Spruce - How to make a home look more expensive [a reaction]

A reaction to this post.

I was just going through my e-mails and I am subscribed to "Spruce makes" and related stuff. And one of the posts I got in the mail was about making a home look more expensive. Can't say that I would do any of the things described. They said to display antiques and my reaction was: "Ugly". I am not a fan of the look of antique furniture. I prefer IKEA-style pieces. Almost all the furniture in our home is from IKEA. And we're very happy with it. Like, there might be some smaller things I might wanna change but in general, I love IKEA furniture. 

One of the other tips was about including furniture with curves. Again, not something I would enjoy. Also, all the stuff they were showing for these tips was on the brown-ish and warm-toned side. Honestly, I think cool tones make a room feel bigger and in general, I hate warm tones. Especially brown and warm gray. I would never use those in my home. I prefer cool gray, white and blue. With the occasional pop of other colors, if they are on the cool spectrum. We used to have a living room themed in brown colors some decade or so ago. And I'm extremely happy it no longer exists. I would never go back to that color scheme. Even if I do see it on the internet all the time. What is it with people liking the warm and brown tones in their homes? It just feels dim and dark (or dull). And not bright enough. We have even done away with yellow lighting. We have LED ceiling lights that are white - like daylight. Again, I wouldn't go back to what we had before. Ever.

Then they were talking about adding metal objects. And they started talking about brass, gold, vintage silver… I can't help but cringe whenever I hear the word "vintage". I have to confess to kinda hating vintage stuff. At least most of what I have seen on the internet so far. Not a fan. And gold and brass don't speak to me either. So I would never add stuff like that. How does THAT make a home look more expensive? So far, all the things they said that would make a home feel more expensive only feel like they would make the place look ugly. But whatever, let's see what else they suggest.

Fresh flowers. My mom does buy those sometimes, but that's all on her and I don't touch that with a ten-foot pole. I'm the type of person that managed to DRY A CACTUS!!! And you want me to add flowers to my home? Nope. The only reason the plant on my window is still alive is because my mom regularly waters it. I wouldn't bother. And when I'm one day living here alone, I'm telling you right now, all those plants will be tossed into the garbage because I know I'm gonna kill them. Not a plant person. I mean, they do look lovely, but I just don't have a green thumb. Like, at all. So I would never actually bother with getting myself anything even resembling a living plant. 

They had a few more ideas but honestly, those were mostly things that would not really work where I live. Or made no sense at all. The only other thing that was somewhat noteworthy was about dimming switches for lights. No thanks. I have remotes for the important lights and they can be used to dim the lights. I use that in my room a lot as I'm a person who kinda likes to keep the lights either off or very low for when I'm on my computer. I do up the intensity when drawing or painting just so that I can see the colors properly, but I do prefer dim lights for my PC. 

Honestly, that whole article felt like it was geared more towards American readers rather than the rest of the world. I mean, a full wall window would be interesting but is not practical unless you have a big back garden and it faces there. In any other situation, it just doesn't seem safe. Also, the garden would have to be fenced so that nobody can easily get in. I have a very small front garden and just a small back yard so something like that is not viable here. And honestly, it would require too much reconstruction. It might be something fun to implement when you're building a brand-new house, but other than that, it just feels like too big an investment to be worth it.

So all in all, I can't really agree with their tips. In my opinion, simple and sleek is much better. There's no need to have clutter of brass (or whatever) stuff everywhere. Sleek, clean, and simple is best. And, if you don't have knickknacks everywhere, it means dusting and cleaning is much easier. You don't have to pick up a bazillion things just to wipe the surface underneath them. 

And what is your opinion? Do you prefer antiques and warm colors or cool and sleek? Share your thoughts in the comments. 

~AnnElfwind

Written on the 5th of July, 2022

31.12.2024 Note: 

    So, I'm posting this more than two years after writing it, but I can honestly say I still agree with everything I wrote. So yeah. And Happy New Year to anyone who reads this.