How to create a sense of elegance and luxury

How to Create a Sense of Elegance and Luxury

While these can feel like intangible concepts, there are certain characteristics you can introduce into your home to give it a luxurious elegance, as well as a few signature design elements

For me, a room feels elegant and luxurious when it has:

• A dynamic mixture of scales
• Strong and smart symmetry
• Classic architecture to create formality
• Decorating that provides comfort
• A layout that encourages conviviality

Include these signature elements in your decorating schemes to help evoke elegance and luxury:

• A sofa with feather or filled cushions
• A great club chair
• A soft Ottoman piled with books
• Fresh and crisp percale bedding
• Matelassé or piqué blanket covers
• Block-printed, hand-quilted throws
• A four-poster bed frame with an eyelet fabric canopy
• Composed walls with beautiful crown mouldings
• Wood ceilings and good skirting boards
• A stone or wood floor
• Games such as backgammon or chess
• Candlelight and lamps on dimmers
• Plants and flowers from the garden
• A drinks cupboard

Maintain a sense of elegance by committing to some new habits:

• Avoid clutter by curating what you have and going through a process of editing your belongings – perhaps a few times a year. A room that's messy and disordered won't feel elegant or appealing.
• Create collections of things that you love and that bring you joy, whether they be paintings, books or trinkets.
• Embrace the charm of imperfections. Learning not to be too precious will make for a more joyful, cheerful and happy home.

Discover More

I often use these online marketplaces and auctioneers to discover antiques and second-hand items:

• 1st Dibs
• eBay
• The Saleroom
• Selling Antiques