Mood Makers: Luxurious Looks on a Budget

Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist Now it's your turn. Care to share any of your tips for making a room feel more luxurious? We'd love to hear your ideas!

Joan D Great post and ideas, Kristie. Taking curtains almost to the ceiling adds richness, of course, but I think high pigment paint adds a depth and dimension to walls that you just don't get with cheaper paints. Even whites look amazing. Yes, it's more expensive but well worth it, in my opinion. I also like to use reclaimed hardware for doors and cabinets. I've found very high-end hardware on auction sites for no more than what shiny metal hardware costs at big box stores. Finally, oversized handrails on stairs. We used stock spindles and a beefy stock oak handrail that we stained in dark walnut and then finished in a high-gloss. The additional cost was minimal and we never fail to get comments on how rich it looks and feels.

Judy Our builder specs ceramic towel bars and TP holders that are grouted into the walls. We wanted to upgrade those into something prettier and a little more special so we purchased all our own, . In addition to bars and TP holders we bought towel rings, robe hooks, all in our own taste. I'm thinking it will be SO much nicer and the investment didn't break the bank.

Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist Joan,
The oversized handrail is a new one on me! What a great idea - thanks for sharing your creative tips!

pattimay Kristie - I love you! It is so nice to have someone offer great suggestions! Thank you.

We are in the planning stages of building a home. Oh my gosh it's cha ching at every move. I keep trying to think these very thoughts - There has got to be a way of looking high end without going broke!
It is difficult because we are pretty contemporary but not modern. We like the clean lines and not a busy look so it's hard to come up with ideas without making a room either look empty or that you went broke and couldn't decorate. I love the idea of the black doors but coming from a house with a lot of wooden doors - I am so ready for white ones. ...at least for now LOL.

I do have one tip for looking high end - lose the nick-nacks. Yes, you love the silly bird that dunks his beak in the water when it's going to rain, but lose him. I think it's the busy little things all over the place that distracts your eye and cheapens a room.

I'm looking forward to reading ideas others may have. Thank you in advance to all those that do!

Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist So true, Patti! Fewer, larger accessories vs. lots of small ones. Good luck on your new home!

personette My husband and I are transferring to another state and seeing lots of houses, but the ones we are attracted to with higher price tags have replaced can lighting with much more attractive pendant lights. Oddly, even the lower cost hardware store models have lots of styles and color options, and when we added three to our remodeled laundry room, it really changed the space. Another cheap idea is to reframe family photos with matching frames and matting if displayed in a more formal area. We noticed that homes with photo galleries that had a range of frame types looked less put together.

Casart Coverings Kristie, it's hard, especially for first time home owners to decide how to get the biggest bang for their bucks. We have what we consider is a novel, simple idea to change the decor seasonally, take with you and repurpose if you are a renter, or change the installation completely for a new design. It's stripes from our Karen Robertson Collection. They can be installed horizontally or vertically and even crisscrossed over one another. They can be used singularly,in combination of colors and widths or in the same width and color as traditionally envisioned stripes. They do not require paste or glue, are repositionable, can be used over one another, reusable, DIY and cost effective. We recently demonstrated their versatility at the spring High Point market. Here are three pictures illustrating the horizontal, vertical and crisscrossed installations and a link to the video demonstration. As it's not just for walls, note that in the crisscrossed installation, the vertical stripe is continued across the top and face of a table placed in front of the stripe.(Karen Robertson's idea)

jenberry72 In every house I have owned, the first thing I do when I move in is replace all the plastic switchplate covers (and plug covers that you can see) with something that goes with the style of the house, whether it's brushed nickel, scrolled bronze, white ceramic, wood. It's an inexpensive update that really makes a difference.

patscats2 My crystal door knobs throughout the house add that "luxurious" touch. That is the one big architectural splurge in the house. We have $1.19 sq. ft. HD tiles throughout in kitchen and bath and no one is the wiser. I don't think you have to spend a lot of money to get a high end look if you know how to put it together and keep it simple.

I think the number 1 addition to make a space look really over the top is crown molding, nice baseboards, and other wood trim. Again, it doesn't have to be the very expensive custom stuff either. 1 x 4's make great molding for a lot of applications and the tricks that can be done with paint to fool the eye are very inexpensive and you don't have to be an artist to accomplish them.

Sheila Zeller Interiors Great post, Kristie! Nothing to add, but oh so much to take away :-) The beefy handrail was new to me - that's a great idea. And the larger pillow size - makes so much sense, but never gave it much thought!

pandoraliving This is probably the BEST idea post I've read yet! So many great ideas! Thanks for sharing! Love!

trasgorshek Yes, yes, yes... Couldn't agree more with everything posted. Big fan of molding, simply take 1x4's as stated with some cove trim. It goes a long way. And definitely change lighting, especially from builder grade. The only thing I can add is don't forget the doorbell as well. Sounds silly but simply changing out the standard doorbell for an oil rubbed bronze or similar makes an impact to the exterior. It says you pay attention to detail.

Lisa Hi Kristie, thank you for such an informative post. And for the responses. I'm learning a lot. We have a condo built in the 80's with high sloped ceilings in the dining room and living room. Do you still recommend doing molding for this type of ceiling? What can help make these types of rooms more high end?

Bella Tucker Decorative Finishes Great post Kristie. I love all your tips. :)

Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist #Lisa, I don't recommend adding moulding for slanted ceilings. If it isn't textured, I would paint the ceilings the same color as the walls so that the odd angles aren't emphasized by the strong line that is created by the wall color meeting the ceiling color. This erases the boundaries and makes the room feel bigger.

Stevie Thank you! Great ideas.

katydthompson Another thing I love changing up (and get lots of compliments on) is choosing one or two rooms (usually a room without much natural light), and painting the walls, baseboards, crown moulding, doors, even the ceiling, all the same color. On all the surfaces that aren't dry wall, paint in same color BUT in semi-gloss. That way these surfaces still read as special, but create a very cohesive, cocoon like effect. Great way to modernize space wo breaking the bank. PS Lowe's has a great selection of lights and mirrors; you'll be pleasantly surprised! Katy

erinorankin This post was actually helpful! Thank you!

Judy Phelps Great article! This is a keeper. I love crown molding, but have always wondered if it would work in my home, a 1970's ranch, plain rectangular rooms with only 8 foot ceilings. I've wondered if it would end up making my ceilings look lower, and my walls shorter. I have no vaulted areas.

Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist @Judy, crown moulding is still a beautiful upgrade in a home with 8ft ceilings. If anything, it will make your ceilings feel taller. Just make sure you paint your ceiling in a flat version of the same white you use on the crown moulding/trim. Never use "ceiling white" - it has a cold, bluish undertone. Good luck!

mariasotorobbins Great post. I particularly liked the suggestion of painting the interior doors black. Do you think though, that dark, really dark, brown would be equally effective?

Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist In regards to painting doors dark brown rather than black: you run the risk of looking like you are trying to do a faux wood effect if you do dark brown. I think I'd just go black!

acaba I love the idea of black interior doors! Look great.
We're thinking of installing white plantation shutters, walnut colored hardwood floors, almost white interior wall paint. Would black interior doors go well with those?

Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist Yes, yes, yes! Black doors would look incredibly sophisticated in the home you are describing :)

acaba Actually, I have a question about the black interior doors.
For kids rooms, I am thinking of having the entire door black, the room inside facing side, too, as well as the closet doors. what to do to make the kids rooms bright and cheerful with the black doors?

Your Favorite Room By Cathy Zaeske Just want to say thanks for a great article Kristie - keep 'em coming!

riktha Reclaimed hardware- Any pictures where they are used and do you know of any store online to buy them?

Joan D Riktha, here are two photos of doors in my home that I put old hardware on. I bought the hardware on eBay.

gschneider Couldn't agree more about the pillows :)

Interiors by Natalie I love color, but using a neutral, mono-chromatic color scheme is sophisticated and chic. Spluge on your focal point piece like beautiful bedding, dramatic drapes or a fabulous rug, then fill-in with more affordable "supporting" pieces.

Kelly Myers @ Kristie, what is the brand/color of the hallway with the black door? thanks

hopingtogetfit I understand that bigger pillows on a sofa look better, but I hate them when people get ready to sit down. The big pillows are always too large, and everyone ends up throwing them on the floor. How big do they need to be to look better than store bought ones?

trasgorshek Riktha, try your architectural salvage stores. If you don't have any in your area you can find some online. We have a few here and they are always fun to go through periodically. You never know what you will find and there's always a story to them.

jsksss I'm going to try the black doors in my dining room, but what gloss should I use? It's hard to tell what is used in the pictures because of the lighting. My baseboards, crown molding & other wood trim is painted a high gloss white.

Cindy Hannon I LOVE the black doors you pictured. We are just finishing our moldings which are stained dark. I have the doors all painted an off white satin which I was going to change for a gloss. Would you still do black? The floors are a dark Brazilian cherry and there is no white (ceilings are a buttery off white), I have been playing with the idea of painting the spindls and risers black, which would make the black doors make sense.

Cindy Hannon This is of my staircase and part of a door... should have been in my other comment, I must have missed it.

Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist hopingtogetfit: I'm not talking HUGE pillows. Most store-bought pillows are 16 to 18 inches, some are 20 inch. I suggest a minimum of 20 inch, but 24 inch pillows in pillowcases that are 22 inches are brilliant!

Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist jsksss: if your trim is already high-gloss white, i'd do the doors high-gloss black. i've done them in high-gloss, semi-gloss, and satin - it all depends on the situation. high-gloss is more formal.

Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist Cindy,
I would paint the risers black, but leave the spindles white. I haven't done black doors with dark wood trim, but from the photo you are showing me, I think that would work well for you!

jsksss Thank you Kristie for your quick response regarding the paint gloss level. All I have to do now is buy the paint. My adult daughter really likes all your suggestions for inexpensive decorating ideas, especially the black doors. She said black doors give a room a "New York" style look that is sophisticated, classy and elegant.
Please continue with more decorating ideas.

jsksss Well I painted my 2 dining room doors a high gloss black & they look fabulous! I was really hoping for a good outcome & wasn't disappointed. I can't wait for my daughter to see them. Now I'm thinking about painting the upstairs doors the same color. I just had my house interior painted & this gives me the "extra something" look I was searching for. I'm happy, happy !

lp4723 If i paint interior doors black - will the kitchen cabinets look good with a dark stain or should i do black cabinets too?

trasgorshek Ok, so I've already done the light fixtures, wood flooring and molding. This week I tried out the pillow theory and love the effect!! I already had three larger pillows in the living room but the other ones were 18" so I made new covers and changed those out and it really did make a difference. Plus my son doesn't squash them up when he sits on them now.

I'm determined to try the black door idea. It's been mentioned in several idea books now so I'm overly curious. I think I will do the entry door, master bedroom and fireplace mantel just to see what happens. It's only paint, right?! :) That's what I kept saying when I changed the pantry door to look old and it turned out pretty cool. Cross your fingers.

Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist trasgorshek: Wow, sounds like you've been working hard and taking chances! Good for you :) You will LOVE the effect of painting those interior doors black.

trasgorshek :) thanks Kristie, I've been having lots of fun and I love all the fantastic idea books! I started almost two years ago after our builder dropped prices on the remained properties three weeks after we purchased, we lost value really fast. Needless to say, I was extremely mad so I got busy trying to separate our home from the others just in case we have to sell anytime soon. We are a military family so you never know what's around the corner. But, the anger has paid off and now I'm an avid DIYer. I'm always looking to Houzz for my next project.

bellalucca33 Love the blog! I have boring doors that I would like to paint black.. Walls are "sourdough" and baseboards high gloss white.. I love rod iron, anthro, tuscany type decor.. Any suggestions for door knobs? I am thinking crystal might be a tad to formal! Thank you!

cashmo0611 I love the idea of black interior doors, and have been wanting to do this for a while. I have a couple of areas with chocolate walls, though. Is there any other color that would have similar impact, or do you think the black would still work? Love all your ideas!!

Amy Renton I have a concern about painting my interior doors black because I already have a full color scheme, including chocolate brown. Would painting doors that deep chocolate brown have the same effect? I just don't think I can introduce a new color.

jsksss You don't say where the chocolate brown is in the room, or what other colors you have. I painted my 2 dining room doors black. In the room the main table is dark brown & 3 substantial accent tables are dark brown or black/brown. I also have 2 wall decorations that are black/brown. The walls are a light tan & the chairs are cream color. The trim around the doors, baseboards, crown molding & chair rail is white. The black doors look fabulous & gives the room a edgy, elegant look I have been seeking.

Amy Renton Regarding my previous post and in response to jsksss: My walls are a light beige, creamy white trim, oak woods, and copper to deep bronze hardware throughout. My living room has chocolate brown sofa and love seat and predominately blue rug accented with the brown and beige. I have large accents of a blue-green (Ben. Moore's Wythe blue, actually) on the dining room walls (my home is mostly open concept), in upholstery (sofa cushions and accent pillows), and in the drapery which also has a valance of toile blue-green, brown, and a tiny golden olive green. A tiny bit of the green is in some pillow trim and covers a stand-alone bar. I understand that conventional thinking requires a bit of black in every room, but I think that the doors are so large and might seem out of place without another reference to black in the room. However, I think I already have enough going on and it would appear gratuitous to use the black. Would painting the doors the deep brown have the same effect?

jsksss Okay, I understand that you are reluctant to add black as another color. I researched Houzz for additional pictures of black doors just to look at the different design ideas which were MANY! Not all the doors where completely painted, some where just trimmed in this color. I loved it. Why don't you do the same to get pictures of the dark wood floors you are wondering about. Also, I would search Houzz for dark brown color/trim ideas. I suggest this because Houzz showed windows, baseboards, etc trimmed in brown, black & other colors. BTW, my front door is 36" with 2 twelve inch side windowed panels. I plan to only paint the outer trim black & leave the rest white. I really hope you find something you're comfortable & happy with.

cmhdesign What are the names of paint colors in the hallway with black doors?

michmcdowell I have oak trim throughout my home, with white painted doors. My staircase is oak with white spindles. I just restained my kitchen and bathrooms from oak to a java (very brown/black) stain. I would like to paint my doors and the spindles black and leave all the oak. Will this give me the rick, luxurious look I'm hoping for?

Cindy Hannon I think I am going with the black spindles... who knows what will follow, I am still leaning towards black on the doors... sill start with spindals, leave the risers the cream color they are but do the strip of trim on risers with black... with me luck.... my husband is away for three weeks and told me not to do anything drastic... we know the spindles are to be painted we never intended them to stay white :) so not too drastic, right? (I do have a photo which was added three months ago..I just feel when I do the black spindles, will want to go for the doors as well. My husband has been doing such a beautiful job with all of our trim, all stained dark, including our windows... I am just thinking the black will be another elegant touch... new house, Victorian and we have worked very hard an making it nor look like a typical new construction.

@michmcdowell, I think it will look wonderful!

mparsell I just started painting my interior doors black and what a difference it makes! I chose Benjamin Moore's Black Beauty although now since its on - it has taken some of the warmness from the camel colored walls and it has turned almost a deep black brown. Love it!

drslhudson I'm doing black doors for our new house - I would also love to paint the inside of our closets - any suggestions?

cmhdesign Kristie could you tell me what the color and brand of paint is for the wall color and black doors in the hallway picture above? Your help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you! Cheryl

Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist Cheryl,
I don't actually know those paint colors, but they look a lot like Benjamin Moore's Revere Pewter and their INT/EXT Black.

Nicole Marshall do you paint the doors black on both sides? I want to do the entryway a sage green. Will the black doors look good with any color? even in the kitchen? thanks for your help and suggestions!! :-)

katiehinkel I love the trick to install a strip of molding below the crown to make the brown look grand. Would this work on 8 ft ceilings? Don't think I have seen it done on them.

Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist Yes, it looks great even if your ceiling isn't high!

Chelsea Webb_Whittle Love the black door ideas, however I also was wondering if the inside of the door should be painted black as well. My paint inside my bedrooms is gray owl benjamin moore. Can I leave the doors the cloud white on the inside facing the rooms.

rotorua Hello Kristie, we have just complete a huge Reno.....added a second story to our home. We are now finishing our baseboard and trim. We have use a larger accent trim for the top of the outside I terror doors, would we do the same to the inside or could we simply use a plain trim? This would save us money . Thx for your opinion.
Melody

mybullet I've found that putting one piece of black furniture in each room lends an elegant look. Large artwork on the walls looks high end and I always recommend using the same tone of paint to rooms that are connected. I sometimes choose one paint card and use several colors from it. If I use different colors, I make sure they're located side by side on the color cards. Another tip is to never display anything smaller than ten inches, it will look like clutter unless you have a collection of similar things, then they should be grouped together. When doing displays, the eye likes odd numbers, so group things in threes or fives, etc.

Trishia Hope One of my favorite things about your blog is that its not about fashion. I love that you focus mostly on interiors (this is something I enjoy but know little about) this is a fantastic post! Great tips my friend!
http://www.katypatio.com/

Stephanie T I LOOOVE the black but seriously fear doing it.

Paula Briceland I am all about painting the doors black, both inside and out! So glad my husband is ok with this also.

Tammy Cuevas I find that a high end looking crystal/glass lamp adds glamour to almost any room. If you go to a place with great prices, like Homegoods, you can get that high end look for less!

sandysnewhouse We are in the process of making build selections. The allowance we have for Master Bath tile was a bit low for what we had in mind after viewing so many gorgeous baths on Houzz :) We invested a lot of time checking colors, textures and heights pairing tiles that were not from the same series. We have selected a very expensive hexagon tile and will use it sparingly on accent areas, keeping the square footage low. We paired it with a very inexpensive polished porcelain tile with similar coloring, tile height and shine. In many cases I could not tell the difference between the $3 tile and the $8 tile so keep shopping! Tile can look great and not break the bank. We also made sure to check with our installer that it was ok to mix the two materials we chose, might not always work if grout or installation requirements differ.

pattimay Hi Kristie well we are finally on our way. It's been a while since we last "spoke". I do have a question please. We want to put cathedral in our great room and master bedroom but were told by some that cathedral ceilings are out and the house won't look high end. Is that true? I didn't know cathedral ceilings were an in or out thing. Anyone else have a thoughts?

Sandysnewhouse I so understand what you are going through. Our builder said he wished people would stop looking at sites and TV because we are always shocked at prices. Our area it's almost impossible to get some things, you'd swear we lived on an island! We will be doing the same thing incorporating high end in areas we can and integrate others as accents. Good luck to you.

bythegrove Kristie -I just bought a small ranch house and the ceilings in every room are a mahagony stained wood and each room also has a cross beam of the same wood. I want to install hardwood in living room,dining room and kitchen. Do I need to try to match the woods (ceiling and floors)? I dont really want to paint the cielings, as I think they look rather unique and make the rooms seem more cozy. Plus, what a job it would be to paint them all!! Thanks so much for any advice! LOVE your blog! Katie