Champagne taste, beer budget? Affordable luxury at home

If your tastes err towards caviar, but your budget is more beans on toast, you’re likely wondering how to balance your lavish preferences with your limited resources.

The good news is that it’s entirely possible to make your home feel more sumptuous, even if you’re if you’re light on funds.

All it takes is an understanding of how to distill certain luxury trends and hunt down more affordable alternatives.

Affordable luxury can begin from the moment you move into your home – taking the time to make considered design choices that work for your space. Picture: Getty

With that in mind, here are some of the top trends in luxe living and tips for making your home look high-class for much, much less.

1.   Quiet luxury

We might have recent TV hits to thank for this (we’re looking at you, Succession), but the new version of luxury is understated and elegant, not flashy and excessive.

Spaces are minimalist and filled with considered furnishings, colour palettes are subdued and feature shades like taupe and sage, and obvious branding and displays of wealth are absolutely not on show.

This trend is probably one of the easiest – and most affordable – to adopt at home. You simply need to get rid of anything that’s cluttering your space, go for neutral tones and ditch the monogrammed towels.

2.   Wellness corners

With wellbeing in the home a top priority for many, luxury homeowners have integrated saltwater pools, yoga studios and home spas, and gone for calming materials and colours in their sleeping spaces to up the tranquility factor.

Fortunately, making your home a wellness sanctuary doesn’t necessarily have to be a costly exercise. You can simply scatter a few plants around your space (good for purifying the air and relieving stress), give yourself a corner of the living room for your daily sun salutations, and ensure your bedroom is designed for utmost rest and relaxation.

If your bed isn’t exactly helping with that, consider updating it with a better one. Koala’s brand-new SE Mattress offers unparalleled Kloudcell comfort, a deluxe quilted topper, total spine support and Zero Disturbance technology to ensure a stellar night’s rest – and it starts at only $575.

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Plus, you can enjoy a 120-night trial (with no questions asked) to ensure it’s the very best mattress for you.

3.   Rich textures

Nothing says luxury like opulent textures. We’re talking richly veined marble, wood with plenty of character and grain, and cosy wools.

The textured look is incredibly in right now, but it often comes with a hefty price tag.

While you probably won’t be able to kit out your entire bathroom with wall-to-wall marble tiles, you will be able to find inexpensive marble decor like vases, coasters and bookends, along with rustic wooden chopping and serving boards, and wool-like throws, at most major department stores.

4.   Multipurpose spaces

As the home has become more than a place to rest your head, high-end homeowners have turned their spare bedrooms into every multifunctional space under the sun: the home office, the gym, the spa space, the Pilates studio, the bar, games room, media room, and library.

While we’re not about to advise you to transform your second bedroom into a home cinema, it’s pretty easy to create a multifunctional (and more practical) space of your very own.

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Stunner Sofa Bed

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Pebble Beach Throw

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Cushions

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For example, your extra bedroom could function as a second living area and guest room with the addition of a sofa bed, which will give you a whole lot more space.

5.   Outdoor living

Many of the most luxe homes extend their sense of indulgence to the great outdoors. Think al fresco dining spaces, lavish pools with adjoining spas, and outdoor kitchens that are just as well-equipped as the indoor ones.

If you’re on a modest budget, you can still create an exterior living area on your balcony or deck, or in your courtyard or garden – even if you’re tight on space.

Buy an inexpensive outdoor dining setting and barbecue, add a timber lounger and hang up some fairy lights for ambience.

6.   Well-made, transitional investments

Rather than constantly updating your home with the latest trends, luxury now is all about creating a space that stands the test of time.

Aussies are investing in traditional design principles and well-made pieces that are practically ageless, especially when it comes to the ones they use most often.

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Take the humble couch, for example. Once just a place to plonk your tush for an evening TV session, it’s now a multipurpose workhorse that hosts movie marathons, game nights, gatherings with friends, afternoon naps, and even work-from-home sessions if you prefer to lounge rather than sit at a desk.

This is why it’s a piece that should be high on quality, style and comfort – but that doesn’t necessarily mean expensive. Koala’s Lounging Sofa is a great example, offering utmost comfort, premium textured twill weaved fabrics in a range of classic colours.