1. Clutter

have hired help to clean and maintain their homes. Dust bunnies and bathroom scum get taken care of without having to think about it.  Dirty dishes left on the counter and hastily tossed aside clothes get put away before they can pile up.     Minimize visual clutter everything should have a place and the home should be impeccable. You don’t need a household staff to emulate this.  If you don’t have time to clean, decrease the amount of stuff you have.  Less stuff means less junk, and less surfaces to clean and maintain.

2. Builder grade fixtures

Your home should not have the cheapest option installed by a builder. Builders get deep discounts on fixtures and install the same fixtures in multiple homes.  However, these fixtures tend to have bland design details in order to appeal to the largest segment of customers and the craftsmanship may be inferior.  If your home has builder grade fixtures, switch them out for something unique that will last many years.

3. Wall to Wall carpet

While perusing the glossy pages of Architectural Digest you will never see a room with wall to wall carpet because it is cheap.  Fine interiors have hardwood floors or tile.  Hard floor surfaces accentuated by area rugs are preferred by the affluent. Limit wall to wall carpeting to basement rec rooms.

4. Posters as Artwork

The affluent collect art and display it in artful carefully selected settings.  You don’t have to spend a fortune on original art. Framed prints and canvas reproductions are acceptable solutions.  Avoid posters of movies and characters, pretty much anything you would associate with a dorm room or the apartment of a twenty something.  You can create the look of affluence through the carefully selection of wall adornment.

5.Furniture Suites

Don’t buy the packaged set from a furniture store. It may not fit properly in your room and luxury homes have pieces that are individually selected, not a set of pieces that are identical. Furnishings for the affluent are methodically selected individual pieces that have a specific purpose for the room.  Furniture Suites exist because it consumers have been conditioned to think that all furniture should match.

6.Excessive Nick Knacks: 

This relates to the no clutter concept.  The wealthy collect artifacts to display in their homes. Select your accessories with care.  If you do have a glass menagerie, display it in an artful display case.

7.Poorly Dressed Windows

The affluent invest in custom window treatments that provide functionality and accentuate their furnishings. Poorly hung store bough window treatments are novice mistakes.   Invest in framing your windows with window treatments that accentuate your windows’ and your room’s decor.

8.Cable clutter

The wealthy have technician do all of their IT hook ups. Cables are hidden in the wall or cleverly placed cabinets. Minimize your cable clutters so that only your devices are visible. Install outlets that are close to your electronics and hide your wires in strategically placed cabinets

9.Cheap Fabrics

The affluent decorate with luxurious fabrics such a luscious velvets, precious silks, and traditional linen.  You may not be able to have real silk or linen but replace them with synthetic fabrics that do not have a cheesy sheen or will fray and disintegrate over time. Splurge on a signature fabric and supplement the others with high quality blends or synthetics.

10. Cookie Cutter Decor

Don’t be afraid to take a risk and let your personality shine.  If you’ve always wanted sky blue tile in your bathroom go for it.  Don’t be afraid to decorate for you.  The affluent do not make decorating decisions based on how it will affect their resale value of their home.