This Ralph Lauren chair — or a recreation of it — might be the luxury focal point of your room, surrounded by more affordable accessories to ease the budget.

It’s terrific to have a large budget for a remodel or redesign, but we recognize that’s not the case for most clients. Instead, we look to add luxury touches that make your home feel like it received a pricey makeover. Here are some of our affordable interior design tips and tricks.

We always start with furniture, and this is also a good place to add that first taste of luxury. Perhaps we might find in a magazine a Ralph Lauren chair (like the one at left) that we love for your space but it’s way outside the budget. Instead, we can take aspects of that piece – such as the leg style and the lines – and have the chair recreated for much less of an investment.

Exchange an ordinary hallway fixture for a chandelier like this one from Restoration Hardware to give your home an extra touch of custom design.

A lot of times luxury details are embellishments. For example, we might buy inexpensive drape panels and then add fabric trim with a decorative element to create a custom look. This works for lampshades too.

Another way to find fabulous pieces is to frequent resale stores in affluent areas of town. You are likely to find accessories and even furniture that you couldn’t afford first-hand but are now a fraction of the cost at resale.

Don’t be afraid to mix upscale items with your discount finds. If you splurge on some pieces and fill in with the less expensive ones, your guests’ eyes will be drawn to those pricier items and assume you also spent a fortune on everything else.

Want to make the simplest – yet most overlooked – change for luxury in your home? Swap out your hallroom light. Most homes have unremarkable fixtures in hallways but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a small chandelier or a retro fixture.

Another tip to boost your home’s look: Switch your baseboards from skinny to tall. This isn’t a cheap fix, but it will get your home noticed — and it’s a one-time investment.

Want to bring some luxury to your home? Please contact us to make an appointment for a designer consultation.