Popularised by Hollywood celebrities and TV shows like Succession, quiet luxury has been one of the most sought-after interior trends of the last few years. Quiet luxury is all about timeless interiors that look elegant in an understated way. Basically, they’re simple yet sophisticated. But unlike minimalist interiors, there’s more emphasis on warmth and comfort. So, your home feels calm and welcoming at the same time. Although this interior trend exudes wealth, you don’t actually need to be rich to bring some quiet luxury into your home.
Choose good-quality products
Whenever we give our homes a makeover, it’s tempting to go all-out with our purchases. But buying lots of new stuff is expensive, so we tend to choose cheap, flatpack furniture over good-quality, well-crafted products. However, the quiet luxury trend is all about using high-end products. Therefore, you’d assume that this isn’t a trend you can recreate on a budget. But that’s simply not true. All you need to do is rethink your tactics.
Good-quality furniture should last you a lifetime. So, even though it’s more expensive, you’re unlikely to need to replace it as you will with flimsy furnishings. This means that in the long term, good-quality furniture is no more expensive.
That said, there are ways you can reign in these costs in the short term. Firstly, you don’t need to buy brand new. Well-made furniture lasts a long time, so you’ll find there are plenty of top-notch pieces and classic designs available on the second-hand market.
But if you are going with new, restrict your purchases to just a few large pieces of good-quality furniture, rather than splashing out on lots of furniture. This should help to protect your budget. Besides, less is more when you’re embracing the quiet luxury trend.
Sometimes, less is more
One of the cheapest and easiest ways to mimic the quiet luxury trend is to have a bit of clear out. Quiet luxury isn’t about big statements or showing off your wealth with lots of nice things – it’s far more subtle. Removing clutter and mess will instantly make your rooms look bigger and more refined. So, tidying and decluttering is a neat way to bring quiet luxury into your home.
Although you want to achieve a calmer, less noisy space, that doesn’t mean you can’t personalise your rooms. You can still adorn shelves and coffee tables with treasured belongings to make them feel like home. Just be more considered about your approach. Decide where items look ‘right’ and try to limit the amount of stuff you have on shelves and surfaces, so everything looks neat rather than crammed in or higgledy-piggledy. And think about how you style your belongings, so they fit in with the wider aesthetic of the room.
Add warmth with a natural colour palette
As you don’t want a cluttered interior, the best way to add warmth and cosiness with the quiet luxury trend is through your colour scheme.
A muted palette of warm neutrals and natural hues is the way to go. Use warm wood and terracotta tones, soft greens and blush pinks to bring a comforting and serene ambience.
If your home is due a refurb, you could think about laying wood floors or fitting wooden slats to the wall to bring natural colour into the rooms. Installing a wood floor costs from around £500 per room. But the final cost will depend on the room size and whether you choose a solid or engineered wood floor. Slatted wall panels typically cost from around £30 per m².
Of course, there are plenty of affordable ways to bring a natural colour palette into your home. A neutral cotton or jute rug is a good alternative to a wood floor as it brings in texture and warmth in an equally subtle way. You could paint the walls, hang linen curtains or use linen covers on the bed.
In addition, you might think about bringing in a touch of elegance and sophistication with a few gold highlights, such as on cupboard handles and lamp bases.
Boost natural light
Another affordable way to bring quiet luxury into the home is with natural light. It makes a room feel bigger and brighter, adding a sense of grandeur with very little effort.
So, think about how you can boost the natural light in your home. It may be by using minimal window treatments or by simply deep cleaning your windows and blinds or tying curtains back.
Finally, a clever trick to make basic curtains look more expensive is to go with long curtains and let them pool gently on the floor. This creates a high-end feel without needing to use deep colours or heavy materials. So, your room whispers luxury style rather than shouts it.