---
title: "7 font pairings that make a website look expensive"
url: "https://pagecore.net/blog/font-pairings-luxury-websites/"
description: "Seven font pairings that make a website feel premium, from real designs: where each works, why it looks expensive, and how to use it well."
author: "Mahesh Patel"
author_url: "https://pagecore.net/about/"
published: "2026-11-08"
updated: "2026-11-08"
topic: "Design"
tags: ["Fonts","Typography","Web design"]
publisher: "PageCore (https://pagecore.net/)"
---

# 7 font pairings that make a website look expensive

Seven font pairings that make a website feel premium, from real designs: where each works, why it looks expensive, and how to use it well.

Expensive-looking websites rarely use expensive fonts. They use two good fonts, with care: large, calm headings, easy text and plenty of space. The fonts themselves are often free.

Here are seven font pairings from real website designs. Each one is a style in PageCore’s Style Library and is used by a live starter site, so you can see it at work, not just in a font sample.

> **In short**
> 
> - A premium look comes from contrast: an elegant heading font with a quiet, readable text font.
> - Use two fonts at most, and only two or three weights.
> - Give headings room: large sizes, short lines, generous spacing.
> - Serif headings feel classic; clean sans-serifs feel modern and confident.
> - All seven pairings are free Google Fonts that you can host on your own site.

## 1. Playfair Display + Inter

![The Playfair Display + Inter font pairing on a sample page: the headline “Light, shadow and the moments between” in Playfair Display and the text in Inter, in the Darkroom style colours](https://pagecore.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/font-pairings-luxury-websites-1.webp)
*Playfair Display + Inter, in the [Darkroom](https://pagecore.net/help/#the-styles) style.*

Playfair Display has a strong contrast between thick and thin strokes, the look of fashion magazines and gallery walls. Inter is a calm text font made for screens, so the headline gets all the attention.

- **Best for:** Photographers, fashion, beauty, galleries and luxury venues.
- **Tip:** Use Playfair big (40px and up): its thin strokes disappear at small sizes. On a dark background, as in the Darkroom style, a slightly heavier weight keeps it crisp.
- **See it live:** the [Darkroom](https://pagecore.net/help/#the-styles) style, used by [Photography Studio 1](https://pagecore.net/starter-sites/photography-studio-1/).

## 2. Cormorant Garamond + Lato

![The Cormorant Garamond + Lato font pairing on a sample page: the headline “Rooms made slowly, to be lived in” in Cormorant Garamond and the text in Lato, in the Clay Room style colours](https://pagecore.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/font-pairings-luxury-websites-2.webp)
*Cormorant Garamond + Lato, in the [Clay Room](https://pagecore.net/help/#the-styles) style.*

Cormorant Garamond is tall, light and refined, with the feel of a printed catalogue. Lato is round and warm, which keeps the whole page friendly.

- **Best for:** Interior designers, architects, jewellery, boutique hotels and fine dining.
- **Tip:** Cormorant looks smaller than other fonts at the same size, so set it larger than usual, and never use it for long text.
- **See it live:** the [Clay Room](https://pagecore.net/help/#the-styles) style, used by [Interior Design 2](https://pagecore.net/starter-sites/interior-design-2/).

## 3. Fraunces + Inter

![The Fraunces + Inter font pairing on a sample page: the headline “A quiet lake, a long breakfast, no hurry” in Fraunces and the text in Inter, in the Lake House style colours](https://pagecore.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/font-pairings-luxury-websites-3.webp)
*Fraunces + Inter, in the [Lake House](https://pagecore.net/help/#the-styles) style.*

Fraunces is a soft serif with personality: slightly old-fashioned, a little playful, clearly crafted. Next to plain Inter it feels warm rather than formal.

- **Best for:** Hotels, restaurants, wellness, bakeries and food brands.
- **Tip:** Fraunces shows its character at medium and heavy weights. Keep it for headings and short lines.
- **See it live:** the [Lake House](https://pagecore.net/help/#the-styles) style, used by [Hotel & Resort 1](https://pagecore.net/starter-sites/hotel-resort-1/).

## 4. Libre Baskerville + Open Sans

![The Libre Baskerville + Open Sans font pairing on a sample page: the headline “Clear advice when it matters most” in Libre Baskerville and the text in Open Sans, in the Counsel Navy style colours](https://pagecore.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/font-pairings-luxury-websites-4.webp)
*Libre Baskerville + Open Sans, in the [Counsel Navy](https://pagecore.net/help/#the-styles) style.*

Libre Baskerville is a classic book serif. It says tradition and care without trying hard. Open Sans keeps long paragraphs easy to read.

- **Best for:** Law firms, accountants, consultants, schools and charities.
- **Tip:** Use the regular weight for headings: Baskerville gets heavy in bold. Give it plenty of line spacing.
- **See it live:** the [Counsel Navy](https://pagecore.net/help/#the-styles) style, used by [Law Firm 1](https://pagecore.net/starter-sites/law-firm-1/).

## 5. Instrument Sans

![The Instrument Sans font pairing on a sample page: the headline “Buildings that age well” in Instrument Sans, in the Board Formed style colours](https://pagecore.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/font-pairings-luxury-websites-5.webp)
*Instrument Sans, in the [Board Formed](https://pagecore.net/help/#the-styles) style.*

Proof that one font can look premium. Instrument Sans is crisp and modern; size and weight do all the work, and the page stays calm.

- **Best for:** Architects, design studios, product brands and galleries.
- **Tip:** Tighten the letter spacing a little on large headings, and use only two weights.
- **See it live:** the [Board Formed](https://pagecore.net/help/#the-styles) style, used by [Architecture Firm 1](https://pagecore.net/starter-sites/architecture-firm-1/).

## 6. Domine + Nunito Sans

![The Domine + Nunito Sans font pairing on a sample page: the headline “Homes with a story to tell” in Domine and the text in Nunito Sans, in the Twinmor style colours](https://pagecore.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/font-pairings-luxury-websites-6.webp)
*Domine + Nunito Sans, in the [Twinmor](https://pagecore.net/help/#the-styles) style.*

Domine is a sturdy serif made for screens; Nunito Sans is soft and rounded. Together they feel premium but approachable, never cold.

- **Best for:** Interiors, real estate, family firms and local premium brands.
- **Tip:** Domine stays readable at smaller sizes than most display serifs, so it also works for subheadings.
- **See it live:** the [Twinmor](https://pagecore.net/help/#the-styles) style, used by [Interior Design](https://pagecore.net/starter-sites/interior-design-1/).

## 7. Epilogue + Inter

![The Epilogue + Inter font pairing on a sample page: the headline “Brands built to be recognised on sight” in Epilogue and the text in Inter, in the Elevate style colours](https://pagecore.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/font-pairings-luxury-websites-7.webp)
*Epilogue + Inter, in the [Elevate](https://pagecore.net/help/#the-styles) style.*

Epilogue is a confident sans-serif with character in its heavy weights. With Inter for the text it looks modern, sharp and expensive in a tech way.

- **Best for:** Agencies, studios, startups and software.
- **Tip:** Use 700 or 800 for headings with slightly tight letter spacing; keep the text at a normal weight.
- **See it live:** the [Elevate](https://pagecore.net/help/#the-styles) style, used by [Agency 2](https://pagecore.net/starter-sites/agency-2/).

## How to make any pairing look expensive

- **Two fonts at most.** One for headings, one for text. One font alone can be enough.
- **Two or three weights.** Regular and bold for text, one weight for headings.
- **Big, short headlines.** Three to seven words, set large, with tight line height.
- **Comfortable text.** 16 to 18 pixels on screens, about 1.6 line height, lines of 60 to 75 characters.
- **Space.** Premium designs leave room around headings, pictures and buttons.
- **One accent colour** for links and buttons; the fonts do the rest.
- **Host the fonts on your own site.** One server less to wait for, and visitors’ browsers do not have to contact another company to show your text.

## Try them on your own site

Each pairing above comes with a whole style in PageCore: fonts, colours and spacing together. In the [Style Library](https://pagecore.net/help/#style-library) you can switch your site’s look in one click and switch back just as fast, and every [starter site](https://pagecore.net/starter-sites/) comes with its style already set.

## Questions

### Are these fonts free for business websites?

Yes. All of them are on Google Fonts under the SIL Open Font License, which allows commercial use.

### Serif or sans-serif for a luxury website?

Both work. Serif headings feel classic and crafted; a clean sans-serif feels modern and confident. Choose the one that matches how your brand talks.

### How many fonts should a website use?

Two at most: one for headings and one for text. Many premium sites use a single font in two weights.

### Should I load fonts from Google or host them myself?

Hosting them on your own site saves a connection to another server and keeps visitors’ requests on your site. WordPress’s Font Library can install Google Fonts on your own site for you.

## Sources

- [Playfair Display](https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Playfair+Display)
- [Inter](https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Inter)
- [Cormorant Garamond](https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Cormorant+Garamond)
- [Lato](https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Lato)
- [Fraunces](https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Fraunces)
- [Libre Baskerville](https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Libre+Baskerville)
- [Open Sans](https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Open+Sans)
- [Instrument Sans](https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Instrument+Sans)
- [Domine](https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Domine)
- [Nunito Sans](https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Nunito+Sans)
- [Epilogue](https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Epilogue)

---

Written by Mahesh Patel for the PageCore blog. The page: https://pagecore.net/blog/font-pairings-luxury-websites/ · More posts: https://pagecore.net/blog/ · About PageCore, for AI tools: https://pagecore.net/llms.txt