A luxury property is an amazing thing to live in. However, most homeowners have to create that luxury themselves. Buying a high value property outright tends to be outside of most budgets! 

As such, you’ve looked around your home and thought, ‘there’s some luxury potential here’, and now you want to sharpen that potential and turn it into a reality. It’s a common goal in the real estate world, especially in the name of getting as much value out of a house as possible. 

But a luxury makeover can’t be rushed, half planned, or be finished without some careful thought. To ensure you get the results you want from a makeover like this, it’s best to start with a few select areas of your home first of all.

Indeed, these are a whole host of elements that need to be thought of before you dig too deep into how you want the home to be decorated and furnished. They’ll help you to come up with the right layout, give you a realistic idea of the space you’ll be left with, and help to maximize the budget you’re working with.

When you think about a luxury property, what kind of design elements do you really think of? What does a luxury home look like to you? Everyone has their own opinions on this, and while we can agree on some general things, most people will design a luxury space that looks like no other.

Because of that, it’s best to work out now what you’re really going for here. What do YOU want from a luxury property makeover? Don’t just think about the trends in the luxury world or what you’ve seen in Architectural Digest. Think about the luxury elements you’ve always dreamed of having and what they’d look like in your space.

So, do you want your own home spa or gym? Do you want to make use of smart home tech? Maybe you want both an ensuite and a walk-in closet attached to your bedroom? Maybe you just want bigger rooms that have more space? Luxury can mean anything that makes your life in your home better!

Now comes the hard question: do you have the space for a luxury home renovation? It’s something every homeowner who has this idea in mind will need to ask. Go round your home and carefully measure it out, accounting for everything you have in it as well. Then match this to the space you’ll need to upgrade and what that may mean getting rid of.

You can’t make a home more luxurious without first ensuring there’s space for both you, the decor, the new furniture, and any renovations you want to install. Say you do want that walk-in closet - where will it go and what will that mean for the space that was already there?

It could be a simple matter of converting a spare room, but it could also mean moving your entire upstairs layout around. This may even mean you have to repipe and rewire the whole place, and that’s a lengthy job that’ll cost a lot of money.

The only alternative to this? Doing some prep work and getting yourself an extension first of all. This way your home has more natural, unique interior space to it, and you won’t have to move anything out of the way before you invest in the luxury elements you’re thinking of.

A lot of luxury properties have windows all over the place. There’s a lot of glass used in the construction, and that means there’s a lot more to see from the outside. This can be a worry for many homeowners, so try to plan ahead for your security and privacy concerns.

How will you keep out prying eyes, especially in rooms where you need privacy no matter what, such as a bathroom? Will you be able to still get the same level of natural light that you want with heavy blind and/or curtain usage?

Or maybe you could swap some windows for elements like skylights? You’ll still get sun exposure throughout the day, but from a window that’s hard to reach and made to preserve your privacy.

Your luxury makeover plans also need to include the inner systems that make your home a nice and comfortable place to be. How are you going to uplift and upgrade those to fit in your luxury point of view? It’ll take a good bit of forward thinking, especially if you’re not sure what’s really running your house!

Above all else, think about the way your home is heated and cooled. How do you control the temperature in your home, as well as the level of moisture in the air? You should also consider the level of insulation you have and whether this will need padding out or changing as you renovate the rest of the space.

Really, what you’re doing here is making your home more temperate, and more convenient to make temperate. That often means calling out some air conditioner maintenance to take a look at your AC unit or your HVAC, and to give you the lowdown on whether or not the system is in good condition.

If it isn’t, it’s time for a replacement. If it is, it’s best to ask if there’s any way you can make the heating and cooling easier to use. Getting a professional opinion on what your luxury home will benefit from can be priceless, and it’s usually covered under the call out charge as well.

A lot of luxury homes come with a minimalist expectation, meaning there’s little clutter to be seen, a lot of negative space, and the color scheme plays on the monochrome side of the palette.

Decorating in this style is totally up to you, but when you think about long term living in your property, you’re going to need plenty of storage space. If you want to prioritize the minimalist decor, this storage will need to be closed off and shut away.

Don’t forget about this when giving your property the luxury makeover you’ve always dreamed of. You’re going to need a place to put things, and if you won’t be happy having those things everywhere, a large percentage of your layout needs to be dedicated to storage.

This will then leave you with less room on the planning sheet, but it’ll at least mean you have spacious and clean rooms to spend your time in. You won’t be worried about things spilling off of the shelves or the coffee table ending up covered in odds and ends.

Luxury doesn’t stop indoors! If your property has a garden of any kind, whether small or large, back or front (or both), you should also incorporate this into your luxury design masterplan. Don’t leave it until you’ve finished the house - that’ll mean spending months renovating the inside and never quite getting round to the landscaping!

And by the time you actually have some free space in your schedule to get the garden landscaped, it may be the wrong season for the work. Winter landscaping jobs are not fun, and it’s a lot harder to see the potential in the ground when it’s cold, wet, and dreary outside.

So make sure you’re accounting for your outside space from day one. How do you want to use it, as the luxury homeowner you’re about to become? How do you want to ensure it’s functional but glamorous? And really, how will you hide away all the tools and materials it takes to turn a backyard into a garden paradise?

A lot of people in the luxury world like to use their gardens as an extension of their indoor space. There’s a lot of hardscaping out there that allows for all year round usage, such as patios and decking, covered porches, hot tubs that are built into the ground, bar areas, etc.

If you want a similar thing for your property, you’re going to need to invest in both these elements AND ways to keep them accessible, well lit, and protected from the elements. That’ll need some careful budget planning, and you don’t want to leave that until last.

A luxury makeover is one of the hardest renovations to take on in the real estate world. You’re going to need plenty of time for the project schedule, and you’re definitely going to need a sizable budget on your side.

But if you have the both of those already, you can get to work on the elements above. They’re the best to tackle first and get out of the way, and will help you to structure the luxury in a way that’s both comfortable and functional.