Style and Luxury: It's All About Quality
This modest-sized kitchen, which incorporates the dining table, feels luxurious due to the high ceilings, deep emerald cabinetry and brass accessories. (Image generated by Midjourney.)
If you're about to embark on a new home build or renovation, you are undoubtedly considering your budget and how far it will stretch. You may be comparing your proposed home to your friends or neighbours, questioning how you can ever afford a home as luxurious as theirs, with room upon room.
The difficulty is that your friends or neighbours probably completed their build or renovation before building costs went through the roof and the multiple interest rate hikes. Thus, they could afford a formal and informal living space plus a theatre room!
But don't despair; bigger doesn't always mean better when it comes to style and luxury.
So, what’s the key to creating a stylish, luxurious home?
Simplicity and a focus on quality, durable materials is the key to this minimalist kitchen. (Image generated using Midjourney.)
Quality says ‘style and luxury’.
Regardless of the size of a home, to us here at Studio Apercu, quality always says 'style and luxury'. We'd forgo the additional room if having it meant we would need to compromise on build quality and our furnishings.
You must remember that you will need to decorate and furnish your home once the build or renovation is complete – which requires more money! The larger the home, the greater the cost.
Look for solid craftsmanship and the highest quality, longest-lasting, durable materials you can afford for your build. You want to avoid re-doing your build because it's looking tired or falling apart in 5 years.
Similarly, superbly comfortable, quality and well-chosen furniture pieces will always feel luxurious and stand the test of time.
You don’t need an endless number of pieces, either. Luxury is not about cluttering your home with furniture. If selected well, your initial, essential pieces should all work together harmoniously and 'fill' the room. You can always add items later, layering the room with additional smaller items, accessories and decorative elements when you feel a bit steadier financially.
Bringing the outdoors in can make your space feel bigger. (Image generated using Midjourney.)
TIP – When budgeting for your project, ensure you incorporate a separate sum for any essential decorative items/accessories, furniture and free-standing appliances, e.g. a new washing machine and dryer, you plan on purchasing for your new home once the build is completed. That way, you can avoid the distress of realising that you've exhausted your project funds upon payment of the builder's last instalment, but the spending doesn't stop there!
A small space with unique pieces creates a sense of luxury. (Image generated using Midjourney.)
Space, Scale and Proportion
Space, scale and proportion are all essential concepts in interior design and should be carefully considered when designing your home.
The furniture you purchase must fit the scale and proportion of your rooms.
If a room is large, you'll need to buy additional furniture to avoid that cavernous feeling. Bigger rooms will require larger furniture and more of it.
If you have smaller rooms, generally, you'll need to purchase smaller, lighter furniture and fewer pieces; otherwise, the room will have insufficient negative space and feel crowded.
If your budget requires that you go for a reduced footprint, bringing in more natural light into a room via floor-to-ceiling windows/doors, for example, and providing an outdoor view, can make a room feel and look bigger. Higher ceilings and particular décor pieces like mirrors, can achieve the same effect.
The light flooding through the window and the high ceilings makes this kitchen feel bright and airy. (Image generated using Midjourney.)
A reduced footprint does require more creativity. However, it gives rise to innovative solutions for how best to use available space. Innovative solutions produce unique and more exciting design outcomes, and who doesn't want that from their designer home?!
Creating a luxurious home is about something other than the size or budget.
It's about prioritising quality, engaging innovative designers, and focusing on what truly matters – style and luxury that stand the test of time.