There was a time when the homes of the wealthy were the stuff dreams were made of. They can afford interior designers, and buy any beautiful thing they want. Homes of the rich are often published in shelter magazines or in expensive coffee table books, and many of us could only dream of hitting the lottery to achieve such splendor.
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| The homes of the wealthy have a certain look |
At
Houzz this month, I present some wonderful iconic things that look rich. And to inspire you, I have this round up of images to refer to. You can find versions of everything you see here, at real girl prices at
Houzz.
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| The over size bleached tortoise shell is something I have seen in homes of the rich - Interior design Melissa Rufty |
As money was loose in the 1990's many in the middle class were able to acquire trappings once reserved for the rich. Anything from paying for plastic surgery to stone counter tops to designer furnishings on a credit card made it possible. Ralph Lauren led the way and created a whole industry of the inherited look of the wealthy. If you didn't have old things that came down in the family, Ralph Lauren showed you the way to get it by just buying it all at once.
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| A beautiful folding screen is de rigueur |
With the economic down turn, down sizing in all forms took to the forefront. Smaller homes became popular. Self decorating gained panache. Still, nice things that look more expensive than they really are fill in the blanks.
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| Rich people have always loved Andy Warhol |
Classic pieces are often found in the homes of the rich. Whether they have the patina of time, or are the latest trend, we all seem to recognize what looks rich.
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| Hand painted wall paper or murals are very costly |
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| Three trends that rich people love: Hand painted wall paper, antiques and silk drapes |
I think we have all matured, not really striving to be wannabes, but rather to make pretty homes that showcase style, personality, and yes, a certain level of taste.
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| Silver punch bowls or wine coolers are so expensive and gorgeous - Styled by Tricia Foley |
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| Rich people love orchids and now we can get them at the supermarket too - Lovely in a silver wine cooler |
We have became educated savvy shoppers, able to seek out the high and low, and mix it all up creating a wonderful effect.
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| Beautiful and unique designer china graces the tables of the rich - Go see the copy cat at Houzz! |
I had a great time finding things that are wonderful copy cats of some very expensive things. It's just a matter of choosing a few for the mix you personally cultivate.
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| The skirted table looks even more rich with a custom tailored skirt - Interior designer Tom Sheerer |
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| Expensive and custom made skirted table AND a studded floor and hand painted wallpaper! |
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| The skirted round table - a classic one by Grant Gibson |
Do you find the homes of the wealthy drool worthy these days? Or have we moved on?
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| How many homes in Veranda have we drooled over? |
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| Little table love - This classic French style one is very popular - I give you a couple of affordable choices at Houzz |
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| Add an Oushak to your love shack for a luxe look - Interior design by Valorie Hart |
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| Industrial style vintage lighting shows up nowadays in homes with big decor budgets |
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| One of kind unique furniture like the chair with the curved arms - Check out the one I found at Houzz |
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| Luxury is a skirted bedspread with a deep drop ruffle - Joni Webb Designs |
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| You know it looks rich! Check out the one I found- You'll love the price! |
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| Pretty glassware - not only for the rich - I found a set of 12 that looks like 18th century stemware |
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| The rich can afford custom lamp shades - I found some that look custom - That's Sophia Loren back in the day |
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| Blue and white Chinese pottery - a classic for sure |
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| Who doesn't want an Hermes throw? |
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| Everyone knows an Hermes throw is expensive |
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| There are no Hermes knock-offs, but if you fold this one just right and squint...by Dwell Studio |
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| Monograms - I used to mock the rich for using them, now I love them - Interior design Melissa Rufty |
Hope you enjoyed the round up and go check out my picks at
Houzz.
I think it's more fun sometimes to have the affordable versions, though I wouldn't throw the real thing out of bed.
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It is great these days to be able to immolate the rich and pull it off. A good eye and a bit of creativity. I like you picks Valorie.
ReplyDeletexo
Vocabulary counts, too, but I am sure there are indeed people who would love to immolate some of them anyway.
DeleteI love the details shown here. I have an elephants foot (Great-Uncle relic from Egypt) in the entry of our house as an umbrella stand, and am STILL looking for a screen desperately!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful post. By the way, I just spent three weeks in Argentina and thought of you when I saw some tango dancers. It is such a sexual dance.
ReplyDeleteWhoops! Thanks, Alberto. What I meant to say is that it is a SENSUAL dance.
ReplyDeletei always think you can pull off the well-to-do look if you have one or two really good pieces in your room....whether it's an antique desk, a fine crystal chandy, great leather sofa...you can surround something fine with well curated, inexpensive pieces and the good stuff will give the room dignity and character, the newer things will just add depth, interest or give the space an updated look.
ReplyDeletenanne in indiana
I agree that we can now mimic the rich and sometimes come out with better results on a smaller scale, but, sigh, but I still like to drool over the homes of the super rich in Veranda, Elle Decor, House Beautiful etc. It think it's the sheer size and scale that I enjoy.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand there are the glitzy, tacky, super rich homes that we all cringe over and laugh at so it works both way.