How To Create A Luxury Look At Home*

*This is a collaborative post*

These days modern minimalistic chic seems to be all the rage and the good news is, it doesn't have to cost the earth if you want to turn your dreary shabby looking living room into a luxury place where you can really feel at home.

The key is in the word minimal. If a room has too much going on then it can look cluttered and untidy which won't do your stress levels any favours. Before you do give your living room a revamp, decide what you want to remain and what you can afford to get rid of. Charity shops will be grateful for any bric-or-brac or you could always have a car boot sale.

If you're anything like me then you'll find plenty of inspiration on Pinterest and Instagram. Screenshot your favourite themes or ideas and have a good look around both online and in stores before you start splashing your cash.

Where to save...

There's an old saying that you get what you pay for and while I do agree with that, there are certain areas where you can afford to be more frugal.

Of course if you have the cash to splash and you want to treat yourself to some high end home-ware accessories then by all means go for it, but if like me you have to really watch the pennies, know that you can pick up affordable home-ware items from many places. Whether that be in thrift shops, bargain stores, DIY shops or even online on the likes of eBay and etsy, you'll be pleasantly surprised if you shop around.

Feature walls look fantastic and instantly give a room a more luxury and classy feel. If you don't want to go for an all out feature wall then paint the room a neutral colour and instead hang a large painting or canvas. My sister recently did this in her bedroom and it looks incredible. You can pick up both wallpaper and wall art from plenty of places at really reasonable prices. Don't forget to decorate carefully. The idea here is to remain minimalist and not to go too OTT or you'll lose the effect you're after.

Where to splurge a little...

Ideally you want your furniture to look good, provide comfort and to last. And while I don't mind getting thrifty with smaller more decorative items or with wallpaper, I do believe that you get what you pay for when purchasing larger items such as sofas and flooring. You'll be spending a lot of time curled up on your sofa after a long hard day at work, especially as we hit the colder months and feel like hibernating! (Netflix binge anyone?) Glossy Home have a gorgeous range of custom made sofas and contemporary sofa beds, perfect for any guests if they have one too many during the festive season!

Flooring again is another area where you'll want to consider spending a little more if you're after quality. If you can't afford to splurge on luxury carpet or parquet flooring then you can instead spruce up the place with quality rugs.

All it takes is a few small changes and you can instantly change the way your living room looks.