Luxury interior designer Bilal Rehman has identified several common decorating mistakes that can make any home appear inexpensive, regardless of the actual budget spent. The Houston-based designer, who works with clients across all income levels, gained viral attention on TikTok after sharing his professional insights about home design pitfalls that many homeowners unknowingly commit.
Rehman, who is in his mid-20s and owns Bilal Rehman Studio in Houston, Texas, specializes in high-end spaces and began his career focusing on luxury furnishings. "I appreciate the world of luxury because of the attention to detail and craftsmanship," he told Business Insider. His expertise became widely recognized after his TikTok video demonstrating how people make their homes look cheap quickly garnered over 14 million views.
One of the biggest mistakes Rehman identifies is using furniture that's too small for the space. "I think the main problem is that they don't use the right size furniture, accessories, or rugs in their space," he explained. Many people instinctively fill small apartments with tiny pieces, but this approach can make spaces feel disconnected and cramped. "People think that just because you live in an apartment, you have to buy small furniture, but that's not true," Rehman said. "Buy the big couch, the big rug, the oversized coffee table, because what people don't know is that size makes the room look bigger."
According to Rehman, creating a luxurious feel requires placing a few large pieces in a room rather than cluttering it with many small items. "It's a fine art not to stuff the room with too much stuff and not to let it get to the point where all the furniture looks like miniatures," he noted.
Kitchens frequently appear cheap and cluttered when homeowners fill their cabinets with mismatched silverware, dishes, and glasses. "It doesn't look cohesive or expensive. It looks like you dug through a bargain bin for all these pieces, but for the same price, you could buy a really nice, matching set of cups or plates or appliances to upgrade the space," Rehman observed. He recommends considering both function and aesthetics for all countertop items, citing Smeg toasters as an excellent example of functional appliances that serve as artistic statements.
"Of course there are cheaper alternatives, but Smeg is a great player when it comes to turning something useful into something artistic," he added. "I have a chrome Smeg toaster on my countertop and I love it. It's just so pretty to look at, and it turns something so simple into something sublime."
Bathroom organization plays a crucial role in creating an upscale appearance. Many people overcrowd their bathroom counters with products, which Rehman identifies as a quick way to make the space look cheap. "Put your stuff away," he stated firmly. "Don't put all your products on the counter. Especially in smaller bathrooms, this empty space is your friend that makes your bathroom look high-end." He suggests keeping only daily-use products on countertops rather than displaying every owned item, as this approach makes spaces appear larger and cleaner.
"When it comes to a bathroom, you really need to pay attention to what's outside and what's hidden and put away," he emphasized. For homes lacking storage space, Rehman recommends investing in functional items that are also aesthetically pleasing.
Traditional bath mats can also detract from a luxurious bathroom appearance. Instead of purchasing multiple small mats for different areas like the toilet, shower, or sink, Rehman suggests buying one large-format rug or runner that creates a cohesive look throughout the bathroom. "Try to buy a large format rug or large format runner that creates a unified look in your bathroom and makes it feel clean and simple," he advised.
While some people hesitate to place real rugs in bathrooms, Rehman encourages considering water-friendly materials. "Just buy a cool rug from Ruggable and throw it in the washing machine every few weeks," he suggested. "That ends up looking much better than all those mismatched mats lying around everywhere."
Matching bedroom furniture sets, despite their popularity in furniture stores, can make spaces appear cheap and impersonal. "It looks so good when you go into a store and everything matches because they've set it up in a certain way, but once you take it home and put it in your bedroom, it literally looks like you went to a big store, took the room, and put it in your house," Rehman explained. "It has no personality, it doesn't look collected, it doesn't look designer, it doesn't feel high-end at all."
Instead of purchasing matching sets, he recommends spending the same budget on non-matching pieces that work cohesively together. This approach creates spaces that appear thoughtfully curated and inviting rather than generic and mass-produced.
Outdoor spaces often represent missed opportunities for home enhancement because many people don't approach exterior decorating with the same attention they give interior spaces. "Don't be afraid to accessorize your outdoor space," Rehman encouraged, suggesting the use of outdoor rugs and layered elements. "Put artwork on your brick on the outside of your house. You'll go outside, and there will be a seamless transition from inside to outside," he added. "This makes the space feel much more generous and complete."
He also recommends considering the natural colors of the outdoor environment when selecting decorations, as this coordination enhances the impact of purchases and creates a more harmonious overall appearance.
While comfort remains important for furniture like sofas and beds, Rehman notes that people often focus too heavily on how pieces feel rather than how they look. "When people buy furniture, they focus so much on comfort and not on style," he observed. "They end up buying this big, padded couch with built-in cup holders and USB chargers. That might be great for a movie room, but in the main living room where you're entertaining guests, you want to feel sexy and create different moods. That's not the right place for that kind of furniture."
This comfort-first approach frustrates Rehman because many affordable, comfortable furniture options also offer aesthetic appeal. "In today's market, there are so many innovations in the world of design and furniture that it's much easier to find stylish and comfortable furniture than it was five years ago," he noted. "Just take that little extra step and look for things that are the best of both worlds."
Rehman's viral success demonstrates growing public interest in accessible luxury design principles that can transform any space without requiring massive budgets. His approach emphasizes strategic thinking about scale, coordination, and organization rather than expensive purchases, making sophisticated design achievable for homeowners across various income levels.
