To ask what makes a home look luxurious/posh/modern?

[minniemummy0]

No matter how hard I try I can’t seem to get our home looking as nice as some of my friends. There’s just something I can’t put my finger on. So far I’ve worked out some common things - such as new, clean, plush carpets, or candles burning. For some reason they all seem to have an L shaped sofa. What makes you really feel “wowed” by someone’s home??

No synthetic fibres

@IsabelleSE19 we have one of those terribly tacky L shaped sofas like a chaise at on end. I don't give a rats what anyone else thinks because it suits our aging and chronically ill lifestyle 😂

Don't be silly Mr01

Your wife must be really, really good at her job if you tout for business like this...

Just have to face it we all have different tastes, personally wouldn't want to live in a new build, ours was built in 1903 but previous owners stripped it right back so nice smooth walls!, waited 4 years after buying to start putting our own stamp on it, real oak floor in living room (love love our log burner,don't know why previous owners blocked up the fire place ), doors/skirting throughout are oak which I feel are really warm, walls in hallway/ living room chalky white (goes great with the wood in my opinion) , I also bought plain black photo frames & got black/ white photos of kids, holidays etc also love nice green plants. Really want to do our kitchen next but will have to keep saving. Enjoy your house OP I bet it looks great!

High ceilings.
Less is more.
Don’t try to make your house look like a hotel.
Acquire taste through knowledge and high ( not modern) culture.
Know what to buy cheaply and what to invest the money on (lighting, rugs).

I find it's a mix of tidiness, clean surface and clean paint (skirting board and walls).

I always used to envy my artist friend who had a fabulous, if a little stark, house. My own house in contrast is full of kids paintings, toys, piles of books, squashy, jumped on sofa's etc.
One day she came over and told me how much she loved my comfy house as it feels like a happy lived in home and she wished hers was more like it. I was amazed!
We have lots of different coloured walls and it isn't remotely stylish but I love it. Maybe you should stop worrying about others houses and make something you love being in.
I sometimes dream of a minimalist beautiful white home but it isn't me so I'm happy to live in my untidy loved home 😀

op, I live in a Victorian terrace too and love it. I'd much rather have our high ceilings and nicely proportioned rooms than a new build. We redecorated the downstairs last year, have a look similar to what Babyplaymat linked to (though rather more cluttered!) We've had loads of compliments since, I'm very happy with it.

I hate new builds, they have no character. I love anything pre-war. Our house was originally a farm house, built around 1850, in stone, but at some point during the last century, a brick extension was added and the house split in two. We live in the bit that had the extension, so our living room has thick stone walls and a hidden inglenook fireplace. Whoever bricked up the inglenook, then covered it in stone tiles! We were planning on opening it up again, but I became ill, so it won't get done now. I painted the tiles though and it looks much better now.

Books. Houses without books have no soul.

I agree, and there are plenty of homes that have no books on display. Even my middle class in-laws only have one bookcase in the breakfast room, all the other books are hidden away in the dining room, which appears to just be used for storage, and the door kept closed. There are no books in the living room.

OP does your Victorian Terrace have any traditional features to show off?

You might not have the next directory show home look - but you can do soo much better.

I agree with PP to look at magazines for inspiration - you should find lots of ideas for your home.

Victorian homes look good with long curtains, textured rugs, lamp lighting flowers in fireplaces, well dressed shelves, mirrors and pictures with good quality frames. They look awful as canvases for footballers wives style.

Pops of colour and accents? omg can't bear the terminology. Go cosy, homely and welcoming any time, all the poncy stuff is just that.

Shamelessly placemarking so I can read later. Very interested as I'd love to have a nice home rather than a storage centre. So much clutter and crap!

I disagree about what people say about new builds; they will only have a new build look if that is how you choose to furnish it. Evolved style works in any property as it doesn't look like you are trying too hard and it is your personality. Character is only added to a property by the people living in it; if you have personality your house will do too.

(and no, I don't live in a new build)

Clean
Fresh (tasteful flowers)
Candles (as above)
Tonal colour palette
Soft furnishings in luxurious fabrics
High quality accessories
Temperature to be comfortable
Generally less is more

Coving! I always think good coving makes a room look more expensive.

This obsession with not having furniture against walls falls flat in an average 11 by 13 living room.

Things that are timeless and don't not follow trends, e.g.

Real wooden flooring

Original features such as fireplaces, bay/sash windows, tiling

Free-standing bath tubs

Decent quality furniture e.g. real leather sofas such as a chesterfield, solid wood tables and bookcases

Beautiful woven rugs in a mixture of colours

Light and open spaces

Homes that look natural and lived in, i.e not contrived and show-homey, but not too over-cluttered

Character is only added to a property by the people living in it; if you have personality your house will do too.

But that's not true, and is why new builds are so bland. The whole structure of the building is what gives it character. Even Victorian 2 up 2 down terraces have character. You'll often find along one street, that when they built the houses, they used different designs in the brickwork, or above the lintels, and inside the houses, they have coving, alcoves, and often picture rails.
New builds, by contrast just look flat somehow, and have no ornamentation. The rooms generally don't have chimneys, so no chimney breast wall to break up the square, boxiness of the rooms. They are, literally like a blank canvas.

My daughter's friends liked coming to our house because I wasn't precious about the (secondhand) sofas. They could build forts, climb all over them without touching the ground, use as a trampoline etc, it really didn't matter. Likewise I really didn't mind what people thought about our old sofas!

Have just replaced them (she's now 18 so hardly likely to play no foot on the ground games)

I get a lot of comments on how lovely my house is so I must be doing something right although it took me a long time to work out how to put things together. I've made mistakes over the years but I've realised these things make all the difference:

Very good quality curtains, they must be heavy and reach the floor. I have a friend that makes all mine but I've also had them made online - I never buy off the rack as I don't think you ever get the correct length.
Lovely, unusual and expensive-looking lamps and light fittings. Takes me ages to find ones I like but the ones I have make me happy every day.
Proper paintings on the walls. I had no idea about art when I first wanted to buy some but buying art for my home has triggered a deep love of good paintings. It helps that I've made a lot of friends who are artists, a few of them are very well known but their paintings are surprisingly affordable.
Expensive flooring - as expensive as you can afford as it really makes a difference. I don't agree with the 'carpets are naff' comments. I have wooden and tiled floors in some rooms but I have a carpet in my front room and on my stairs. The one on my stairs gets constant appreciation from people who see it when they come to my door as it is very beautiful. I think wooden floors and rugs in a front room make it look stark and unhomely.
I also disagree about never using colour on walls and find that often people shy away from colour because they just don't have a clue how to mix tones and shades and are a bit scared of getting it wrong. I use period colours as my house is a period house. My hall is a pale blue with warm wooden floors and white paintwork, it looks gorgeous.

I think plain walls look better than wallpaper. That way they do not scream at, and detract, from anything hung on them.
I like a mix of old and new furniture and accessories. I disagree that minimalism makes a house look expensive but I also loathe clutter. A few interesting and unusual things make a room lovely but give it personality as well. Clinical rooms just look cold and unwelcoming.
Good quality light fittings, curtain poles and door handles. Cheap and nasty fittings look cheap and nasty.
No gloss paint.
Decorating done to a high standard. If you can't do it yourself then find someone who can. You can buy all the fancy curtains and flooring you like but if you skimp on the decorating finish it will still look cheap.
A clean and tidy house. No matter how expensively you decorate it, if it looks like a shit tip it looks like a shit tip.

Can’t believe anyone under 70 thinks lit candles are a good feature in a lounge. I also hate ‘neutrals’ and plush carpet. Such a dull decade for general interior design.

This was a really good thread. I’ve had a nagging feeling for a while that our living room was less than the sum of its parts and I think I’ve worked out what was wrong with it now. (I like neutrals and adore corner sofas - I think character filled colorful rooms are great when others get them right but it has to be a genuine expression of your style, you can’t do it if it doesn’t come naturally).

Why are you chasing a luxurious/posh aesthetic when you’re in a rental house with young children?! That’s nuts!

What’s wrong with clean, cheerful and homely?

Equally, copying other people or feeling you need to compete is mad and a recipe for depression.

Get on eBay for solid wooden bargains, mix it with some ikea basics, buy affordable soft furnishings you like, but won’t weep over if they get ruined and can update in future without breaking the bank.Only have things that make you smile.

Meanwhile, save for a deposit.