Does your home feel luxurious to you?

[Roulett]

I am a real homebody. When I go on holiday I miss my home, a lot of it is I find it really stressful- especially with two children - living out of cases and being in unfamiliar environments. I love it when I get home and everything is in its place. Obviously I’m constantly fighting a losing battle to keep things tidy with the children but where I can I try to make home feel nice.

we moved into a 3 bed semi detached new build 4 years ago - the first home we had ever bought. So it’s not a luxury mansion or particularly large house in any way but I have tried my best to make the most of the space and would love tips on what other people do to elevate their home. It’s not just about the aesthetic it’s about making it feel lovely for you.

About a month ago I treated myself to some lovely white company pillows and towels. I like to have all matching mugs and plates. I also bought some lovely neom diffusers. What do other people do to try and make their homes feel like a kind and lovely place to retreat to?

My home feels luxurious to the extent that it’s stops me from wanting to go on holiday since I know wherever we are staying won’t be as nice.

my house is New England/Hamptons in style. It’s light and bright and feels airy. It’s also in a beautiful location.

I think window dressings are very important. I always buy extra wide pencil pleat curtains and french pleat them. To make sure this doesn’t encroach on light I use extra wide curtain poles and hang them high. It means the curtains can be pulled all the way back without blocking any light even though they are thick and there is a lot of fabric. In some rooms this means that each side of the window has two curtains. I also use clear acrylic curtain pulls which look nice. In most rooms I have a double curtain pole and the inside layer is a voile curtain with a pretty trim (which as well as looking pretty serves a practical purpose since in the summer I can pull them closed and it keeps insects out if windows are open). Grommet top curtain always look cheap. Oh and curtains should ALWAYS be floor length. Absolutely no exceptions.

'Oh and curtains should ALWAYS be floor length. Absolutely no exceptions'

Yawn. I find this sort of statement quite ridiculous. My period home with really deep original window sills around curved bays with curved radiators in the bays would abolutely not work with floor length curtains.

You do you etc..

Devon and Cornwall just have much nicer surroundings, beaches etc though so you’re paying for that really rather than being on a London commuter belt.

And to answer the question - my home feels luxurious to me, because I spent many years in house shares and fairly crappy living situations. I now live in a fairly new 4 bed which is nothing ‘special’ (it’s not enormous, built in garage) but it feels like the lap of luxury compared to previous housing.

It’s decorated how I like it, which is lots of plants, a fairly neutral colour scheme with accents of terracotta/sage/wood, palm/foliage prints and large wicker lampshades. I like things to feel fresh and don’t like too many dust gathering textiles.

Yes it would. You just hang the curtain pole out a few inches. I would also use roman blinds so that you can block the glass at night without losing too much heat from your radiator. Half length curtains do not look luxurious.

But yes you do you of course. The only thing that matters is that you like your own home.

We bought and renovated a home 6 years ago. It’s just a four bed semi but god I love it. It’s colourful and filled with beautiful furniture and fun art and people always compliment us on it. It’s more cluttered than I would liek and we aren’t the tidiest but the garden, the cats, the colour, the comfort, all the cosy lighting and blankets everywhere I love it. It’s a real sanctuary. I had a bad accident a few years ago so spend a lot of tien at home and I love going up to my office for work. Kid is home Ed so it is well set up to keep him busy also.

now when I go away the space has to be nicer than home. Maybe it has a pool or a wonderful view or a great location or so very fancy. I’m not going somewhere less nice than my house.

Not luxurious as such, but touches of things that bring comfort and peace. So, flowers and plants, soft lamp lighting, soft blankets and feather cushions and pillows, a particular room scent, everything clean and smelling fresh, storage to keep the clutter away, restful colours and a few fairy lights. A dog . Just little things that make a home a haven is luxury for me rather than the price tag.

In your opinion.

I wouldn’t say luxurious, but very comfortable, and I hope welcoming.
Inc. king size bed for guests, always warm in winter, comfortable sofas, very relaxed atmosphere, etc.

This. Only I have a log burner.

My house is pretty average size, about 2100sqm. It’s fine. Been here 8 years and done lots to it but it’s certainly not luxurious and I won’t be here forever so not going to invest anymore money into it.

It differs for different people though. My half sister is wealthy and spends their money on designer items like homeware everywhere in her house. It’s quite obvious and a bit ostentatious too. But that’s not my taste, it’s hers and her DH’s.

I live in a tiny dot of a cottage that sits in its own wrap around garden. Nothing in it is new. Lots of my things are hand me downs so I have my mum's teapot and my dad's garden bench. The luxury is thinking of them every time I use the things even though the people are long gone. Everything else came from junk shops, charity shops and vintage fairs and upcycled or made everything else. Most things are a one off, there's no colour scheme and nothing matches at all. I suppose many people would think it's the opposite of luxurious and a bit of a glory hole but for me it's pure luxury.

This morning I got out of my old brass bed, church bells ringing outside, sun streaming in (through my short vintage gingham curtains - sorry @cila😀). I pottered down in my nighty, brewed a coffee which I drank on the bench outside my back door and listened to the bells and watched the birds fetching food for their chicks. .

In winter there's the fire and candles and I can see the church lights through the stained glass windows. It's a peculiar old place but it's mine and I adore it.

The most luxurious thing I own is a breadmaker. I can set it going before bed and wake up to the smell of a freshly baked bread.

No because the conventional idea of 'luxury' is absolutely not my bag (nor DH's). We prefer eclectic, interesting and meaningful (eg we have various bits of furniture built by DH's grandad circa 1940 and a painting done by my grandad around 1955). We have some old 1960s armchairs and all sorts of what other people would call 'clutter'. It makes me happy and I am not a fan of beige and the Scandinavian aesthetic that is so popular.

So probably not luxurious... but home.

No, not luxurious at all! I try make it peaceful and a sanctuary but I live with a husband and teenager who don’t give a monkeys! I buy nice things, good quality but they don’t look after things so my rug is now ruined as they’ve spilt things in it and it cleaned it, rinse and repeat constantly. Nice crockery chipped, pans ruined as put through dishwasher or left soaking. Towels covered in bleach etc.

I feel much the same as you. No, my house isn’t luxurious, but like you I like having the things I need around. It always amazes me when staying elsewhere how much I take my set up at home for granted.

just little things like my black out blinds (constantly being awoken early by rubbish blinds / curtains on holiday), charging points and plug sockets where needed, dressing table with mirror where I can plug in my hair dryer AND curler at same time, I have a bath with overhead shower which is adjustable, which is imprrtant to me as I often want to shower my body without washing my hair, and I hate it when I am staying somewhere that doesn’t give me this option. I have a (small) shoe cupboard at my front door, and a little bench next to it where I can sit to put shoes on and off and the shoes are then put away out of sight.

My house is often messy, but it’s functional and its setup how I like it.

Nothing luxurious, but as a pp said I have oil burners etc so it smells nice and I have some nice plants. I have underfloor heating in a couple of rooms which I love.

Not really - although ‘London commuter belt’, I live in an AONB. So Cornwall and Devon are only ‘better’ subjectively if you like that type of place. The woods where I walk my dogs has been used as a filmset for pretty much every major marvel universe film and many netflix series. We have great sailing clubs on the local lake, access to world class sporting events, a leading zoo, theatres [not including the ones on London] and a huge number of national trust properties etc. We may not have the sea or the Eden project but we have award winning world famous gardens and flower shows.

You book a holiday property not just for surroundings but because it is a treat - the quality of the accommodation/hotel is key to many of us otherwise we’d go camping, wouldn’t we?

So, no, I won’t pay exorbitant prices for a 3/4 bed property in Cornwall when I can spend the same [often less] on a luxury villa or hotel in Italy, Spain or France - where I can get the sea (and weather to enjoy it), culture and historical sites galore.

Holiday rentals, if you want a place as nice as your actual home, are far too expensive in the UK - often not helped by local council limitations/increased council taxes/management company charges, I know, but the property owners rake it in too.

A well-stocked snack cupboard is luxury enough for me!

I did a renovation - and spent time picking things that I would love. Spent extra on handles, light switches, things I round regularly. No white plastic!

now that the building work is finished I re carpeted upstairs - and while a small expenditure compared to the rest, that has really made my home feel luxurious. Soft, thick, bouncy carpet - cohesive in every bedroom and hall and stairs. Maybe because lived with the previous owners flat stained carpets for so long😂

No, I couldn't be arsed with the effort involved. There's nothing luxurious about having to be tidy.

Please can I come to dinner at your house?

That’s the bit that is luxury to me, too - new carpets, some new furniture, fresh paintwork, knowing the heating and lights are all newly done and reliable. It all feels sooo clean! Especially after years of renovation work, builders dust in the house and the construction materials on the drive. Been a 20 year journey to finish the house, but I often snuggle on the sofa with the dogs and pinch myself. 🥰 i appreciate it’s not to everyone else’s tastes though!

I agree. What really feels luxurious about my renovation is I picked everything. It suits me - and possibly no one else! The subpar where the vacuum cleaner charges. The mud room with the washing machine and dryer and muddy dog walking stuff. Splashes of personality that are me and only me. Traditional - nothing modern, nothing grey! No big standard big folding doors. Love love love it

The more expensive underlay for carpet. Was only a couple of pounds a metre more but the difference is amazing. Feels like walking on marshmallow. I also chose a carpet that is almost white - which seems crazy and probably is, but it's stunning.

😂