Luxe Listings Sydney: Luxo Living Winston Tu offers guide to styling home on a budget

As Australians obsess over Amazon Prime’s new real estate reality show Luxe Listings Sydney, an interior expert has revealed the best ways to make your home look a million bucks without breaking the bank.

Winston Tu, the founder of Australia’s largest boutique furniture store Luxo Living, has put together an affordable guide of how to style your own space similar to the prestigious properties on the show.

And while the price tags of the multi-million dollar properties are out of the realm of possibility for almost all of us, Mr Tu said there are simple and easy upgrades that can make your home appear ‘expensive’.

Amazon Prime’s new Selling Sunset-inspired reality show Luxe Listings Sydney has captivated Aussies over the past few weeks. Now, an interior expert has revealed the best ways to make your home look a million bucks without breaking the bank. Pictured left of the Wingadal Place in Point Piper. You can recreate the space with a Cameron sideboard buffet (right) for $329

For a cheap and effective room, Mr Tu suggested incorporating bold seating like a velvet tufted accent chair, or if you prefer texture over colour, bouclé adds warmth as well as style

‘Simple ways to update a space include replacing a small rug in your room with a larger oversized rug as this will fit everything inside nicely and also define the space,’ Mr Tu told Daily Mail Australia.

‘For a cheap and effective room, swap accent pieces such as cushions and throws for seasonal colours and trends. Incorporate bold seating like a velvet tufted accent chair, or if you prefer texture over colour, bouclé adds warmth as well as style.

‘Re-purposing furniture is an exciting way to upgrade furniture on a budget – a little sanding and painting to refresh an old timber table, paired together with modern seating dining chairs, will elevate the style of your dining space.’

For homeowners looking for affordable ways to improve their property, he suggested DIY painting or wallpaper.

‘Painting or utilising wallpaper is a cost-effective way to transform the mood of your home, especially if you do it yourself. For example, for your living areas, choose crisp whites or sage greens for a fresh and modern look,’ he said.

Raleigh Street, Dover Heights property with a spectacular view overlooking Sydney Harbour: Australians can style their dining room to make it appear luxurious like the show with Elly velvet dining chairs (right) for $299 for a set of two

Revealed: Top five tips on styling a home on a budget

CREATE A MOOD BOARD: Before you go out and spend any money, determine your budget. Then, compile your style and material ideas into a visual mood board by hand with physical cutouts for inspiration and various textures that you wish to include in your space. Feel free to get creative and include paint, fabric, and flooring swatches to get an overall feel for your vision.

CHOOSE BIGGER FURNITURE ITEMS FIRST: It’s easy to get carried away and add a number of mismatched items to your cart at the start of your journey. To avoid this, you first need to decide on your style and vision for your home – will it be Scandinavian, Hamptons, Industrial, Art Deco, French Provincial or even a mixed style? Once you’ve finalised this, invest in the bigger furniture pieces first. Soft furnishings can be decided on later, such as a mirrors, rugs or side tables, as you will source inspiration from these bigger pieces.

RANK PIECES BY PRIORITY: Rank each item in order of priority and then decide how much you could realistically spend on it. Keep this list handy as you may acquire more money down the track and you could purchase that piece of artwork or bar stool you had your eye on.

GO BOLD WITH KEY FURNITURE ITEMS: Each room typically has a key furniture piece that attracts the most attention, for example, a couch, dining table, or bedhead. If you choose bold colours, textures, shapes, curves or fabrics for these pieces, the room will feel instantly elevated.

FIND PIECES THAT HAVE MULTIPLE PURPOSES: If you’re short on budget or even storage space, it’s an excellent idea to find items that have more than one use. For example, an ottoman will not only act as a centrepiece but you can keep your spare throws or cushions so your room doesn’t get cluttered.

A simple way to make your home look luxurious is to update your light fixtures.

‘People often overlook lighting, but it can completely transform a room. Look into pendant lights for your dining room or beautiful lamps for your living or bedroom spaces,’ Mr Tu explained.

Incorporating layers of texture can take the space to another level.

‘People often decide on their style, colours and pieces, but they often fail to think about texture,’ he said.

‘Simply put, it means creating visual interest and diversity in your space through layering, opposing materials, colours and fabrics. Texture can be created either through touch or the display of objects and has the ability to make your space feel luxurious.’

Thompson Street, Tamarama: Aussies looking for affordable ways to improve their home can style their living space with a stylish Nordmela Scandinavian-style rug (right) for just $99

One of the biggest mistakes people make when styling their home is buying furniture pieces that are too large or too small for their space without measuring it out beforehand.

‘An ideal way to determine the layout is to place tape on the ground and map out where the furniture will be placed,’ he said.

‘Another thing is failing to consider the size and proportion of pieces in their home. It’s important for the space to include furniture and objects of varying heights and proportions, which creates a well balanced and interesting space.’

While trending pieces are nice, Mr Tu said the pieces you choose should ‘feel special’, so that your space is a ‘true reflection of your personality’.

‘Rather than basing your decision on new styles and trends, one must consider: “How they would like their space to make them feel?”,’ he said.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk