You’ve walked into someone’s home and thought, “How does it look so put-together?” Chances are, it wasn’t money. It was placing the right pieces in the right places, and the good news is you can do the same thing, get the same effect, and spend very little doing it.
Here are 5 home decor pieces that look far more expensive than they are.
1. A Sculptural Table Lamp
Lighting is the fastest way to make a room feel designed. A lamp with an interesting shape (think hand-painted glass, terrazzo, or a carved base) adds warmth and a creative touch that feels intentional. It is the kind of piece that makes guests ask, “Where did you get that?” You can find stunning options on Wayfair for under $60. One standout pick is on my Benable list: a hand-painted aqua & cream teardrop lamp with a gold base that looks like it belongs in a boutique hotel.
2. A Statement Decorative Mirror
A good mirror does three things at the same time. It adds light, makes a room feel bigger, and acts as wall art. An organically shaped mirror in mango wood, or a round mirror with a scalloped walnut frame, gives you that designer-curated look for a fraction of what you’d pay in a home store. Hang it above a console, a dresser, or a sofa, and watch the whole room shift in aesthetics.
3. A Decorative Cushion Cover in Velvet or Embroidery
This is the easiest swap you can make. Pull off your plain cushion covers and replace them with velvet, embroidered, or printed ones. Your sofa will instantly look completely different.
Rich jewel tones
Forest green
Burgundy
Teal
These are colours that instantly add depth. An embroidered floral design on natural cotton looks artisan and considered. You’re spending a few pounds on a cover, but the result looks like you spent a lot more.
4. A Vintage-Style Decorative Mirror
Yes, mirrors get two spots on this list because they are that good. A small oval antique gold mirror, handcrafted using a traditional sand-casting method, looks like a genuine flea-market find. It brings character, texture, and old-world charm to a gallery wall or over a small entryway shelf. Pieces like this are what make a home feel curated rather than just furnished.
5. A Bold Printed Cushion Cover
A maximalist cushion, like a peacock print on velvet with fringe trim, or a painterly horse design in cobalt blue, works as a statement piece all on its own. You don’t need to redecorate. You only need one cushion that draws the eye and changes the energy of the room. That’s what designers do. They pick one bold thing and let everything else stay calm around it.
Where to Find All Five
I’ve pulled together my favorite picks for each of these in one place. You can browse the full list, including specific product links, right here: Home Decor Items That Look Expensive But Aren’t (one of my Benable lists). Every piece was chosen because it genuinely looks more expensive than it is.
You notice something is off about a room. Maybe it feels dated, or cluttered, or just not-quite-right, but you can’t put your finger on what it is, or what needs to be changed. That uncertainty is where most home upgrade or renovation projects go wrong before they even begin.
The most common mistake homeowners make is jumping straight to solutions. Browsing sofas online, picking paint colours, filling carts with whatnots, before identifying what kind of work they need to do.
A room that feels tired doesn’t have the same problem as a room that does not function efficiently. A silently frustrating interior layout is not solved by buying new throw cushions or changing the window blinds.
To get on the right track, use the free interactive tool below to find out exactly what kind of interior work you need done. Answer five quick questions, and you will get a clarified project type, a realistic budget range, and a plain checklist of what your project involves. So, stop guessing and start with a clear picture.
There are six possible outcomes, ranging from a simple Soft Refresh to a Full Room Renovation. Most users land somewhere in the middle, and that result alone is often enough to shift how they approach the interior upgrade, room enhancement, or total renovation project.
To use this tool, there is no sign-up, no email address required, and nothing to download. Just answer the questions and get your result in a couple of minutes.
What Kind of Home Project Do You Actually Have? | Simple Interior Concepts
Simple Interior Concepts — Free Tool
What Kind of Home Project Do You Actually Have?
Before you open a paint tin or start pinning furniture, take two minutes to answer a few simple questions. You'll get a clear project type, a checklist of what you actually need, and a realistic budget range — so you can stop guessing and start planning.
1
Answer 5 quick questions
2
Get your project type
3
See exactly what's involved
Question 1 of 5
Which best describes what's bothering you about your space right now?
Go with your gut — there's no wrong answer here.
Question 2 of 5
How would you describe your current colour scheme?
Think walls, soft furnishings, accessories.
Question 2 of 5
Is your furniture staying, or are you open to replacing it?
Be honest — budget matters here.
Question 2 of 5
Will any of this work need a tradesperson or contractor?
Anything involving plumbing, electrics, or fitting counts as yes.
Question 2 of 5
Does your vision involve changing anything structural?
Are you willing to repaint walls to make the change?
Paint is one of the most cost-effective transformations in any room.
Question 3 of 5
How much would you estimate you've spent on accessories in the past — and are you happy to replace most of them?
Replacing accessories is often less expensive than people think.
Question 3 of 5
Have you ever tried moving your furniture around to test a new layout?
Sometimes the fix is simpler than you think.
Question 3 of 5
Are you replacing one or two key pieces, or starting the whole room again?
This makes a big difference to both budget and planning time.
Question 3 of 5
Are you confident doing the work yourself?
Honestly — some projects are straightforward, others really aren't.
Question 3 of 5
Is this work confined to one room, or does it affect multiple areas?
Multi-room work with trades involved is a significant project.
Question 3 of 5
Do you have a style direction in mind, or are you still figuring that out?
Both are completely fine — they just mean different starting points.
Question 3 of 5
Will you be living in the space while the work is carried out?
This affects planning significantly — especially with tradespeople involved.
Question 4 of 5
What's your approximate budget for this project?
Be realistic — it helps you get a more useful result.
Question 4 of 5
What's your approximate budget for this project?
Be realistic — it helps you get a more useful result.
Question 4 of 5
What's your approximate budget for this project?
Larger projects have wider budget ranges — this helps narrow things down.
🌿Your Project Type
A Soft Refresh
"It doesn't need tearing apart — it needs editing."
Your room has a good foundation. What it needs is a focused edit: updating the accessories, introducing a better colour palette, or adding a few well-chosen pieces that give the space a sense of intention. This is one of the most satisfying types of project because the results feel immediate and the process is low-stress.
What this project typically involves
New cushions, throws, and soft furnishings in a coherent palette
Updated lighting — a new lamp changes a room dramatically
Swapping out or adding artwork and mirrors
Introducing plants or natural textures
Possibly a fresh coat of paint on one wall or all four
Editing out clutter and pieces that no longer fit the look
💷
Typical Budget Range£200 – £1,500 / $250 – $1,800
Simple Tip
Start with a colour palette of three tones and only buy accessories that fit within it. Impulse purchases from different colour families are what make rooms look disjointed — and that's usually the real problem, not the room itself.
🎨Your Project Type
A Style Refresh
"You know what you have — now you need a clear direction."
You have the basics in place and a reasonable budget to work with, but the room lacks a coherent identity. A Style Refresh means deciding on a clear aesthetic direction — whether that's calm and neutral, warm and layered, or bold and graphic — and then aligning everything in the room to that vision. Paint, accessories, and one or two new pieces will take you a long way.
What this project typically involves
Choosing a defined design style or mood as your anchor
Repainting walls (often the single biggest transformation)
Replacing accessories that don't fit the new direction
Possibly one new statement piece — a rug, a light fitting, or artwork
Reviewing and editing furniture arrangement for better flow
Creating a simple mood board before you buy anything
Simple Tip
Choose your paint colour last, not first. Build a mood board of furniture and accessories you love, then find a paint colour that ties them together. Most people do it the other way round and end up with a room that fights itself.
📐Your Project Type
A Space Rethink
"The room isn't the problem — the layout is."
Your issue is spatial, not stylistic. The furniture you have might be perfectly good, but the way the room is arranged is stopping it from functioning the way you want. A Space Rethink focuses on traffic flow, focal points, and how people move through and use the room — before any money is spent on new things.
What this project typically involves
Drawing a rough floor plan and noting traffic routes
Identifying the room's natural focal point (window, fireplace, TV wall)
Experimenting with furniture placement — on paper first
Considering whether the room is being used for the right purpose
Possibly removing one or two pieces that are taking up space without earning it
Reviewing lighting — a poorly lit layout always feels wrong
💷
Typical Budget Range£0 – £2,000 / $0 – $2,500
Simple Tip
Before moving a single piece of furniture, tape out the room on the floor with masking tape and mark where each item currently sits. Then try a new arrangement on paper. Moving heavy furniture twice is exhausting — a little planning saves a lot of effort.
🛋️Your Project Type
A Full Redecoration
"You're not just refreshing — you're starting the room over."
This is a proper project. You're looking at new furniture, new finishes, and a completely reconsidered room. No structural work is involved, but everything that sits within the room — the colour scheme, the furniture, the layout, the lighting, and the accessories — is up for review. Done well, a full redecoration transforms a home. Done without a plan, it becomes expensive and overwhelming.
What this project typically involves
A detailed brief or mood board before any purchasing begins
A clear budget broken down by category (furniture, paint, lighting, soft furnishings)
A floor plan with scaled furniture to avoid costly mistakes
A phased shopping list — not everything at once
Decisions on paint, flooring finish, and window treatments early
Simple Tip
Set aside 10–15% of your total budget as a contingency before you start spending. There is always something you didn't account for — a longer lead time on a sofa, a lamp that doesn't work in the space, a paint colour that reads completely differently on the wall. The contingency saves you from having to compromise on the final 20% of the room.
🔨Your Project Type
A Partial Renovation
"You're changing the fabric of the room, not just what's in it."
A Partial Renovation means altering the room itself — new flooring, a new fitted kitchen or bathroom, a built-in wardrobe, replastered walls, or repositioned lighting. Tradespeople are involved. This is where most homeowners underestimate both cost and time, and where having a clear specification before any work starts becomes genuinely important.
What this project typically involves
Getting two or three quotes from tradespeople before committing
A written specification of what work is included — and what isn't
Deciding on all materials and finishes before work begins (not during)
A realistic timeline with buffer for delays
A contingency budget of at least 15–20%
A decoration plan for after the trades have finished
Simple Tip
Never make decisions under pressure on site. Tradespeople often ask about materials, finishes, or changes when they're already in the middle of the work. Have everything decided and ordered in advance wherever possible — decisions made quickly on site are almost always the ones you regret.
🏗️Your Project Type
A Full Room Renovation
"This is a significant project — and it deserves a proper plan."
You are undertaking a full renovation: structural changes, multiple tradespeople, significant budget, and a timeline that will stretch beyond what most people anticipate. This type of project is incredibly rewarding when managed well — and deeply stressful when it isn't. The single biggest predictor of a successful renovation is how thoroughly it was planned before anyone picked up a tool.
What this project typically involves
A full brief covering every room or area affected
Architectural drawings if walls or structure are involved
A main contractor or a carefully coordinated set of trades
All materials, finishes, and fittings specified before work begins
A contingency budget of no less than 20%
A realistic timeline — and then adding four to six weeks to it
A decoration and furnishing plan ready to implement once work is complete
💷
Typical Budget Range£15,000+ / $18,000+
Simple Tip
Consider whether your project scope warrants bringing in an interior designer, even if only for the planning phase. The cost of a few hours of professional advice is almost always recovered in avoided mistakes, better trade relationships, and a more coherent end result. Many designers offer a one-off consultation for exactly this stage.
Not sure where to go next?
Whichever project type you landed on, the principles stay the same: plan before you spend, set a realistic budget with contingency built in, and make all decisions on paper before anything goes in a basket or gets painted on a wall.
Simple Interior Concepts covers every stage of the home decorating journey — from finding your style to managing a full room overhaul — in plain, practical language designed for real homes and real budgets.
Once you know your project type, you will find posts across this blog, Simple Interior Concepts, that speak directly to your situation, from finding your decorating style to managing tradespeople, working out a realistic budget, hanging curtains the right way, choosing colour palettes, and making a small room feel bigger.
Start with what the tool tells you and then go from there. And if you want to try other options, just click the "START AGAIN" button to return to the beginning.
Cleaning an area rug at home sounds straightforward until you shrink a wool rug, bleed the dye into the backing, or end up with a musty smell in the room that just doesn’t seem to go away. These seven steps will help you get it right at the first try.
Seven Steps. Do Them in Order
1. Know your rug material before you do anything.
Wool and silk need cold water and a gentle detergent. Synthetics like polyester and nylon can handle a little more. Getting this wrong is the fastest way to cause permanent damage, so check the label or look up the rug before you start.
2. Vacuum both sides first.
Flip the rug over and vacuum the back before you touch the front. This dislodges embedded dirt and grit so it falls away rather than getting pushed deeper into the fibres when water is applied. Then vacuum the front.
3. Test for colourfastness.
Find a hidden corner, dab it with your cleaning solution, and blot with a white cloth. If any colour transfers, put the cleaning supplies away and call a professional. Some rugs are not safe to clean with water at home.
4. Use the right cleaning solution.
A small amount of mild dish soap diluted in cold water works for most rugs, but a dedicated rug shampoo is even better. Avoid bleach, hot water, and anything with a high alkaline content, particularly on wool.
5. Scrub with the pile, not against it!
The fibres in your rug lie in one direction. Work your soft brush along that direction, never against it. Scrubbing the wrong way causes fuzzing, pulls fibres out of place, and leaves the rug looking worn.
6. Rinse until the water runs clear.
Soap residue left in the fibres is one of the main reasons rugs get dirty again quickly. Rinse thoroughly, then rinse again. The water coming off the rug should be completely clear before you stop.
7. Dry flat, and completely too.
Never put a damp rug back down on the floor. Lay it flat where there is good airflow, or better still, hang it over a railing. A rug that is even slightly damp when returned to a hard floor will develop mildew within a day or two. And on carpet, it develops even faster. Give it the full drying time it needs.
Clean and Smelling Fresh
Follow these steps and your rug will come out clean, undamaged, and smelling fresh without those professional cleaning bills.
Have you ever wondered how interior designers keep track of all their ideas? The colour swatches, the fabric samples, the supplier contacts, the mood images, all across multiple projects at once?
The answer, for many professionals and design students, is a physical portfolio organiser journal. A dedicated book where every project has its own structured space: mood pages, concept notes, and supplier records, all in one place.
Mood Board Pages for Interior Designers is exactly that. A 177-page journal created by a professional interior designer, designed to be used in real design practice. It is also the kind of tool that works beautifully for serious home decorating projects, renovation planning, and anyone who wants to organise their design ideas properly.
Available on Amazon in paperback ($14.75) and hardcover ($22.99). Rated 4.4 stars.
You want a new look for your bedroom because you’ve gotten tired of its current style. Great idea, right? But you want something inexpensive. Something nice but affordable without wrecking your savings.
How can you achieve this?
Here are ten ways to upgrade your bedroom design using what you already have, but enhancing the space with other elements and features to give it a near-brand-new look.
(Image used under license from 123rf.com)
Ten Ways to Up Your Bedroom Style
1. Paint
A new coat of paint does wonders for an interior space. Choose a relaxing colour scheme that evokes a calm or vibrant mood. Use charming colours that arouse high-spirited feelings. Set the mood of the room by painting the focal wall a different colour from the other three.
2. Headboard
If you don’t have a headboard or just have an okay one, change it to something stylishly different. Use a creative headboard idea that will make the wall it’s placed against the focal point of the room. From a gallery of framed pictures to large wall art, the focal wall you create sets a good starting point for decoration.
3. Wall Decal
If you don’t have (or don’t want) a headboard, use an elaborate wall sticker (wall decal). Decals used in place of headboards make a good statement. They are bold and attractive enough to draw instant attention to the bedroom.
4. Bed Cover/ Bedspread
Add some drama to your bedroom with this feature. Choose a vibrant and colourful ethnic blanket, a plush red quilted velvet with a contrasting pile of throw pillows, or a wide damask throw, neatly laid or stylishly thrown across the bed (looks great on platform beds without side panels).
5. Bedside lamps
Beautiful bedside table lamps are enhancing. Their shades come in numerous styles, shapes, and sizes. The styles and materials you choose must be unusual, especially if you plan to create something extraordinary. Add figurines, mementoes, framed pictures (small), a table clock (vintage-inspired or digital), etc. and the like on the table and around the lamp.
6. Footboard bench
These make great additions to the bed and will effortlessly make the room look stylish and make the bed look dignified. Whether you choose an Ottoman bench, a simple bench with a cushioned seat, or a carved wooden storage chest that you picked up at a garden sale.
7. Window treatment
Lovely drapery, wooden blinds, and bamboo shades are transformative, but you should choose based on your bedroom décor. For example, a traditional theme calls for classic window coverings: drapery, brass rods, padded period pelmets, swags, and valances. A modern setting works best with wooden blinds and shades, fabric sliding panels, or decorative vinyl window stickers.
8. Area rug
Placing a runner rug on each side of your bed is a picker-upper for a drab room. Make sure it’s nice and colourful so that it conspicuously stands out against the floor finish (or covering).
9. Artwork
Wall art in all forms can tie every feature and theme in the room together. It can be a colourful painting that ties in with a couple of colours in the bedroom, vintage-inspired black and white hand-drawn artwork, a wall-hung tapestry (faux is fine), or a cluster of framed pictures and illustrations.
Stylish bedroom in a modern theme. (Image used under license from 123rf.com)
10. Accent furniture
Make your bedroom beautiful and versatile; add accent furniture. An occasional chair and a round-top side table will do the trick of raising the bar in the bedroom. You can relax and read a book without lying down or sitting on the edge of the bed.
(Image created by author, on Polyvore)
Let Your Bedroom Décor Reflect Your Personality
Remember. Only add décor items that reflect your personality. Make them aesthetically pleasing things that make you feel comfortable in your surroundings. Let your stylishness show through your choice of bedroom accents: unusual bedside lamps, wall hangings, vases, throw cushions, a rag rug, chairs, and bed cabinets. You can find unusual pieces from Estate sales, car booths, and garage sales.
If you can comfortably afford it, you can also upgrade the bedroom style using many of the above-mentioned upgrade ideas. All the items need not be bought at high-end stores. Expensive doesn’t necessarily translate to stylish. It’s the way they are all put together that creates the aesthetics and makes the statement you desire.
(This blog post was originally published by the author on 9/1/2015)
Browse more posts in Room Solutions for more room solutions and improvement ideas.
