8 Design Details You’ll Never Find in Luxury Homes

For Gore, a home that feels very standard does not feel very luxurious (think: matchy-matchy furniture or mass-produced furnishings). “If you can do something in an out-of-the-box way, it can change someone’s mind about a property because it makes them think they have something one-of-a-kind,” she says.

Instead, buy that funky wallpaper you’re obsessed with, decorate with antique and vintage furniture, or paint your ceiling pink. Trends may come and go, but dopamine decorating will always be in style.

Stunning Asian Bird of Paradise Upholstered Sofa

Dark Rooms

At the top of Gore’s list of luxury elements in a home are natural light and large windows that boast beautiful outdoor views. So naturally the opposite (dark rooms with small windows that don’t allow for ample natural light) tend to feel small and closed in—and not very luxurious.

“You want to make sure everything feels open and light and welcoming,” Gore says. “You want to make sure you are experiencing the outdoors, especially in big cities.”

Layering fabrics and window treatments can be stylish and welcoming too, but Gore notes you should be careful about not letting them block too much natural light from windows (read: Save those blackout curtains for the baby’s nursery, not your living room).

No Smart Home Technology

Smart tech can be somewhat divisive in the design world—after all, no one wants to lose the soul of their home or have to keep track of dozens of remotes and buttons—but there’s no denying that controllable devices can streamline our lives and make them easier. Whether you opt for a Nest thermostat or an espresso machine you can control from your phone, it’ll definitely make your home feel more luxurious.

“People are smarter about how they are using technology instead of just adding more and more and more,” Gore says. “It’s about being streamlined and efficient.”

De’Longhi Dinamica Plus Connected Espresso & Coffee Machine with Automatic Milk Frother

Mismatched Standard Appliances

As a former personal chef and food columnist, Gore thinks a lot about how a kitchen is the hub of a home, regardless of whether the homeowner cooks or not. Likewise, without high-end appliances, it’s hard for a home to be considered truly “luxury.”

Gore is partial to a kitchen faucet with a sensor so it can turn on automatically, as well as automatic salt and pepper grinders and an integrated coffee machine. A six-burner range is considered a minimum, and convection and steam ovens are in all the luxury homes now, Gore adds.

Also of note, a luxury home typically has a coordinating suite of appliances from brands like Miele, Jenn-Air, or Gaggenau throughout the home instead of a hodgepodge of different brands. “That signifies a thoughtful homeowner,” Gore says.

Kohler Artifacts Touchless Pull-Down Kitchen Sink Faucet

Simplistic Lighting

The key to lighting in a room for Gore is layers. One harsh overhead light can make your space feel overstimulating and, well, cheap. Instead, Gore recommends mixing lights at different levels with different tones, so you might have high hats mixed with the dramatic moment of a chandelier and then sconces too. Table lamps and task lighting are welcome too, and all lights should be on a dimmer so you can adjust the mood of the room.

“Layers of light can create an emotion or a feeling,” Gore says. “For example, a book light strategically placed in a corner with a cozy chair and a throw blanket creates a calm, peaceful moment.”

As with natural light, Gore emphasizes the importance of having good light in any room: “If you can’t see how good something looks, you are missing out.”

Cranling Articulated Floor Lamp in Antiqued Brass

Lack of Thoughtful Organization

If a high-end home utilizes every space to the fullest so nothing is overlooked, a not-so-luxurious home wastes spaces and open nooks.

“Some of my favorite homes always have creative ways to use storage, very often it’s unused spaces that have been turned into storage spaces,” Gore says. “It’s about thinking outside the box and finding the under-the-staircase nooks you can make into something.”

Likewise, she says, creative storage spaces are key, especially when they can do double duty as beautiful design elements like a bookshelf to showcase your favorite books and collections.

Run-of-the-Mill Primary Closets

Speaking of storage, bedroom closet design has been taken to a whole new level in luxury homes, Gore says, so a standard closet design is a marker for a not-so-luxurious home.

High-end closet spaces, on the other hand, are designed like showrooms to showcase designer items. “With lighted shelves for shoes, stands for bags, and an island for holding and displaying jewelry, they feel more like upscale boutiques than traditional closets,” Gore says.

Basic Outdoor Living Spaces

All luxury homes have thoughtful outdoor spaces that feel like living rooms, Gore says, so it’s hard for a home to feel luxurious without one—or with one that isn’t thoughtfully designed to where it beckons you to sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee or an alfresco cocktail. That extends to outdoor cooking spaces as well as outdoor showers and pools.

Any increase in the square footage of the home is an increase in the value of the home. “I have a listing now with a treehouse with Wifi,” Gore says. “The sky is the limit.”

Madoline Markham Koonce is the assistant managing editor at VERANDA, where she covers décor, shopping, travel, and culture. She began her career at Southern Living and then worked in community journalism—including serving as editor of three community magazines she helped launch—before joining the team of both VERANDA and Country Living magazines. She has an undergraduate degree in history from Rhodes College (and loves to tap her love of history in her writing) as well as a master’s degree in magazine journalism from the University of Missouri. When she’s not on deadline, you can find her baking or lost in a good book.