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Business Insider asked interior designers to share their favorite ways to make cheap pieces look more expensive.
Here's what they said:
Trying a new leg style can revamp the whole couch.
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Brijé Alexandra, the principal designer at Harper + Parkyr Design House, told BI you can upgrade your couch by changing its leg style.
"Double-check the existing sofa-leg measurements to ensure the new legs are stable after the switch," she added.
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If your sofa's legs aren't removable, use paint to give them a new look.
Interior designer Kim Depole of Depole Design said it's easy to give a cheap glass table a luxe upgrade.
"Use silver or gold paint to cover the underside of the glass tabletop," she told BI. "Since the paint is on the underside, you won't have to worry about spills."
You can also use gold or silver leaf to create the look.
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You can buy contact paper that mimics marble.
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Contact paper can add texture and color to flat surfaces.
"Dress up your kitchen counter, dining table, or similar flat surfaces with contact paper," Alexandra said. "Many contact papers come in peel-and-stick versions for easy application."
Look for a waterproof product if you're using it in your kitchen or bathroom.
Add visual interest to a bedroom by pairing a cheap bed frame with a DIY headboard.
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"I love using old doors to create headboards," Depole told BI. "Be sure that the headboard is wider than the bed and at least 7 feet in height."
Other DIY headboard options include vintage window frames, tapestries, or large pieces of framed art.
Reupholstering is a fairly simply DIY project.
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Anthony Stransky of Anthony Charles Interiors told BI that new fabric can make chairs and sofas look high-end.
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"Reupholstering a low-end piece in more luxurious fabric will cost significantly less than paying for premium furniture," he said.
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You can add details like tufting or folds to further enhance the look.
Typically used to seal cracks, polyurethane-based foam creates a fluffy texture when applied to a surface.
"This easy technique can be used to ramp up the drama for most accessories or furniture," Alexandra said. "Simply spay the foam and cover with a coat of paint."
Apply the foam outside to help avoid inhaling the fumes.
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Updating the handles on a piece of furniture can make it look totally different.
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If you can't afford new furniture, consider replacing the hardware on your drawers and cabinets.
"You can swap out those generic handles or pulls with more aspirational options that will cost less than an entirely new piece of furniture," Stransky told BI.
Antique shops are a great place to search for unique hardware.
"You can accentuate your larger, less expensive furniture pieces with more expensive accents from premium brands," Stransky said.
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Add a nice throw or pillow to your sofa or splurge on an eye-catching decor piece for a lower-end table.
A new coat of paint can transform cheap dining chairs.
"I love to take old chair frames to car refinishing shops," Depole said. "You can have them refinished in so many cool colors, including metallics."
Call the auto shop ahead of time to make sure it's willing to repaint furniture.
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Throw pillows can distract from a cheap couch.
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"One of the easier ways to upgrade a plain sofa is to add amazing pillows," Depole told BI.
If you can sew, you can even make your own covers using luxurious fabrics.
"You can create a custom storage unit by adding cabinet doors to an old wooden bookcase," Depole said.
Make sure to measure everything first, then paint or stain the unit to create a seamless appearance. You can also add premium hardware for added style.
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A fresh coat of paint can elevate a piece of furniture.
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Your furniture might just need a fresh coat of paint.
"What I love to do is add a bold color to a piece with a simple silhouette, such as a wooden stool," Stransky said.
You can also modernize traditional furniture with a coat of high-gloss paint or a lacquer finish.
I am a firm believer that you can create a high end, expensive look for less. There are places to spend your money, but somewhere that you will often change things up isn’t a very wise place to overspend. If you are like me, I am always changing rugs, pictures, and other home decor items. It is hard for me to justify spending an exaggerative amount on most decor items, well, unless I’m in love with it!
With just building a new home, I obviously wanted to decorate everything right away, but I have had to really budget myself. Although, I have found that over the years, I have always been quite thrifty. I love looking for bargains and look-a-likes of higher-priced items.
As we were decorating our dining room, I noticed even though we hadn’t spent tons of money, it really all came together! I was actually very surprised at how much we didn’t spend. Here are a few things I feel like that kept us from overspending and went into giving us that designer look.
Hanging curtains higher than the window is one of my favorite tricks. This creates an illusion that the room is much bigger than it is. With our dining area, we already have taller ceilings, but I still love the look of hanging curtains high. To me, it looks classy and more expensive, even if you didn’t spend a fortune on the actual curtains or rods.
As I mentioned on our Instagram account, I went with a faux linen curtain. In the past, I have ordered more expensive curtains but I have been just as happy with cheaper ones that seem to be just as good quality. The curtains in our dining room were solely for looks and not function. I added them to bring some texture and to soften up the room. We had no concern with blocking out light or privacy.
Always keep in mind when remodeling or decorating a room, look and see what you can use before you start. Refurbishing pieces or reusing pieces can save you lots of money. Sometimes it only takes a cheap can of paint or some out of the box thinking in order to come up with a piece that may look great in a new area of your home.
For our new dining area, we used a couple of pieces from our previous home. We kept the live edge dining table that we loved so much. We weren’t sure it would work for this area but we were determined to keep it. We also reused the metal black cabinet form our previous home. Where we used it in the family room there, we now are using it in our dining area. It made the perfect hutch to store dishes in.
The light fixture is probably our most expensive piece in the room. This is where we splurged a little, but it is very important. My advice would be to save a little somewhere else, like curtains and a rug to be able to spend a little more on an item you want to splurge on.
Although our light fixture is where we splurged, there are many options to go a little less on lighting. If you do choose to go less, just make sure it is big, fabulous, and creates lots of interest. Go big or go home, right!
I also think an important part of a dining area is the centerpiece on the table. I lucked up and found a large cement looking vase at TJMax. My recommendation for a centerpiece is to go simple but again, big.
A large vase with some greenery is sophisticated and very inexpensive. Target, TJMax, Home Goods, or your local Marshalls normally has a wide variety. A simple, textured vase can really go a long way!
Another item that is an essential piece in giving your dining room a designer look is art. Art not only adds some interest and maybe even color to the space, but gives a sense of personality. The artwork is something that can be changed seasonally or often, so I suggest not spending lots of money in this area unless it is one of those, you can’t live without items.
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