text ARIC TING photos DEPOSITPHOTOS 89Soft touches
Nothing says luxury like a well-padded surface and the lack of a hard
edge. Get ambitious and try your hands at tufting up a small coffee table
or reupholstering an otherwise firm armchair. Small additions like laying
table runners or simply adding corner cushions to the sharp edges of your
tabletops can also make a remarkable difference in how luxurious a piece of
furniture feels.Faux stone
Heavy marble tables are objects of
desire. However, for most, reality calls for
a more pedestrian variety; that said, it
doesn’t mean you can’t have a taste of it.
Contact paper with a marble stone decal
makes it easy to get an imitation surface
that, bar closer inspection, works just
as good as the real deal in elevating the
look of your furniture.Dropping layers
In the case of plain and boring
sofas, reupholstering can be a
significant undertaking. If you
prefer the path of least resistance,
it’s time to layer up! Start small
with velvet cushions in a variety
of colours, then add on a nice
woollen throw to finish it off. You
can also throw in some textures and
patterns, but keep them restrained
to not make it gaudy.
Handle it
The devil is in the details
and this one can have a
significant visual impact.
If your cabinets still have
exposed handles, chances
are they are of the dull silver
or tacky fake chrome variety.
To truly luxe them up, switch them out for brass or even a
matte black handle. If you are feeling unique, soft genuine
leather straps can also be a worthy splurge.A different story
Instead of going through the process of making
a piece of furniture look and feel more luxurious,
why not leave it as is and flip its role instead? For
example, turning a plain stool into a side table or a
chair into a surface can give off the impression that
these are sophisticated custom pieces instead of the
mass-produced basics that they are.