Quiet luxury design trend ideas for your home

Quiet luxury, as the name suggests, is an approach to design favouring subtlety and understated elegance over ostentation and extravagance.

Think Sky Atalantic’s TV hit, Succession. Imagine Logan Roy’s classy townhouse, where important business and family gatherings happened, or Shiv Roy’s stunning luxurious home, where their interior screams quiet luxury. Like what we did there?

Instead of including status symbols produced by mega-brands, the style focuses on the quality of craftsmanship and materials to achieve timelessness and subtle sophistication.

Below, we dive deeper into the trend and look at some of the amazing design ideas that emerge from it.

What is quiet luxury?

Quiet luxury originated in the fashion industry and has seeped into interior design in recent years.

The trend responds to a growing desire for minimalism, meaning and subtlety, departing from the logo-manic, fast-fashion that characterised previous years. And TV shows now more than ever feature luxurious homes for their protagonists and antagonists.

It’s a design that communicates luxury, but only through a whisper. Quality is signalled through the craftsmanship and materials of items instead of their brand names.

In interior design, this manifests through high-quality, durable furniture and decor, like solid wood flooring, marble countertops and hand-crafted textiles, exuding timeless elegance and purposeful craftsmanship.

While similar to minimalism, quiet luxury seeks to add a bit more personality and meaning without appearing cluttered. Less is more with minimalism, but with quiet luxury it’s about emphasising fewer, higher-quality items.

Quiet luxury design ideas

Here are some examples of how you can apply this style to the various rooms in your home:

1. Bathroom

Transforming your bathroom into a quiet luxury masterpiece can be achieved in several ways, such as by using natural stone for countertops, shower walls and flooring, such as in the picture above. This includes materials like marble, limestone and granite.

A minimalist, freestanding bathtub can make an excellent centrepiece, with high-quality fixtures like brass taps, showerheads and handles to make it really stand out.

Subdued lighting can also help you achieve a soothing, luxurious atmosphere, in addition to underfloor heating, which is another subtle luxury.

2. Living room

To make your living room quietly luxurious, begin by establishing a neutral colour palette dominated by earthy tones or soft pastels. Hardwood flooring, while it has its pros and cons, works perfectly with this design style.

You then need to furnish the room with stand-out pieces, like velvet upholstered furniture and a hand-crafted, hardwood coffee table. You could also incorporate some highly stylish and useful built-in bookshelves, as shown above.

Add character and comfort with artisanal accessories and soft textiles, like a handmade vase, plush rugs, and throw blankets. Make sure you buy every item for its quality or history, and not for its brand or price tag.

3. Kitchen

Like bathrooms, quiet luxury kitchens typically feature natural stone countertops made from granite, limestone or marble, as these materials speak timeless quality. They also often include the kind of hardwood, custom cabinetry shown here.

An island with seating is a must-have, with statement lighting directly above acting as a light source and a design feature. You could also include some cushioned bar stools to add another layer of luxury and comfort.

If your kitchen allows a lot of natural light in, that works well too. Check out this article if you want to increase your kitchen’s natural lighting.

4. Bedroom

Quiet luxury bedrooms prioritise comfort, with plush bedding and a great mattress.

They may include a modern four-poster bed made from oak acting as the centrepiece, or a platform bed sitting close to the ground, as shown above, that evokes a sense of minimalism and grounding.

Soft lighting, rich textiles and integrated storage are also ideal features, as these add to the cozy yet functional atmosphere that quiet luxury seeks to achieve.

How to achieve the quiet luxury look

There are some general rules laid out by this design philosophy, and understanding them can help you implement the look successfully. These include:

1. Choose soothing colours

When selecting quiet luxury colours, choose calming, neutral tones. Nature-inspired Scandinavian colour schemes often work excellently.

The idea is to make the environment subtle instead of having bold and bright colours, allowing your furniture items and other details to stand out.

Think subtle pastels and earth tones, like dusty rose, washed-out lavender and soft slate blues. You might also want to use some metallic colours in moderation, besides the odd rich accent to add depth.

2. Keep it simple

As with most modern luxury styles, quiet luxury leans towards minimalism, but it’s not completely minimalistic. The aim is to curate meaningful, high-quality pieces and eliminate clutter, accentuating the great items that remain.

Simplicity communicates timelessness, clarity and quality. Fewer distractions mean the quality of materials and craftsmanship get the attention they deserve.

3. Choose rich furnishings

High-quality furnishings are the defining mark of quiet luxury designs, so it’s important to choose wisely when implementing the style in your home.

Opt for items like hand-crafted hardwood furniture, velvet upholstery, silk or linen curtains, hand-knotted rugs and other durable furnishings recognised for their quality.

Many designers also recommend avoiding sharp edges on furniture, as rounded and curved edges create a sense of comfort and visual softness.

4. Focus on the small details

Elevate the overall decor by making the small details count, such as by investing in high-quality door knobs, lighting fixtures, skirting, electrical outlets and door hinges, to name a few.

These features may add to the cost of the project, but quiet luxury is about emphasising lasting quality and attention to detail instead over immediate cost considerations.

5. Incorporate natural light

Allowing as much natural light as possible into your space makes it feel bright, open and tranquil. It also fits in seamlessly with the quiet luxury design, as no light source is more sustainable or timeless than sunlight.

Not only that, but natural light can enhance the attributes of your high-quality furniture items, besides bridging the gap between indoor and outdoor, further adding to the peacefulness of the aesthetic.

6. Work with an interior designer

This style only works when implemented correctly, otherwise it can completely backfire. That’s why it’s important to work with an interior designer who can assess the unique characteristics of your home and create something that works perfectly.

Enter your postcode below and connect with a Checkatrade-approved interior designer today.