“What is your luxury?” This simple question gets to the heart of the design blueprint for each of Michel Smith Boyd’s clients. Whether their answer is stunning surfaces, smart home technology or organization with a place for everything, Luxe for Less is all about defining luxury for the homeowner to create the abode of their dreams. His talent is doing just that with impressive, cost-saving hacks that anyone can implement at home. Here are 10 of Michel and his talented design team’s best tricks for going luxe for less. Because as Michel says, “Everyone deserves luxury.”

In their Rock the Block Season 4 Colorado kitchen, Michel and design partner and couturier Anthony Elle make a splash with a bilevel island, which sports a counter-height prep zone and table-height entertaining area, plus a luxurious waterfall edge. The result is a stunning statement piece that looks much more expensive than the price tag. Michel’s secret? Opting for porcelain, a durable, marble-esque countertop surface that saved them $4,500 compared to what they would have spent on real marble. The savings allowed them to splurge on a 60-inch range and rich herringbone hardwoods. “It’s just a beautiful blend between the wood finish as well as the porcelain,” Anthony says.

The vision for their Rock the Block Season 4 primary bath was a chic and spacious wet room with floor-to-ceiling porcelain, another cost-saving hack that helped them double down on tile without breaking the bank. “Using porcelain like we did in the kitchen gets a gorgeous, marble-like look at almost half the price,” says Michel.

Michel and Anthony used another cost-effective material hack during Rock the Block. Embellishing this living room’s cathedral ceiling in dark-stained wood draws the eye up, making the space appear larger and calling attention to the picturesque mountain views beyond. Michel and Anthony’s trick to adding this drama, depth and texture at a steal is using beetle kill wood: timber from trees damaged by bark beetles, which they were able to secure for less than the cost of typical lumber. “We love dark colors. They’re masculine and modern. It’s a real look-for-less moment,” Michel says. Another showstopping focal point Michel achieved was wrapping the striking, linear fireplace in sleek porcelain, a cost saving when compared to a similar look in marble.