Spruce Up Your Home With These Easy, Cost-Effective Decorating Tips
Make your home look like a million bucks by only throwing down a couple hundred. You can do so with some tips that align with the idea of “budget-luxury” fix-ups.
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Born out of the TikTok community, hashtags for #budgetluxury and #cheapestthing showcase how to look like you have a lot of money with any level of income.
There are tips for buying the least expensive items from designer brands to look like they’re part of your go-to style, and ideas for how to spruce up your home without investing a ton of funds. The latter is an especially ideal practice if you have rental properties or Airbnbs you want to make look more appealing.
Insider talked to one pro, Clare McLaughlin, who is a hugely successful TikTok star with 1.1 million followers and more than 25 million likes on her videos covering the budget-luxury trend. And she has the knowledge for it, too, having earned a master of fine arts degree in interior design and living in the luxury capital of the U.S. — New York City.
As she told Insider, the key is “being resourceful with your current living situation, and shopping on a budget for little upgrades that will make your home feel more expensive.”
One of her biggest tips is a surprising one — trying to show off with luxury knockoffs actually defeats the purpose. Budget pieces that have a faux luxury look, such as inexpensive linens with fancy lettering — what McLauglin calls “luxury signaling” — will come off as tacky. Instead, stick with basic designs that are made well.
Another big tip: Don’t buy anything that matches. Furniture in coordinating sets for