Three Budget Ways To Make A Home Look More Thoughtful

September 27, 2021

As an architect for eight years, I designed and styled many homes from luxury villas to humble starter rentals. The question I often come across is how to make a home look more sophisticated and tasteful with a tight budget (one of the questions for my own home too!). The truth is, there are many small changes that we can easily make to get that high-end home look without breaking the budget. Here are a few tips.

Re-packaging

One way is to remove packaging and re-jar the bottles in the kitchen and bathroom. Those exposed bottles of handwash, hand cream, dish detergent, and cleaning liquid off the supermarket shelf often come with jarring colors and inconsistent styles. Simply re-jar and basket them to a set container of your choice give the room a quick uplift.

Mood lighting

Another way is to add mood lighting. Mood lighting highlights a focused space and brings intimacy. A pendent light above a dinning table, a floor lamp next to a bookshelf, or a wall lamp next to a bed are all good examples. Multiple light source creates depth in a space and instantly adds the thoughtfulness. Do remember to make sure that all the lighting temperature is consistent. I recommend warm temperature < 3500K for home in general. Exceptions can be made for study rooms.

Large scale artwork

A third way is to introduce large scale artwork to home. Provided that you have a good old empty wall, a big wall painting is a great way to make your home personal. It doesn't need to be an expensive piece; in fact, even your own doodle (or your chirldren's) will work. Simply get a large canvas that fits the wall and let loose. Alternatively, there are places to rent an artwork. It's more affordable and you can explore different pieces before committing to buy.

In fact, I'm very curious about the art renting business model and will dig into it more. I think it's a great way to democratise art and make our home more personal. But that's all for now!