How to Achieve a Designer Look at Home

There’s a reason designers love antique carpets: They add an instant patina, like in this study by Corey Damen Jenkins. The best part? There are tons of affordable options on sites like Etsy, eBay, and even Craigslist.

In the bedroom of Cupcakes & Cashmere founder Emily Schuman’s home, designer Katie Hodges mixed plush, oversized elements (like the cozy chair) with petite stools and a sculptural lamp and bed frame for an enticing effect.

No matter how great the decor, no room is complete without a personal connection. Take a cue from Rasheeda Gray, who incorporated family photos in black frames to create a gallery wall that makes a design statement while showcasing happy memories.

Instead of leaving awkward corners overlooked, turn them into cozy spaces of their own, as Jae Joo did with this inviting reading nook.

There’s no limit to what a coat of paint can do. For proof, look to this bedroom by Kevin Isbell, where fresh paint makes simple, rustic walls look chicly textural.

Don’t stop at cozy bedding: Take your bedroom up a notch with a sumptuous headboard, bench, and even an upholstered wall, like Denise McGaha did here.

What’s more relaxing than a swing? Add one to your bedroom to make it the ultimate retreat, as Jess Weeth did in this beach house.

In the hallway of a New York apartment by Sasha Bikoff, gold wallpaper and vintage glass and lucite furniture and decor give a subtle disco ball effect.

Six inches makes a huge difference when it comes to setting your bed into surrounding shelving, as Meredith Ellis did here. Swing-arm sconces will provide a glowy light for bedtime reading.

Why stop with one pillow in a pattern you love when you could swath your walls, ceiling, and canopy in it, like Mally Skok did here? The effect is a chic cocoon.

In her own Ariel OkinAriel Okin creates a secret garden effect with tons of potted plants and organic materials in her sunroom.

Give the effect of living in an artwork—whether a painting or an intricate mosaic—with a showstopping mural, like in this dining room by Mark Sikes.

Avrea and Company made the case for a return to the telephone table in this bedroom where there’s space for everything—from a nightstand for a clock, table for devices, and bench for books to a reading light neatly tucked into an extra-cozy bed canopy.

For the dining table in the kitchen of a pro chef/restaurateur, a half-banquette, half-chair look gives the perfect blend of form and function. Plus, the surrounding shelves provide a place for cookbooks and decorative accents.

An organic element always adds warmth. In this living room by Chauncey Boothby, the stone fireplace acts as a grounding element.