Hiring a top interior designer to give your home a makeover can cost up to £1,800 a day – and buying the luxury items they recommend can reach into the hundreds of thousands.
But there are ways to give your home a high-end feel at a fraction of the cost. And if you’re looking to sell in the near future, a few clever buys could more than pay for themselves with the value they add to your property.
Rachel Allen has designed homes across the country and abroad. When working for clients who want the best of the best, she has spent close to £20,000 on a shower screen, but she also knows some low-cost tricks to achieve that luxury feel.
‘Well-made curtains and curtain poles are a hallmark of a great interior and can transform a room,’ she says. ‘But curtain poles can be extremely expensive and for an average-sized window, the pole, rings, brackets and finials can cost £1,000 a window.’
Instead, she says Suffolk-based retailer Jim Lawrence sells heritage-looking curtain poles at just a fraction of the price. You can buy a 1.2m pole for less than £27.
If your budget is even tighter, Allen says you could also approach a local ironmonger about simple forged poles.
Fine tuning: Create a high-end feel in your home but at a fraction of the cost
The sofa is typically the largest piece of furniture in your sitting room and the one that gets used the most. Allen recommends spending a bit more of your budget on it.
‘You want to have something with a feather or down filling – but these can come with a hefty price tag,’ she says.
To get the best at a fraction of the price, Allen recommends buying a second-hand sofa from a heritage designer such as George Smith, with prices ranging from a few hundred pounds.
‘George Smith are good quality and their pre-owned website has great stock so you can get the right colour for your sitting room,’ she says.
If you find that it has lost its squish, Allen recommends taking it to an upholsterer to add extra feathers – which can cost up to £900.
While this may sound expensive, a three-seater sofa from Ikea can cost £1,000 – without any feather or down filling.
So for just a little extra investment you can have a designer-quality centre piece for your living room that will last for many years.
A smart kitchen can be the star attraction in a house. But instead of paying tens of thousands to upgrade, spend on new cupboard doors, a new countertop or handles.
Allen recommends an elegant marble countertop if your budget allows. You can spend anywhere between £150 to more than £1,000 per square metre.
Antique furniture can add a classic touch and prices are often cheaper than flatpack alternatives.
Allen recommends antique markets, such as Kempton in Sunbury, or Shepton Mallet in Somerset, to buy a bargain. Prices are a fraction of the cost of antique shops.
And if you’re willing to buy items that need sprucing up, such as repolishing, sanding, or replacing missing handles, you may be able to get a quality item for just a few pounds.
Adam Hills, owner of design company Retrouvius, says: ‘Auctions have great bargains, and it’s worth looking at Facebook marketplace.’
Antique mirrors often cost less than new ones and can add a quality feel to your bedroom or bathroom.
‘At an antique market you can pick up a bevelled mirror for around £25,’ says Allen.
But remember to not overload your room with antique furniture.
Joanna Cocking, at estate agency Hamptons, says: ‘The most successful schemes respect the age and character of the property while introducing a modern twist.’
Repainting the interior of your house can help to freshen it up and make it easier to sell, adds Cocking. ‘Where colour has been used confidently it generates stronger emotional engagement.’
‘We have seen a big uptick in people designing their houses to sell,’ says Marc von Grundherr, of estate agency Benham & Reeves.
‘If you want something to sell at a decent price, it needs to present well. There’s a reason the top new projects around London are hiring interior designers for their show houses. It’s because it increases value.’