How to Make Your Home Feel Expensive: 9 Small Changes
A home feels expensive when the small details are done well, and that matters far more than how much you spend. Think warm lighting, less clutter, good textiles, a few quality pieces, and a subtle scent that is always there. None of these changes needs a big budget, and most of them take no longer than a single afternoon. For the scent part, our guide to the best luxury reed diffusers compares the best options side by side.
1. Swap cold bulbs for warm ones
Harsh, bright white light makes any room feel like an office, however carefully you have decorated and furnished it. Choose warm white bulbs (around 2700K), and use lamps at different heights around the room instead of relying on one ceiling light.
2. Clear the surfaces
Clutter is the fastest way to make a room look cheap, so keep a few chosen objects on each surface and store everything else out of sight.
3. Hang curtains higher and wider
Fix the pole close to the ceiling and let the curtains touch the floor, so the windows look bigger and the room looks taller.
4. Add texture
Wool throws, linen cushions and a jute or wool rug all add texture, and mixing them adds depth even when everything in the room is one colour.
5. Choose fewer, better pieces
One good vase says more than five small ornaments, so group your favourite items in odd numbers and leave some empty space around them.
6. Add something living
A large plant or a vase of fresh flowers brings life and colour into a room, and one big plant usually beats several small ones dotted around.
7. Hide the plastic
Decant hand wash into glass bottles, put tissues in a proper box and tidy the trailing cables away behind your furniture. Plastic packaging left on show is a quiet giveaway that most visitors notice without really realising it.
8. Make it smell considered
This is the detail most people forget completely, even though guests smell your home before they have properly seen any of it. Boutique hotels run a signature scent all day for exactly this reason, and a layered, subtle scent tells people straight away that the home is cared for.
The simplest way to copy it is a reed diffuser, which gives you scent all day with no flame and no plug. A glass bottle on a console table also looks good in its own right, and our guide on how to make your house smell expensive explains more.
9. Keep the air fresh
Scent always works best on a clean base, so open the windows for ten minutes each morning, wash throws often and deal with any damp. Our guide explaining why a clean house can still smell covers the most common hidden causes in much more detail.
Where should you start?
| Change | Cost | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Warm bulbs | Low | 10 minutes |
| Clear surfaces | Free | 1 hour |
| Decant toiletries | Low | 30 minutes |
| Scent the hallway | Low to medium | 5 minutes |
| Curtains higher | Medium | 1 hour |
Quick answers
What makes a home look cheap?
The usual culprits that make a home look cheap are clutter, cold lighting, visible plastic packaging, tiny rugs and stale smells.
What makes a room look classy?
Warm lighting, plenty of space around your objects, natural textures and a calm, subtle scent all make a room feel classy.
Does scent really change how a home feels?
Yes, because smell is closely tied to memory and emotion, so it shapes a first impression before anyone has even looked around.
The scent part, done for you
For point 8, start at the front door with the Kew Morning reed diffuser, then add warmth in the living room with the Mayfair Library reed diffuser. Our Home Sets let you mix any three or five scents, so each room of your home can have its own.
You will find plenty more practical answers about placement, strength and refills in our reed diffuser FAQs.
New to IVNA London? Every scent we make comes as a luxury reed diffuser and a matching luxury scented candle, both handmade in England.
