Decorating a home can quickly become an expensive exercise. There is always a more beautiful tile, a more luxurious fabric, a better finish and a designer version of something you were perfectly happy buying for half the price five minutes ago. But a great home isn’t necessarily one where everything is expensive. In fact, spending heavily on every single thing can leave a space looking more like a showroom than somewhere anyone actually lives.
The smarter approach is knowing where the money makes a difference.
Some things can be bought inexpensively, enjoyed for a few years and replaced without much thought. Others change the entire character of a room, improve with age or are difficult and costly to redo. Those are the pieces worth opening your wallet for.
Statement Lighting
Lighting is one of the quickest ways to tell whether a room has really been considered. You can have beautiful furniture and incredible art, but put everything under one harsh overhead light and somehow none of it looks quite as good.
This is why a striking light fixture is worth the splurge. Think sculptural pendants over a dining table, an oversized chandelier in an entrance hall, beautiful wall sconces or a floor lamp that could almost pass for a piece of sculpture.
Original Art
There is a big difference between buying something because an empty wall needs filling and buying art because you genuinely want to live with it. Original art brings personality into a home in a way mass-produced décor rarely can. And “original” does not have to mean wildly expensive. There is an exciting pool of Nigerian and African painters, photographers and mixed-media artists producing work at different price points. .
Bespoke Joinery
Built-ins aren’t the sexiest thing to spend money on until you see them done properly. A beautifully designed library wall, fitted bar, media unit, wardrobe or storage system can completely alter a room because it feels like part of the architecture rather than furniture pushed against it.
This is one area where precision matters. Bad joinery announces itself through uneven doors, awkward proportions and cheap finishes. Good joinery almost disappears into the room. It also solves one of the biggest problems in otherwise beautiful homes: where to put all the things real life comes with.
Something Old
One of the easiest ways to give a home character is to introduce something that wasn’t made yesterday.
A vintage console, antique cabinet, old carved stool, beautiful chest or chair with a little history can break up the perfection of a newly decorated space. It also prevents the dreaded “I bought the entire room in one afternoon” effect.
This is where patience pays. Rather than buying an imitation antique because you need something immediately, wait for the right piece. Markets, dealers, family homes and travels can turn up furniture you would never find in a conventional showroom.
Hardware and Fittings
This is the splurge nobody gets excited about until the cheap alternative starts peeling. Door handles, taps, shower fittings, cabinet pulls, and hinges are small details, but you interact with them constantly. They are also surprisingly effective at making cabinetry and bathrooms feel more considered. Good hardware has weight to it. It feels solid in the hand and tends to age far more gracefully. Brass, bronze, stainless steel and other quality finishes can even develop character over time. It is a relatively small detail with an outsized effect.
Something Made Just for You
Perhaps the best thing to spend money on is something nobody else can buy. Commissioning a local designer, artist or craftsperson to make a dining table, screen, headboard, cabinet, sculpture or other piece specifically for your home gives the space something no trend can replicate: individuality. It can also be an opportunity to use Nigerian materials and craftsmanship in a contemporary way rather than defaulting to whatever is currently popular internationally.
