10 Ways to Bring Luxury Into Your Home
Envy those opulent homes in magazines no more; here are some key ways to turn your home into a luxe space
Let’s admit it – even after the most glamorous of hotel experiences, many still feel that there is no better place than home. Wouldn’t it be great if one could have the dazzle of a five star hotel and the soothing comfort of a home, all in one place? Here are ways to infuse splendour and luxury into your home.
Bring in marble flooring
There is no other material that conveys a sense of luxury the way marble does. The high lustre of mirror-polished marble, along with its natural grain, gives a very luxe look to the interiors. You can consider using Indian Statuario, Italian types like Botticino or Carrarra, or Spanish Crema Marfil for the flooring. Let a single type of marble form the flooring palette of the home – avoid the conventional contrasting marble borders as they confine the room and make the space look smaller.
Decorate the marble floor with intricate inlay patterns in areas like the entrance or the common lobbies for maximum visual impact. The best part about marble is you can re-polish the stone every 5-7 years to refresh the look of your home.
Here are inspiring ideas for bringing marble into your home
There is no other material that conveys a sense of luxury the way marble does. The high lustre of mirror-polished marble, along with its natural grain, gives a very luxe look to the interiors. You can consider using Indian Statuario, Italian types like Botticino or Carrarra, or Spanish Crema Marfil for the flooring. Let a single type of marble form the flooring palette of the home – avoid the conventional contrasting marble borders as they confine the room and make the space look smaller.
Decorate the marble floor with intricate inlay patterns in areas like the entrance or the common lobbies for maximum visual impact. The best part about marble is you can re-polish the stone every 5-7 years to refresh the look of your home.
Here are inspiring ideas for bringing marble into your home
Go for rich-textured furnishings
Upholster your furniture in luxurious fabrics like silk, brocade, jacquard and velvet. Mix and match the furnishings in deep colours like turquoise, magenta, ruby red, emerald green, gold or fabrics with a metallic sheen. Add plush rugs or silk carpets and dress the curtains with fringes, tassels, trimmings and other such embellishments.
Tip: Hang the curtains from curtain rail all the way down to the floor, and not till the window-ledge level. This will make the room look as though it has more height.
Find out how to keep your upholstery looking beautiful
Upholster your furniture in luxurious fabrics like silk, brocade, jacquard and velvet. Mix and match the furnishings in deep colours like turquoise, magenta, ruby red, emerald green, gold or fabrics with a metallic sheen. Add plush rugs or silk carpets and dress the curtains with fringes, tassels, trimmings and other such embellishments.
Tip: Hang the curtains from curtain rail all the way down to the floor, and not till the window-ledge level. This will make the room look as though it has more height.
Find out how to keep your upholstery looking beautiful
Nothing says luxury better than pristine white bedsheets with a minimum thread count of 300-400. The extremely soft, smooth and silky texture of the fabric makes the bed so comfortable and cosy for a good night’s sleep.
Read of ways to have a five-star bedroom
Read of ways to have a five-star bedroom
Pick statement furniture pieces
Select super comfortable and tasteful pieces of furniture that can infuse a luxurious look into your home. Hand-crafted wood or gilded furniture, ornamental sofa sets, fine leather sofas and armchairs, chaise longues and mother-of-pearl-inlaid furniture always give a splash of opulence to the room. Invest in antiques; they impart a sophisticated look to a space.
Select super comfortable and tasteful pieces of furniture that can infuse a luxurious look into your home. Hand-crafted wood or gilded furniture, ornamental sofa sets, fine leather sofas and armchairs, chaise longues and mother-of-pearl-inlaid furniture always give a splash of opulence to the room. Invest in antiques; they impart a sophisticated look to a space.
Install a chandelier
Chandeliers (the bigger the better for me) are a wonderful way to add sparkle to a space. They radiate an aura of formality, richness and grandeur, and can even work in small rooms. This is a quick addition that can transform an ordinary space into something extraordinary.
Tip: Crystal chandeliers require high maintenance. For routine cleaning, dust the chandelier with a feather duster regularly. Every six months wipe the crystals with a cleaning solution made of one part isopropyl alcohol and three parts distilled water. Immediately wipe dry with a soft cloth.
Chandeliers (the bigger the better for me) are a wonderful way to add sparkle to a space. They radiate an aura of formality, richness and grandeur, and can even work in small rooms. This is a quick addition that can transform an ordinary space into something extraordinary.
Tip: Crystal chandeliers require high maintenance. For routine cleaning, dust the chandelier with a feather duster regularly. Every six months wipe the crystals with a cleaning solution made of one part isopropyl alcohol and three parts distilled water. Immediately wipe dry with a soft cloth.
Who says chandeliers are only meant for the formal areas of the home? This all-white bathroom gets a lift with playful wallpaper but what brings in a sense of luxury is the dangling cluster of lights.
See more ways to give your home the glamour of a chandelier
See more ways to give your home the glamour of a chandelier
Add accessories with a metallic sheen
Add glitz and glamour to your home with metallic hues through accessories, distressed gold or silver picture frames, and the like. In this image, a rich gold frame on the wall, flanked by a golden lamp and with gilded nested tables below, forms an accent wall and makes a dramatic statement .You could also go for smaller gold objets d’art and highlight them with accent or indirect lighting.
Like gold? Read how to bring this colour into your home
Add glitz and glamour to your home with metallic hues through accessories, distressed gold or silver picture frames, and the like. In this image, a rich gold frame on the wall, flanked by a golden lamp and with gilded nested tables below, forms an accent wall and makes a dramatic statement .You could also go for smaller gold objets d’art and highlight them with accent or indirect lighting.
Like gold? Read how to bring this colour into your home
Use balanced lighting
A combination of ambient and accent lighting is an effective way to set a warm and luxurious tone to your home. Make provision for LED lights as well as indirect cove lighting in the faux ceiling, if you have one. Introduce stylish table lamps or floor lamps. Use picture lights or recessed lights to display your wall art and highlight design features or plants with indirect light. Install dimmers to set different moods within a room. But make sure keep a balance with natural light as well.
A combination of ambient and accent lighting is an effective way to set a warm and luxurious tone to your home. Make provision for LED lights as well as indirect cove lighting in the faux ceiling, if you have one. Introduce stylish table lamps or floor lamps. Use picture lights or recessed lights to display your wall art and highlight design features or plants with indirect light. Install dimmers to set different moods within a room. But make sure keep a balance with natural light as well.
Fit in ornate grille work
Another way to bring in a sense of opulence is through ornate railings and window grills. As you see in the picture, the railings against the white marble are a treat for the eyes – immediately adding so much drama to the space.
Another way to bring in a sense of opulence is through ornate railings and window grills. As you see in the picture, the railings against the white marble are a treat for the eyes – immediately adding so much drama to the space.
Construct a spa-like bathroom
What could be more luxurious and relaxing than a spa-like bathroom in your home? This bathroom makes clever use of its odd layout – one wall completely opens to a pebbled, Zen-like garden outside. Inside, soft curves and polished surfaces gently usher in a sophisticated, understated luxury.
Tip: Accessorise your space with quality toiletries, aromatherapy candles, potpourri and indoor plants. Hang up some art on the bathroom walls.
Here is how to make your bathroom into a spa
What could be more luxurious and relaxing than a spa-like bathroom in your home? This bathroom makes clever use of its odd layout – one wall completely opens to a pebbled, Zen-like garden outside. Inside, soft curves and polished surfaces gently usher in a sophisticated, understated luxury.
Tip: Accessorise your space with quality toiletries, aromatherapy candles, potpourri and indoor plants. Hang up some art on the bathroom walls.
Here is how to make your bathroom into a spa
Raise the comfort quotient
With the long, torrid Indian summers, air conditioning is essential these days. Temperature control is an important aspect of making your home feel comfortable. If not centralised, then at least have air conditioning in the key public areas and the bedrooms.
Also, consider installing a centralised home automation system that can be controlled through a single interface – what greater luxury could there be! With a touch of a button you can lock the doors, control the indoor temperature and control lighting. Other features may include a burglar alarm system and integrating the CCTV cameras with your smart phones.
Read more:
Houzz Tour: A Delhi Home Dials Up on Luxury
How to Get a Luxurious Bedroom That is Fuss Free
Tell us:
Do you have any other ideas about how to bring in opulence into your home? Share in the Comments section below.
With the long, torrid Indian summers, air conditioning is essential these days. Temperature control is an important aspect of making your home feel comfortable. If not centralised, then at least have air conditioning in the key public areas and the bedrooms.
Also, consider installing a centralised home automation system that can be controlled through a single interface – what greater luxury could there be! With a touch of a button you can lock the doors, control the indoor temperature and control lighting. Other features may include a burglar alarm system and integrating the CCTV cameras with your smart phones.
Read more:
Houzz Tour: A Delhi Home Dials Up on Luxury
How to Get a Luxurious Bedroom That is Fuss Free
Tell us:
Do you have any other ideas about how to bring in opulence into your home? Share in the Comments section below.
Creating a sense of ample space and expansiveness is essential to the making of a luxurious interior. Craft a layout with a grand entrance and an open plan living area where areas effortlessly flow into each other. Flood the interiors with lots of light and build an inside-outside relationship with big windows and sliding doors.