Interior decorating is not always about how much money you spent on which styling elements.

It is really about thoughtfully identifying and incorporating particular elements into each space to elevate the look from tacky to classy.

It is easy to make your home look expensive even on a shoestring budget. Here are five ways to achieve this:

1. Repackage your products

Remove products from their original shop-bought packaging and repackage them into stylish and appealing containers.

An example is liquid hand wash. Drain your liquid hand wash from its bland plastic packaging into a stylish soap dispenser, one of those that come in a matching set of three, with a soap dish and loo brush holder. 
 

In your pantry, repackage as much foodstuff as you can: repackage flour, spaghetti and rice into airtight glass jars. Sugar, tea and coffee into matching canisters.

Spices into glass jars and onto a spice rack displayed on your counter. The tip with pantry repackaging and organisation is to ensure the containers are see-through (plastic or glass), matching, properly labelled and stylishly displayed.

2. Enhance ambience with scents

Scents not only make your home feel more expensive, they also enhance its overall mood and ambience, and have your home smelling fresh.

The sense of smell is scientifically proven to embed and recall memories into our subconscious – your signature scent is building life-long memories for anyone who lives in or is invited into your space.

Air freshener is affordable and effective. It can however leave a tacky lingering scent that cheaply reminds you of the toilet.

You don’t want your bedroom – or the living room – smelling like a toilet. Instead of air freshener, burn candles, turn on your air diffusers and DIY your own air freshener using essential oils. Master the basics of aromatherapy so you know which scents to introduce into which space.

Bring lavender and chamomile in your bedroom because they promote relaxation and sleep while reducing stress. Use them in your air diffuser (instead of burning a candle), the aroma will go straight into your limbic system.

Lavender, cedarwood and sandalwood are recommended for taking your living room calming notches down.
Citrus scents such as orange are best for your entryway because they uplift your spirits – you will feel their cheering effect as soon as you walk through your front door.

Lemon and mint scents are great for your kitchen because they detox the air and have a tangy fresh scent. Also, use a lemon-scented dishwashing liquid. In your toilet and bathroom, play around with most of these mentioned scents.

They will each introduce their custom healing properties into this hardworking space. Switch them out often to surprise your senses.

3. Layer up your bed with volume and textures

There are only a handful of spaces where a flat one-layered single-pillow bed is encouraged: in a boarding school, hospital or prison. Don’t bring this humorlessness into your home.

Not only is it far from cosy, it also doesn’t make your space look luxurious and expensive.

So, layer up your bed by covering it with an extra fluffy duvet.

You can have two duvets – the flat non-fluffy one that keeps you warm when you sleep, then a fluffy one on top for that cosy expensive finish.

Also, drape the foot of your bed with a textured throw blanket. Decorate your headboard with an assortment of pillows. Two sleeping pillows then a pair of two to three pillows for the wowing luxurious look. Tie in all of these elements by (a) making your bed every morning (b) learning how to make your bed like a hospitality professional (c) knowing how to match plain and printed bed sheets and covers.

4. Curtains, curtains

There are many ways to tweak your curtains for that expensive look.

The first one, of course, is to place your curtain rods or boxes as close to the ceiling as possible. This gives your curtains extra height and pulls the eye up and down.

Custom the length of your curtains – curtains that are too short look ridiculous, those that are too long are untidy. The best length for your curtains is where they float about an inch above the floor, or are kissing the floor ever so lightly.

Also go for volume. A flat fitting curtain will stretch across your window as a sad afterthought. 
Create volume by buying curtains that are at least 1.5 times the width of your window.

The higher this figure, the more gathers your curtains will have and the more expensive they will look when hanging from your window.

Lastly, use tiebacks and holdbacks to secure your open curtains in style. A holdback is U-shaped and secured into the wall near the window – you tuck your open curtains into the holdback. It is usually made of metal.

A tieback is made of wire and fabric. It is tied like a ribbon on your open curtains. Like a gift to your space.

5. Buy more lighting than you think you need

The default lighting in any space is usually a single white naked bulb hanging from a single electrical cord from the ceiling.This won’t do for your home. Especially not for the expensive look we’re after. 
 Layering up your lighting will light your path to an expensive-looking home. Layered lighting and the right bulbs enhance this look.Switch out this lonely bulb for chandeliers, wall sconces and pendant lights. 
 They call this general lighting. Next, buy task lighting for that extra layer of lighting, the one you didn’t think you needed: table and floor lamps, light dimmers in your bathroom, LED string lights on your balcony.

The purpose of this is to create a mood-specific atmosphere in each space. And of course, for styling opportunities.