Make Your Home Feel Like a 5-Star Retreat

In today’s super fast life, your home works harder than ever  before, as a real sanctuary — a place to unwind, unplug from hectic days, reset, decompress and enjoy life’s simple pleasures.

It’s more important than ever to focus on this crucial area of your life, by elevating your living space to the very best it can be.  Why then, not elevate it to a level of a luxurious 5-star escape?

Implementing the main key elements for this – with comfort, practicality and function and a touch of opulence, you can transform your home into an oasis of calm and tranquillity.

To do this, there are some key things to consider.

1. Focus on the Entrance of your Home

The entrance sets the tone for your entire home. You may have heard this said before.  A clutter-free, inviting space instantly makes a great impression and not just to your guests.  Coming home a little frazzled, the neat and tidy first encounter after a long day does not add to your worry and unsettled demeanour.  This will go a long way to help you start to unwind. Adding detail where space allows, such as a stylish console table, an oversized statement mirror with some fresh flowers,  a diffuser in a scent that really lifts you, or even styled with an understated ornament, a picture frame of a pleasing and uplifting image to greet you and your guests as you enter, will go a long way in adding to that feeling of  luxury and welcome.

​​2. Good Quality Linens in your Home

High-thread-count sheets, soft fluffy, thick towels, and super soft, oversized throws are hallmarks of luxury. When shopping for these, we recommend sticking to neutral tones or soft pastels in order to create a calm, up market and sophisticated feel. Keeping within these parameters will also ensure that they will pair nicely whatever scheme you may have in your living spaces.  Layer textures like linen, cotton and also velvet for added depth and comfort.  The texture variations add the illusion of warmth even if your home is sparsely furnished or the walls merely painted without wallpapers or extensive rugs.

3. Upgrade Your Lighting

Lighting is a huge game-changer when it comes to setting the mood in a room and your home as a whole. Installing dimmers (now compulsory for new homes in parts of the US to help keep lighting under more control to help reduce usage and planetary considerations) to adjust brightness as needed and varying parts of the day is a must. Layering the light in your home by also adding statement light fixtures, like stunning oversized chandeliers or pendant lights (practicality permitting – perhaps  not in the centre of a low ceilinged living room where young children may play), paired with table lamps and floor lamps and possibly uplighters around windows or fireplaces will contribute to really elevating your interior.

Use warm-toned bulbs for a cosy ambient and welcoming glow – avoid the white LEDs if you can.

4. Incorporate Natural Elements

Bring the outdoors inside is always a beautiful way to soften an interior scheme, with greenery, be it faux or fresh, some stems like eucalyptus adding a delicate colour to the room, fresh flowers and succulents not only improve the quality of your air but also add a sense of tranquillity and calm.

5. Declutter and Organise

A clutter-free space is the epitome of luxury. Invest in smart storage solutions or have some designed, to keep everything easy to use and easy to tidy. Use decorative baskets, built-in shelving, or large ottoman footstool.

6. Create a Spa-Like Bathroom

Transform your bathroom into a serene escape with a few simple upgrades. Add fluffy white towels, scented candles, keep tiles neutral and earthy colours, use large format tiles to stretch an otherwise small area and installing a rainfall showerhead will make all the difference.  If you can, niche shelving over add in chrome fittings will also keep things looking high end.  Upgrade your lighting, having any pull cords removed, opting for externally activated lighting from outside the room, so that you can add switches for daytime practical use as well as soothing night time use will also elevate this room incredibly well. Incorporating luxurious well packaged toiletries and arranging them on a decorative tray for that hotel-like feel will be the finishing touches you need here to notice a real difference.

7. Add layers to your Bedroom

Make your bedroom really inviting space by investing in a great quality mattress, blackout blinds paired with floor length curtains if space allows, or an overmounted fully lined roman blind with blackout lining making your window feel larger, getting as close to the ceiling as you can and although a nemesis for some, a well dressed bed adds to that luxurious look instantly. Adding  a variety of pillows, a comforter to hide your well used duvet set, a cosy throw thrown over the end of the bed, and a comfortable tall headboard for ultimate comfort will transform your room. Add a plush area rug under the bed that allows movement room around it, and soft lighting at your bedsides or on dressers to create a peaceful room you’ll be delighted to retire to at the end of the day.

8. Enhance Your Living Room

Choose furniture that is incredibly comfortable and also stylish and elegant. Although mid century modern furnishings are very popular at the moment, some of the more cost effective ranges can be quite hard and unforgiving.  We always recommend trying your furniture wherever possible ahead of a purchase.

9. Elevate Your Dining Area

Whether you’re hosting a dinner party or enjoying a quiet meal with family members, a well-designed dining area enhances the whole experience. Investing in a sturdy, stylish table and some comfortable chairs that nod to your interior decoration are a must. Simple upgrades such as using elegant tableware (not the local supermarket set), opting for linen napkins over paper and placing a centrepiece on your table be that seasonal or sometime reflective of you, to complete the look will give this area an entirely new look for you to enjoy and experience.

10. Pay Attention to Scents

Scents can have a powerful impact on how a space feels too. We prefer to use well designed, healthy (soy and paraffin free) candles that create a delicate light through their glass when lit, good quality oil diffusers (choose carefully to ensure you are not adding toxins to your space), or even room sprays with calming fragrances like lavender, eucalyptus, or sandalwood will elevate the mood of the room as you enter and feel instantly glamorous. Rotate scents periodically, due to stop your nose getting used to the fragrance, that way you can keep enjoying that freshness as you enter time and again and be confident it feels guest ready.

11. Personalise Your Space

Add personal touches that reflect your style and interests. Display a few (not too many) of you’re your family photos in elegant frames of different sizes for a layered look on a console, some of your treasured keepsakes or curated collections to make your home entirely yours, telling a story, whilst maintaining a cohesive design aesthetic. We particularly like unusual finds, and have encountered both bathrooms and living rooms with the most unusual, peculiar yet delightful things. One home we encountered had a stone flamingo in the bathroom.  Another had a large wooden sculpture in the living room and they both looked marvellous. Not for everyone but there will be something that you instinctively feel will be not just a talking point but a little bit of joy for you to express in your space that works beautifully somewhere.

12. Embrace Technology

Modern technology can enhance convenience and comfort. If you can, investing in smart home devices such as voice-controlled lighting, automated blinds and curtains or a smart thermostat just to simplify your daily routine and add a futuristic flair will not only enhance your day to day, future proof your home a little but will also add value to your property.

Turning your home into a 5-star retreat doesn’t require a complete overhaul or an extravagant budget.

By incorporating thoughtful details here and there, really thinking about what you need in that area, using, repurposing or purchasing good quality materials that will last and stand up to your way of living that is practical for you paired with intentional design, you can create a space that feels really luxurious, comfortable and ultimately – uniquely yours.