If, like me, you love interior design almost as much as you love a bargain, it can be difficult to decide on where to invest and when to pick the more affordable option. But I have a few rules that I stand by and work time and again.

Luxury, in my opinion, is the effortless style we often associate with quality and great comfort and that is why I believe you should buy the luxury that is closest to your skin – things like Egyptian cotton bed linen, silk duvets, and the like.

Carefully selected textiles will give you the feeling of luxury you want and, combined with the right colour, will set the scene for a serene and sophisticated space.

But how do you balance the budget? Easy, buy the more affordable accessories, such as accent cushions, which are often used for dress purpose only. These items will often make your bed or sofa look great but don’t have to cost the earth.

I read somewhere that ‘white is the colour of creativity’ and, since colour is key to any home, keeping it simple will give your home a chance to shine, promote relaxation and make it feel like your own piece of heaven.

White and off-white colour schemes work well in most places whether they are modern or traditional but, I must confess, I am particularly fond of white period interiors. White architectural details seem to become both classic and modern at the same time, in other words, white is timeless!

A word of warning though, some whites can look cold so pick your shade carefully and add an accent colour to infuse your personality into the scheme.

For those who prefer colour, nothing will make your room look more sophisticated and luxurious than adding a bit of drama by using dark walls and gold accessories. One way to work ‘the dark’ colour is to keep it to one wall only and combine it with a light colour flooring, like in this picture by Swoon. Look for furniture with gold feet, gold wall mirrors with leather straps. Ant Design Gifts has a range of gold foil personalised wall art that is sure to make any wall look fabulous, and make a great present too.

Now that you have added luxury with textiles, created a relaxed environment with plenty of white, infused drama with a dark feature wall and added plenty of sparkle with golden accessories what else can you do have luxe for less? Flowers and accessories…

“Happiness is a life full of little luxuries and fresh flowers”

Clever use of accessories will transform any space into a luxury interior in no time, think diffusers, eye-catching lamps and plenty of fresh flowers. But if weekly fresh flowers is stretching the budget, use faux eucalyptus stems mixed with a small bunch of freshly cut flowers to keep the vases full on a shoe string!

www.paulatrovalusci.co.uk