an apartment, generally you are allowed to change out the pre-installed light fixtures and add your own as long as you put the original fixtures back when moving out.
Switching out your light fixtures in your kitchen, living area, and bathroom for something with a more unique touch and modern style can give your apartment an expensive feel without breaking the bank.
Besides changing out your light fixtures, you can also add standing lamps with a metal base in black, gold, or silver to compliment your living space.
Before any changes are made, first check with your landlord or leasing office to see if you are allowed to make any upgrades to your fixtures. Also if you are renting with roommates, make sure to check with them as well before making any major changes.
2. Peel-and-Stick Backsplash
Let’s face it, our kitchen is one of the main focal points of our apartment, especially if you have a smaller space like a studio.
It’s important for your kitchen to have a fresh, organized, and cohesive look to reduce the feeling of clutter, especially when you are preparing a meal for yourself or entertaining guests in your home.
For a more expensive look, we would recommend upgrading your backsplash to something more modern and stylish.
Most apartment units come with the cheapest options for decor and upgrading your backsplash can bring a whole new vibe to your kitchen.
A peel-and-stick backsplash would be a great option for those of you who don’t mind a bit of DIY and also don’t want to break the bank. You can find a ton of plain or patterned backsplash options on websites like Amazon, Walmart, and even Etsy.
3. Add an Accent Wall
3. Add an Accent Wall
Sometimes the color of the walls that come with our apartment does not suit our style the best. Adding wallpaper to one wall will give a nice contrast to the space, especially a pattern and color that looks more expensive.
This accent wallpaper can be added to a living room or a bedroom, and are a really great option to add for studios to divide up one big living area.
Wallpaper options are available in an endless amount of colors and styles to choose from.
You can find amazing prints on Amazon or a site like Love vs Design wallpapers where they have tons of creative and elegant options we think will bring out that expensive feel you’re looking for.
4. Add Floor to Ceiling Curtains
Floor-to-ceiling curtains are a great way to make your living room or bedroom look more spacious, as they draw the eyes upward, elongating the room.
These types of curtains tend to look more luxurious especially if color-coordinated with other furniture and decor pieces.
To achieve this look, you want to have your curtain rods higher than where your windows begin, make sure to put them all the way up to the ceiling and have your long curtains go right down to the floor.
These curtains are available in many colors and fabrics such as polyester, linen, and velvet to choose from, depending on your budget and overall personal style. They are also available in blackout and thermal options.
Before adding any floor-to-ceiling curtains, you first want to make sure that you measure the window area from ceiling to floor so that you have all the correct measurements before buying.
5. Create a Color Palette or Theme
Having a color palette or theme in your apartment helps to bring together a more cohesive organized look and feel to your space. Some common themes are coastal, modern abstract, floral, Scandinavian, and industrial.
Whatever your styling preference may be, introducing a common element throughout your apartment will definitely pull together that expensive allure you are trying to achieve.
You can also mix and match themes for different areas or rooms of your home. A bathroom can be more dark and industrial or whimsical while your living room and dining can be a more modern look and feel.
6. Add Throw Pillows
We all know how bare and boring a couch can look without any throw pillows so why not add some luxurious ones?
Throw pillows are a great decorating piece in an apartment especially a small one as they can be the center of attention in a living room.
Throw pillows are available in many prints and colors but if you’re going for a more modern and expensive feel then sticking with a neutral palette is recommended.
With neutral throw pillows, you can still add fun designs that match your taste as long as there are only one or two pillows like that on the couch.
If you do have a color theme for your apartment, make sure your throw pillows match that theme for cohesiveness.
We would also recommend getting choppable throw pillows in bigger sizes to add a bit of depth and elevation to your couch. Check out this guide on choosing throw pillows for more inspiration.
7. Decorate Your Coffee Table
If you love home decor then this is your chance to shine! Decorating your coffee table can really bring that fun luxurious feel to your living room.
Most coffee tables have nothing on them other than a tv remote and the occasional crumbs from eating off of it, we’re all guilty. But why not elevate your coffee table by adding unique pieces that will pull your space together?
As coffee tables sit in the center of your living space they are often one of the main focal points, so you want to make a good impression with how you style it.
We recommend adding different elements such as books, small and large for stacking, a candle or two as well as any floral arrangements, real or fake. You can also add a tray to the table in a color of your choice or a natural wood piece.
8. Create an Entryway
Creating an entryway for your apartment helps to bring separation to your space.
Your entryway will most likely lead from the front door into your kitchen. Sometimes in a small space like a studio apartment, everything can feel like one big room without any differentiating factors. This is where creating an entryway space is key.
To create an entryway you would need to start with getting an entryway table. An entryway table is a small table that is usually rectangular in shape and will fit nicely against a wall without too much area coverage allowing for walking space.
This entryway table is the starting point to creating the entryway however what you do to that table area can really tie the look together.
The next step would be to add a mirror of choice to be the focus of this entryway space.
This can be a round mirror which is always a very popular option or it can be an arch style mirror as well. Overall a mirror will add more depth to any space.
8. Pull Out The White Bedding
White bedding is a great addition to any bedroom that wants to channel that luxurious hotel atmosphere. From the pillowcases to the comforter, an all-white set is essential to have for a more expensive feel.
All white sheets do not have to be boring, they can come with very different but subtle prints that won’t take away from the overall look you’re going for. White bedding sets are available in materials such as silk, satin, linen and cotton to choose from.
Whatever your choice, you can hardly go wrong with adding white sheets to your bedding collection.
Those are our 9 creative ideas on how to make your apartment look more expensive without breaking the bank!
Other Articles from Apartment Tutor:
How To Rent With A Roommate: Everything You Need To Know
Low Maintenance Dogs: 10 Best Dogs for Apartments
Author: Kaila Daley
Hey everyone! I’m Kaila, I love sharing advice about renting and my experience renting apartments and all things apartment living. I enjoy writing about this topic and would love to share what I know from my personal experience as a renter and writer!
Author: Kaila Daley
Hey everyone! I’m Kaila, I love sharing advice about renting and my experience renting apartments and all things apartment living. I enjoy writing about this topic and would love to share what I know from my personal experience as a renter and writer!