Decorating & Design
10 Design Elements That Can Make a Room Look Luxe
Updated on May 28, 2025
What are some of the luxury design elements that make a room look expensive? It’s not always the most prominent or obvious item. We gathered 10 luxe rooms from the H&H archives that exemplify the look with thoughtful attention to details that go a long way. Take a look!
Limewash Walls
In this living room, artisanal lime washed walls and ceiling are rich and create an environment of quiet luxury. One of the reasons this finish (a mix of natural lime putty and water) looks rich is because the application is more labor-intensive than applying regular paint with a roller. After the first layer has dried, the second layer is applied in a crisscross brushstroke technique by hand to give it depth.
Layered Lighting
Designers are often split on recessed lighting (or pot lights), but are unified when it comes to advocating for several sources of illumination to bathe a room in light. In this kitchen, graceful pendants, a burnished sconce and even a petite table lamp brighten the moody room and supply ample task lighting.
Framed Doorways
In this home by Kim Lambert, carefully considered materials bring a wonderful richness, including grey marble trim that frames the entrance to the living room.
Oversized Art
Big, bold pieces of art have commanding presence. In this Port Carling cottage, a triptych of contemporary pieces anchor a wall. A gallery wall of many small pieces looks eclectic and personal, but if the goal is to look high end, choose large-scale pieces.
Modern Hardware
Quality hardware can have a huge impact — not just for their finish, but the feel and heft of it. Designer Jamie Banfield chose semi-circular brass handles for this bathroom vanity. The half moon pull by Sarah Sherman Samuel are focal points for this linear vanity.
Deep Hues
Moody, saturated colours are mounting a revival and because they are cosy, enveloping and translate into a high-end effect. “Deep colours can be very calming and intimate,” says designer Susannah Holmberg. “It adds visual interest and creates a feeling of depth.” This formerly white kitchen gets a shot in the arm from deep tones, while glass-fronted cabinets are backed with bold patterned wallpaper to show off white dishes.
Vintage Pieces
Heirloom, antique and vintage furniture makes a home look curated, and lend rooms character. Here, the homeowner’s vintage sideboard contrasts the dark wood floors in this charming carriage house.
Wallpapered Ceilings
Designers have been turning to the “fifth wall” to add panache and polish to spaces. In this dining space, designer Ali Budd chose a graphic, modern pattern to warm up the white walls, and played up the impact with two oversized woven pendants.
Oversized Plants
“One of our first inspiration pictures was of olive and citrus trees,” says designer Cory DeFrancisco of this luxury home. A dwarf olive tree in the living room recalls Cory’s inspiration for the design.
Large Slabs Of Stone
Using large expanses of natural stone on counters and backsplashes has major impact, and telegraphs a luxurious look. In this kitchen, the natural stone elevates this kitchen because of the beauty of the unique veining pattern, and an arched niche provides a striking frame for a big slab of Calacatta marble.