How to trick your brain: tricks that will visually make your apartment look more expensive

What if an expensive interior is not a question of budget, but a game with perception?

For decades, designers have been using tricks that trick the brain into seeing luxury where there is none. These techniques don’t require renovation—just attention to detail.

Start with the doors. Replace standard plastic handles with massive ones made of brass or black metal. Heavy fittings create a sense of solidity, even if the door is the cheapest.

Another secret is to paint all the doors in the apartment in one color, preferably two tones darker than the walls. This will add depth and tie the rooms together.

Light is your main ally. One light source in the center of the ceiling gives away a budget renovation.

Add floor lamps with fabric shades, lighting along the baseboards and candles in glass candlesticks. Warm diffused light is associated with expensive hotels, and sharp shadows - with an office.

Mirrors in unobvious places work wonders. Don't just hang them in the hallway and bathroom. Place a floor mirror at an angle to the window in the living room, attach a round mirror above the dresser in the bedroom, or build a narrow mirror panel into a niche. Reflections blur the boundaries, creating the illusion of space.

Textiles are a cheap way to look rich. Ditch the sheer curtains and buy heavy drapes with a liner.

Even inexpensive fabric with folds and tiebacks will seem luxurious. Add an alpaca throw on the sofa and velvet pillowcases - tactile sensations trick the brain into thinking about quality.

The floor is another plane for manipulation. If you don’t have money for parquet, lay laminate with a chamfer (beveled edges of the boards). It imitates natural wood better than smooth boards.

Place a high pile rug off the center, with the edge extending under the sofa. This will create a layered effect, as in designer projects.

Aromas are an invisible element of the interior. The smell of vanilla, sandalwood or fresh greenery is associated with well-being. Use diffusers with natural oils instead of cheap air fresheners. The brain remembers aromas longer than visual images.

The final touch is emptiness. Don't fill every corner with furniture. Leave space around key items - this is a sign of confidence in the design. An expensive interior doesn't scream, it whispers.

Try these tricks today. In a week, you will forget that your apartment once seemed ordinary to you. After all, luxury is not in money, but in the ability to deceive the eye.