10 Decorating Tips For Your Living Room That’ll Look Expensive

If you’re looking for decorating tips for your living room to get a high-end look, you’re in the right place!

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Today, I’m sharing 10 designer tips to make your home look expensive, even on a budget. Whether doing a complete makeover or just making a few updates, you’ll learn how to transform your living room into a high-end, sophisticated space.

With a few tweaks and updates, you can transform your design from incomplete to polished. Let’s look at how to achieve that designer look, no matter the size of your budget.

This post is all about decorating tips for your living room.

1. Choose a Quality Sofa with Clean Lines in a Neutral Color

The first and most important piece is your sofa. Choose one with clean lines in a neutral color like beige, gray, or cream.

The featured living room design above has a chaise sectional in a timeless silhouette. Below are two similar sofas that’ll give your design an elevated look.

1. Interior Define Custom Sofa With Chaise– This is a custom sofa where you can choose your fabric, color, cushion fill, length, and depth. It’s a great option if you want to design an original sofa that fits your space and style perfectly. There will be a longer lead time so keep that in mind if you’re in a rush.

2. Walmart Chaise Sofa– This sofa combines style and comfort but what you see is what you get. It’s not customizable and there are only four colorways. For a few hundred dollars more you can get a custom sofa which IMO is worth the investment.

Neutral Sofas Are A Timeless Base

A quality neutral sofa will create a timeless base for your room and is easy to update with seasonal decor or trendy accents.

Maroon is currently trending in both fashion and home decor. With a neutral base, you can easily incorporate this color with throw pillows, a cozy blanket, or a table lamp, for an updated look.

Why it works: Neutral colors make your living room feel larger and brighter. It’s easy to update your living room to reflect current trends by simply swapping out decor pieces

2. Add Two Accent Chairs, Not a Loveseat

Instead of using a loveseat, add two accent chairs. It’ll update the look while adding symmetry and balance. They’ll also make your living room feel more open and airy.

Accent chairs also allow flexibility in your seating layout and you’ll have more ways to style your space. What I love about having accent chairs is I can move them around and try different layout ideas without buying anything new. 

Living Room Accent Chairs

We have two Berhardt chairs (3) that were an investment but they make me happy every time I walk in the room. The silver textured three-leg frame adds contrast to the soft ivory upholstery.

I usually have them with the back exposed to highlight their beauty. They’ve been a talking point whenever company is over.

3. Cosway Barrel Chair // 4. Walmart Accent Chair // 5. Swivel Chair // 6. Look For Less Swivel Chair // 7. Three Leg Accent Chair // 8. Target Accent Chair

The Cosway chair retails for over $2600 but you can get a similar feel with the three-leg chair from Walmart for $206.

On a recent trip to Homegood, I spotted a wood-trim chair with a similar feel to the Arhaus swivel chair (5) that costs $2000. HomeGoods finds are hit or miss but Walmart (6) has a version for $267 that’ll give you a designer look. 

Another place to shop for stylish accent chairs is Lulu and Georgia. They’re an online resource with many designer brands. The 3-leg wishbone chair (7) will elevate the look of your living room for $1598 but you can get the look for less at Target (8) for under $250.

Designer Tip: Pairing two chairs with a sofa looks more curated and intentional, instantly elevating the look of your room.

3. Include Sculptural Furniture

Sculptural furniture will add an original touch that’s unique from what everyone else has. It’s a great way to express your style and personality.

This can be a coffee or side table with a unique silhouette to make a statement in your design. It’ll be a functional piece of art that elevates the look of your room.

9. Black Accent Table // 10. Gold Accent Table // 11. Target Sculptural Table– 12. Marble Coffee Table // 13. Wood Coffee Table

4. Incorporate Organic Shapes in Furniture and Decor

Organic shapes will soften the look and make a space feel more expensive. Curved furniture pieces, round coffee tables, or wavy decorative objects add a natural, fluid vibe that feels high-end.

Organic shapes add contrast to sharp straight lines and create a relaxed sense of elegance. It’s the perfect way to add a modern touch that feels luxurious.

23. Arhaus Organic Coffee Table // 24. Burlwood Coffee Table // 25. Walmart Organic Coffee Table

The above coffee table from Arhaus (23) with its organic shapes and fluid movement will make a statement in any living room design. It’s an investment at over $3000 but the two Walmart coffee tables (24/ 25) will give you a similar look for a fraction of the price.

Why it works: Organic shapes create visual interest and balance the straight lines of more traditional furniture, giving your space a modern yet inviting feel.

5. Add Unexpected Seating

Depending on the size of your space this can be a bench, ottomans, a daybed, or a chaise lounge in an empty corner. It’s another way to layer in texture or an accent color. These pieces add function, style, and visual interest to your design.

14. Grey Velvet Ottoman 15. Square Ottoman // 17. Olive Ottoman // 18. Ottoman With Wood

6. Use Layered Lighting

Lighting is super important to making your living room feel expensive. Layered lighting, like a beautiful chandelier with wall sconces and floor or table lamps, will add depth and warmth to the space.

A chandelier is the jewelry of a room. It’ll draw the eyes in while adding a touch of drama and elegance. For a luxe look choose a design that complements your room’s style.

Chandelier for a Dramatic Statement

In our living room, we have a stunning Jonathan Adler Spudnik chandelier that was an investment.

Why it works: A chandelier draws the eye upward, adding elegance and making the room feel more expansive.

Living Room Fandelier Decorating Tips

Before we remodeled we had a ceiling fan instead of a chandelier. If you prefer this you could go for a “fandelier” which is a combination of a fan and chandelier in one.

19. Spudnick Chandelier // 20. Gold Fandolier // 21. Eli Fandolier // 22. Rattan Fandolier

This is what we have in my daughter’s bedroom and I pulled a few more styles with an elevated design. You probably wouldn’t have thought these ceiling lights were a fan if I didn’t tell you.

7. Area Rug for a Cozy Feeling

An area rug will ground your space and make it feel cozy. Just make sure to choose the right size for a designer look. 

Your rug should be large enough so that all your furniture fits on it, or at least the front legs. For most people, it’ll just be the front legs because large rugs can be expensive. 

Choosing a rug that’s too small can make your living room feel off, so go bigger if you can. It’s a simple change that’ll make a big impact.

Why Size Matters: A rug that’s too small can make the room feel disconnected, while a properly sized rug unifies the space and adds to that high-end look.

Affordable Large Area Rug

Area Rug

I waited a while to get this rug because the ones I liked were super expensive. Then I found this for under $300 which was amazing. I like that it has angular lines that tie back to the side tables and abstract pillows.

8. Install Curtain Rods High to Draw Your Eyes Up

One simple yet effective way to make your living room feel more luxurious is to install your curtain rods as close to the ceiling as possible. This will create an elevated designer look. It’s a simple trick that makes your ceilings look taller and your windows appear larger.

Trust me, it’ll be a game-changer and give your living room an elegant feel.

I love the look of Cheryl Eisan of IMG. She designs luxury spaces in NYC and uses floor-to-ceiling curtain panels. My rods are installed right at the crown molding. We have a black accent wall so I didn’t want it to look choppy. 

When installing the rod in your space you want it to be higher than the window frame or molding. As a guideline, you can come down 2-4” from the ceiling line for a high end look.

Curtain Hack

A design curtain hack to save money if you already have panels is to purchase another set and add a border at the bottom so you can raise the curtain rod up.

In our living room, I got linen curtains and added an 18” border in the same fabric from the sitting room. This tied the two spaces together, saved money, and gave it an elevated look.

Decorating tips for your living room: Go for floor-length curtains that just touch the floor for a tailored and luxurious look.

9. Oversized Artwork to Make a Statement

Oversized artwork will create a focal point and add personality to your living room. Whether it’s an abstract piece, a landscape, or photography, it’ll make your space feel more expensive.

Don’t be afraid to go big! Large artwork will make a dramatic impact and command attention. Shop your local Homegoods or Homesence for affordable oversized artwork. 

16. Perigold Artwork

Why it works: Large artwork adds drama and instantly makes your living room feel more personalized and designer-like.

10. Unique Decorative Accents to Complete the Look

The final touch to creating an expensive-looking living room is to use unique decorative accents. This can be sculptural vases, coffee table books, or art objects that reflect your personal style.

They’ll make your space feel lived-in and elevated. It’s the little details that truly make a space feel complete.

I started my design journey in fashion so when I saw this quote book set I had to recreate it. It blends my love of fashion and interior design perfectly.

Designer Tip: These accents not only show off your personality but also help make your room feel polished and complete.

Final Thoughts

You now know 10 decorating tips for your living room that’ll make your home look expensive without breaking the bank! As you can see you don’t need to spend a lot on every piece in your design.

Pick and choose a few places to splurge and save on the rest. When you master the skill of mixing high and low you’ll create an original look that’s unique to you. Remember no one will know unless you tell them so let’s keep it between us, shall we??

This post is all about decorating tips for your living room.