6 Super-Easy (and Super-Cheap) Ways to Make Your Home Look Expensive

You don’t have to bust your budget on expensive floral arrangements to add interest to your tabletops. A mix of frosted-glass vases (grouped together in a similar color scheme) will work wonders in your entryway or dining room. Keep groupings around 10 to 12 and make sure you have a good variety of styles and heights (18 wine bottles look less gorgeous and more like a cry for help). Here’s an easy DIY to make your own.

Warm copper decor tops the design trends for this year, and we love how it feels fresh and refined. Although copper pieces can be pricey, the good news is that a little goes a long way to make yourroom look elegant. Floating shelves, picture frames or a lampshade are so classy in a minimal space. Just remember the golden rule (no pun intended): Too much metal cheapens everything. No one wants their dining room to look like a hotel conference room gone bad.

Take it from royalty: Dark purple, ruby and burgundy always feel luxe. That’s why we love the look of these stackable cubes done up in a rich palette of complementary hues, but you could get a similar feel from an open-backed bookshelf. For an easy DIY project, try Valspar Reserve paint with HydroChroma Technology to get long-lasting, seamless color that won’t fade. One coat is all it takes. Then casually arrange your most beloved knickknacks against the jewel-toned backdrop. We promise they’ll look exotic--even if they’re just garage-sale finds.

Not everything has to be fancy to look expensive. Take a peek inside your junk drawer (if you dare). Chances are, you have a few toy animals, plastic dinosaurs and other random tchotchkes that have collected there throughout the years. Put them on display (and keep them off your floors) with a little glitter, colorful canvas and paint. We love this wall display for a kid’s playroom or even in a guest bathroom.

Faux fur is a cheap (and harmless) way to add a touch of Dr. Zhivago-like luxury to a space that needs some cozying up. Many home-goods stores sell acrylic (but still soft) fur, sheepskin and shearling throws, which look artful draped over the backs of dining-room chairs or strewn about a bedroom.

All those ugly mismatched plates you’ve amassed since your college apartment? They’re not helping your dinner-party cred one bit. Rather than tossing the old stuff, try this three-step trick for making “glazed” wall accents: Google “silhouette” and print and cut out your favorite images (or use painter’s tape for stripes). Use a light adhesive to stick them on your dinnerware, apply a light coat of metallic spray paint, wait 5 minutes and then peel off the silhouettes. Pretty new decor without dropping a pretty penny.