Get the million-dollar house look: How to hide conventional features for upscale interiors

Georgie Mihaila
10 Min Read
Photo credit: R ARCHITECTURE on Unsplash

Million-dollar homes are the perfect blend of form and function, setting the stage for true elegance and luxury.

Whether it’s the understated minimalism seen in Kim Kardashian’s home or the opulent maximalism of designer high-end houses, the key lies in creating spaces where functionality becomes virtually invisible, contributing to an overall aesthetic that’s both breathtaking and discreet.

You can see this in the prohibitively expensive homes from shows like Selling Sunset and Million Dollar Listing. Those million-dollar homes focus on hiding conventional features and appliances, allowing the eyes to revel in the design without distraction.

The philosophy here is simple yet profound: less is more.

Luxury design hinges on the power of illusion – making the essential elements of a home feel like an integrated, almost indistinguishable part of the overall design.

This invisible functionality transforms living spaces into masterpieces of high-end hospitality and cozy elegance, where every detail is meticulously crafted to elevate the experience of luxury living.

Blend kitchen appliances with the design

Looking at luxury homes and apartments, you won’t find their microwave, stove, or refrigerator glaring out like sore thumbs in the kitchen.

One of the best examples we’ve seen of this is in actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s house in Encino, a newly built contemporary house in Los Angeles with impeccable interiors.

The refrigerator and other kitchen appliances are masterfully hidden by cabinets in this beautifully appointed celebrity home. Image credit: LA Light Photography and The Luxury Level

The impressive property’s most distinctive interior traits are the warm wood tones used throughout, which serve as both décor elements and provide tons of storage space — particularly in the kitchen, which is clad in cabinets and wood paneling made out of hemlock wood.

The refrigerator is an essential appliance in any home but as we can see in the Modern Family star’s home, it is artfully hidden within the cabinetry.

It perfectly matches the surrounding cabinets, giving a unified and uninterrupted visual flow that exudes sophistication.

Similarly, the microwave is tucked away, out of the direct line of sight, allowing guests to focus on the elegant lines and luxurious finishes of the kitchen without the distraction of appliances.

Strategically concealing appliances amplifies the spaciousness and clean lines that are synonymous with luxury, making the kitchen not just a place for meal preparation but a statement of design excellence.

This living area leads into a bright open kitchen that cleverly masks most of its appliances for a sleek interior design. Image credit: LA Light Photography and The Luxury Level

That’s not because the owners don’t own any and eat out for every meal but because their appliances are expertly designed to be hidden away when they are not needed.

Luxury designs do not break the viewer’s experience of ah and wonderment with the typical microwave or fridge sticking out.

Hide air vents in plain sight with frameless diffusers

When it comes to the interiors of the most coveted million-dollar listings, the devil is in the details—or perhaps, it’s the lack thereof. The luxurious spaces you see have a secret: the art of concealment.

This is particularly true when it comes to the mechanics of comfort, like HVAC air diffusers, which are essential yet often an eyesore.

Sleek, modern interiors don’t have bulky vents disrupting the cohesive look but instead have nearly invisible air diffusers. Photo credit: Invi Air

But not in these homes. Here, they’re incorporated with such finesse that they’re almost invisible, represented by the hardly visible lines blending into the ceilings and walls as seen in the image below.

These aren’t your standard vents; they’re design statements in their own right, albeit in the most understated way.

Notice the long, black, linear lines along the walls and ceilings? Those are the latest in air diffuser designs from Invi Air, a far cry from the bulky, obtrusive vents of yesteryear. Photo credit: Invi Air

Frameless diffusers like the ones from Invi Air are installed into the drywall and colored to match the room’s palettes for a nearly invisible finished look flush with the wall or ceiling.

They don’t demand attention. Instead, they support the room’s ambiance in quiet anonymity, allowing the stunning vistas outside the window or the curated art pieces to hold the gaze. Invi Air diffusers are easily customizable with any type of paint, allowing them to blend seamlessly with the color and texture of the surrounding surface.

The TV is almost always out of sight

In the modern luxury home, the television—once the centerpiece of every living room—has found a new role as the hidden gem of the room.

The trend in million-dollar homes is clear: the TV should be felt, not seen until it’s time for it to shine.

This philosophy has created creative solutions that make the TV almost magically appear when needed and disappear when not, maintaining the room’s sleek, elegant aesthetic.

Take Samsung’s Frame TV, for example. This ingenious device takes the concept of ‘hidden in plain sight’ to new heights, doubling as a digital art display when not in use.

Samsung’s ingenious Frame TV is touted as “TV when it’s on, art when it’s off”. Photo credit: Samsung press release

It sits flush with the wall, encased in a stylish frame that one might mistake for an actual painting or photograph.

It’s a perfect fit for spaces where the presence of technology needs to blend with the strokes of interior design finesse.

Take this one step further with LG’s latest technological innovation: the transparent TV.

The TV becomes practically invisible when not in use and can even blend itself to look like a live fish tank or fireplace to disguise itself further.

LG’s transparent TV is practically invisible when turned off, blending into the environment and freeing users from the long-standing problem of what to do with the ‘big black screen.’ Photo credit: LG Newsroom

When the TV is revealed, it’s not just about catching up on the latest series or movie; it’s an event. The act of the screen coming to life from its artistic camouflage adds a layer of luxury and technical prowess to the space. It’s a conversation starter, a nod to the homeowner’s taste for elegance and their flair for the dramatic.

The TV in a luxury home is no longer just a piece of technology; it’s part of the home’s dynamic, an indulgent experience that’s there when you want it without compromising the minimalist ethos of the space.

This approach to home entertainment design is yet another detail that sets high-end homes apart, offering a seamless blend of lifestyle and luxury.

As all the posh houses seen on Selling Sunset prove time and time again, a million-dollar home’s aesthetic is a symphony of design and technology where every note is perfectly pitched for an experience that’s both sumptuous and smart.

These homes aren’t just living spaces but canvases for expressing the height of personal luxury, where every hidden feature is a brushstroke in a masterpiece of modern living. And we don’t find it fair that they’re reserved for luxury homeowners, so we hope the above tips might inspire you and you’ll end up implementing them in your own home.

*Featured image credit: R ARCHITECTURE on Unsplash

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With a decade-long career as a digital content creator, Georgie started out as a real estate journalist for Multi-Housing News & CPExecutive. She later transitioned into digital marketing, working with leading real estate websites like PropertyShark, RENTCafé and Point2Homes. After a brief but impactful stint in the start-up world, where she led the marketing divisions of fintech company NestReady and media publisher Goalcast, Georgie returned to her first passion, real estate, and founded FancyPantsHomes.com