Our Go To List Of Go To Sources
This post has been a long time coming. For years people have been asking us where we like to look for rugs and where we find cheap but chic lamps. And thanks to whipping up over 120 mood boards (see them all en masse right here) as well is transforming our entire house, we’re pretty well versed in hunting down many an item from many a store. Now we’re letting it all hang out in one mondo post full of our favorite places to shop for house stuff. Hold on to your hats folks, this could get crazy.
We did our best to include stores that should be pretty universally available in the US (and sometimes beyond) so we left off the local guys that we love (which we also wholeheartedly support) since they’re less accessible to the majority of our readers. But definitely don’t forget to check out local boutiques and family owned businesses to troll their aisles as well. You can find amazing nearby haunts by checking out your Yellow Pages, googling around, asking friends and neighbors, and even hitting up sites like yelp.com. But let’s get this show on the road, shall we?
Chandeliers & Pendant Lights: West Elm, Lamps Plus, CB2, Overstock, Z Gallerie, Ballard Designs, World Market, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Ikea, and Marshall’s (where we found a sweet $30 green chandelier for this makeover).
Table & Floor Lamps: Target, JC Penney, CB2, West Elm, ZGallerie, Crate & Barrel, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Ikea, Bed Bath & Beyond, Overstock, World Market, and Walmart (they have a great low-cost collection called Canopy).
Swing-Arm Lamps & Sconces: Any local lamp outlet or store (check your Yellow Pages or google), Z Gallerie, JC Penney, Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, West Elm, and Overstock.
Rugs: Overstock (this is by far our favorite rug resource- they have a ton of affordable stuff in all sizes and colors), Flor, Home Goods, Marshall’s, The Company Store, Crate & Barrel, Pier 1, West Elm, Ikea, Pottery Barn, Dash & Albert, CB2, JC Penney, Lowe’s, Home Depot, and World Market (where we got our master bedroom rug below).
Sinks, Faucets & Kitchen/Bath Fixtures: Overstock (once again they’re our go-to resource for sinks, faucets, and bath fixtures at almost impossible prices), Lowe’s, Home Depot, Plumber’s Surplus, Ikea, and eBay.
Curtains: Urban Outfitters, Bed Bath & Beyond, JC Penney, West Elm, Target, Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, World Market, Pier 1, Overstock and Ikea (where we got all of the curtains in our entire house).
Curtain Rods: Lowe’s, Home Depot, JC Penney (these first three have extra long rods for large windows & extender rod pieces), Target, and Ikea.
Blinds & Roman Shades: Target, Home Depot, Lowe’s, West Elm, Pottery Barn, Ikea and Walmart (where we got almost all of the bamboo blinds in our house).
Frames: Ikea, Target (nothing beats these first two when it comes to price, style, and variety), Bed Bath & Beyond, Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, Marshall’s, Home Goods, TJ Maxx, and Red Envelope (they sell great framing systems that hang en masse on a rod).
Armchairs/Slipper Chairs: Overstock, Target (these two are the ones we always hit up first), West Elm, Ikea, Home Goods, TJ Maxx, Marshall’s, JC Penney, Pier 1, Craigslist, thrift stores.
Desks: West Elm, CB2, Ikea, JC Penney, Target, Overstock, Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, and Room & Board.
Desk Chairs: Target (we always love a leather parson’s chair), Ikea, CB2, Overstock, JC Penney, West Elm, Crate & Barrel, Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, and Home Goods.
Sofas: Any Rowe retailer (check your Yellow Pages or google around for one near you), Ikea, Room & Board, Crate & Barrel, JC Penney, and Overstock.
Dining Tables & Chairs: Target (where we got ours), Ikea, JC Penney, Overstock, West Elm, World Market, Pier 1, Craigslist, and thrift stores.
Console & Media Tables: Target (where we got both of ours), JC Penney, West Elm, CB2, Ikea, and World Market.
Coffee Tables & Side Tables: Target, Ikea, West Elm, CB2, JC Penney, Z Gallerie, Crate & Barrel, Coffee Tables Galore, Craigslist and thrift stores.
Throw Pillows, Towels, Etc: Target, Home Goods, Pier 1, TJ Maxx, Marshall’s, Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, CB2, Overstock, Kohl’s, Bed Bath & Beyond, Z Gallerie, Urban Outfitters, and West Elm.
Hardwood Floors: Lumber Liquidators (where we got ours for a steal), Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Ikea.
Televisions, Radios & Other Electronics: Target (where we got both of ours), Best Buy, and Walmart.
Ottomans & Benches: Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, West Elm, TJ Maxx, Home Goods, Marshall’s, JC Penney, and Overstock.
Decorative Accessories: Z Gallerie, Target, West Elm, Home Goods, Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, World Market, Pier 1, Ballard Designs, Ikea, Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, CB2, Anthropologie, and Urban Outfitters.
Wall & Floor Mirrors: Target, West Elm, Home Goods, TJ Maxx, Marshall’s, JC Penney, Ballard Designs, Z Gallerie, and Overstock.
Art/Wall Decor: Ikea, Etsy, Bed Bath & Beyond, Pier 1, West Elm, Target, Ballard Designs, Z Gallerie, Home Goods, Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, and JC Penney.
Servingware, Platters, Mugs, Etc: Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Anthropologie, Crate & Barrel, World Market, Pier 1, Home Goods, TJ Maxx, Marshall’s and Ikea.
Vases: Micheal’s (where we got all the centerpiece vases we used for our backyard wedding), Target, Crate & Barrel, thrift stores and Ikea.
Boxes, Bins, & Baskets: Ikea (where we grab almost all of ours), Target, Marshall’s, Home Goods, TJ Maxx, The Container Store, Bed Bath & Beyond, West Em, and Crate & Barrel.
Cabinetry & Countertops: Home Depot (where we got ours), Ikea (they have great chic & cheap butcher block counters and affordable cabinetry a plenty), Lowe’s, KraftMaid, local stoneyards (just google around or crack a Yellow Pages), and Corian (we like their snow white counters that look & feel like crisp marble).
Kitchen & Laundry Appliances: Home Depot (where we got our range hood pictured below), Lowe’s (where we got nearly every other appliance in our house), Sears, and Best Buy.
Duvets, Quilts, & Bedding: Bed Bath & Beyond (they always have a great clearance section), West Elm, Target, Ikea, JC Penney, Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, The Company Store, Overstock, Home Goods, TJ Maxx, and Marshall’s.
Floating Shelves & Bookcases: Ikea, Target, World Market, Bed Bath & Beyond, JC Penney, Overstock, West Elm, and CB2.
Ceramic Animals (yes, we realize we’re weird): ZGallierie, Ballard Designs, Target, Home Goods, Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, thrift stores, and eBay.
Pet Bowls & Beds: Target (we picked up two ceramic ramekins and a white ceramic tray to make a cute little food & water station for Burger and grabbed a few floor pillows to serve as little doggie beds for him to lounge on in the sunroom), Overstock (chic under-$40 beds like this can be found, which are all over $100 on other sites), All Modern Pet also has some great discounted designers doggie duds and digs.
Shower Curtains & Liners: Amazon.com (they have lots of extra long ones, which we love), Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Anthropologie, Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, JC Penney, and even Walmart (we’ve admired this one in person).
Dressers & Armoires: Target, West Elm, Ikea, JC Penney, Overstock, World Market, Craigslist, thrift stores.
Outdoor Furniture: Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart (it’s actually where we got the lounge chairs on our patio) and Target.
Other Online Shops To Hit Up: amazon.com, ebay.com, kaboodle.com, and nextag.com are also great places to search for almost anything from multiple vendors (just drop in a keyword or a simple description and see what pops up).
And don’t forget that you can DIY things like pillows, curtains, shower curtains and more by snagging fabric and whipping something up yourself. Heck you can even make a headboard, build a pedestal table or reupholster a chair to give it a whole new look, so you don’t always have to buy new to get something that looks fresh and current in your home.
But what about you guys? Not only do we want this post to become an easy reference, we also want everyone else to chime in with their favorite places for furnishings and accessories so the comments will become a veritable extension of our list. So what say you our lovely readers? Where do you go for what? Any unexpected places that always deliver the goods? Oh and we just know we’re forgetting something so if you can think of any categories that we didn’t cover or stores that we were fools not to mention just let us know!
Psst- Wanna know where we got almost every item in our house? Click here for a full breakdown in our room by room source list. And if any of those items are no longer available, we’ve searched high and low for extremely similar (or identical) options right here in our amazon shop so swing through there to see that collection as well. Happy hunting…
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Comments
Thanks a ton for your list of resources…many of them are my “go to” places too. For me, I’m a huge thrifter…I love the feeling of discovering someone’s old junk and repurposing or reusing it.
Another place I love is homedecoratorsoutlet.com. I’ve actually had some great luck there. Recently, I purchased a 12×15 wool rug for $179. It’s great quality and, obviously, a great price. Plus, they often have great discounts on accent furniture.
Natural Area Rugs (www.naturalarearugs.com/) is a great online site for textural rugs! Great prices, free shipping and 30-day free return. I’ve bought 3 rugs from them so far and have been 100% satisfied with each.
This is an awesome post, thank you! I am definitely bookmarking for future shopping. :)
We absolutely love the couch and chair we found at Macy’s furniture store. I think I even saw the same one on one of your mood boards. Also, thrift stores are my first stop when looking for new vases, especially glass ones. At a buck or two, they’re perfect for pairing with grocery store bouquets as gifts!
I found a great site called Fixture Universe. I was able to find an L-shaped shower curtain rod that can be cut to size and installed for a really good price! The website has lot of ‘odd’ things for bathrooms that have different shapes and openings and things that aren’t otherwise standard sized or shaped. We plan to use our L-shaped rod on our shower enclosure that has an L-shaped opening (the glass enclosure door broke off a while ago and we’re now inspired by YHL to tackle the beast once and for all!). The rod was $60 bucks as opposed to a whole new shower enclosure for around $800 (and I can bring some color back to my bathroom now! :).
I’m also constantly checking out HSN.com (not sure if anyone has already listed this…) because FlexPay is great, especially when free shipping is offered!
And CSNStores has EVERYTHING!
Thanks for this POST! What a great source of info in one spot. Really LOVE your blog.. What great energy and inspiration. Keep it coming YOU ROCK!
Hey Lauren,
Thanks for the $9.99 curtain heads up! =) Gotta love those “new low prices!” I’m also glad to hear they’re fabulous!
Alisha
I love this blog and it seems like every post includes something new and super informative, but this post… I’m not sure how you’ll beat this Sherry! Thanks for such a valuable resource!
I will add that Costco is one of our go-to stores for TV’s and electronics. Their prices and selection are usually the best we can find and their return policy is fantastic. We’ve also found patio furniture and umbrellas, mattresses, dressers, couches, chairs, and even ceramic garden stools there… although only bought the umbrella since that’s all we needed. :)
Wow! :D This list is so helpful! Thank you for this post. I think the first thing we’ll be doing is stopping by Target and changing our dog’s food/water bowls. :)
Many of these are my go-to sources as well (plus a few I hadn’t thought of, thanks!)
I’m not sure if this is a West Coast only chain, but Video Only is THE best place to score a discount on electronics here in the Seattle area (I know there is one in Bellevue and one in Tacoma, plus several others, but none in Seattle city limits). We scored our big flat screen there AND they matched the Amazon deal at the time of a free Blu-ray player AND we got a nicer model than the Amazon deal. Pretty awesome. My man left there feeling pretty smug. I would definitely recommend it to anyone with a bargaining gene!
Thanks so much for that list!! My husband and I have been dying for a new hardwood floor forever and now are in the process of buying it. We heard that Liquid Lumb. had great prices…but now that you said it, I believe it. LOL!!
And I agree with the other poster about Hobby Lobby. I don’t think that you have those in your area but they do have tons of sales and coupons all the time. They have huge mirrors, frames, baskets, just a ton of stuff. But now they sell online and last time I checked it was free shipping if you spend $25.
This is great. I’m breaking out my Google doc of go-to sites as I have to say you missed a few good ones…
Frames – MICHAELS. Scored a ton today for 55% off. Look for the sales.
Light fixtures – BELLACOR.COM. Huge selection, every price range, very dependable.
Blinds and Roman Shades – JC PENNEY. Always for windows.
Furniture – ASFURNITURE.COM. Regional store but great online shop. Think Ikea prices but better quality.
ACCENT-FURNITURE-DIRECT.COM. Haven’t tried personally but blogger/designer Nick Olsen spoke of them recently.
Miscellaneous others – SMARTBARGAINS.COM, HOMEDECORATORS.COM and (sometimes) WISTERIA.COM (try the sale page).
Thanks for this awesome post! We shop at the same stores but when it comes to online shopping for home decor I struggle a little bit. I am on the hunt for area rugs and have been to overstock but do you have any tips on how to shop for rugs over the internet? It’s so hard without actually seeing and feeling it in person. Can you tell I’m the person that has to touch everything in the store. Any tips on how to tell if the rug is good quality?
We love reading the reviews for rugs on overstock! They’re very honest and will indicate whether colors are more vibrant in real life and mention when a rug feels plush and high quality. We find they really help to clarify if something is a great buy or if a rug looks great in the pics but is better left unordered. And as a worst case scenario you can always return things for a full refund if they arrive and they’re not what you expected. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
GREAT POST!! This will definitely be a helpful resource as we renovate and decorate!!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
Just in the process of painting & moving into our new-old house. Love your blog and have spent a few late nights browsing the mood boards – great to have so much advice on where to look for the items now too!
Wow, you guys are awesome for listing your top places. That is wonderful of you! I love giving back too. That’s what my Monday’s Method is all about. On Mondays I do interior design advice for my readers. It’s easy, just email me with a question and send some photos and viola ~ an answer. Here’s this weeks post ~ http://paulagracedesigns.blogspot.com/2010/01/mondays-method_17.html
Always love your blog!
Paula Grace ~
Hey Hollym,
Did you read the paragraphs before and after the list? We definitely encouraged everyone to support local and non-chain stores like small businesses (which we also do quite religiously). We also included eBay, Etsy and Craigslist along with thrift stores in quite a few categories! Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Since y’all seem to do a fair amount of online shopping, I was just wondering (or suggesting, rather) – do you use ebates.com or igive.com or something like that? They’re websites that give you a percentage of your purchase back…or igive donates them to your charity of choice. These sites are the reason I love shopping online!!
Hey Lacey,
We haven’t yet but we’ll have to check them out! We especially love the donation/charity idea. Thanks so much for the tip!
xo,
s
John & Sherry~ This might be my favorite post you’ve ever done. It’s a one-stop shop for all things DIY related, beautiful and affordable. For some reason I thought I was missing out on some great resource center that all other DIYers were familiar with, but from the looks of your list I’m not so far off after all. Thanks for the affirmation and keep up the great work!
Lori
I love Lee Valley/Veritas for those hard to find items. Like this bento box that is perfect for holding lunch or screws/nuts/bolts or Legos: http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=43331&cat=1,43326,43330
John & Sherry-thank you for this awesome post. I have many favorite posts on your blog but this could be the best best one yet or at least in the top 5. Again thank you! You guys are an inspiration to me and I’m always trying to show my husband ideas and plans for our house which mainly come from you!
It is so kind of you to share your favorite sources…thanks! I need a new rug and will check out your list.
I’ve already commented once, but I swear I dream about blogging, haha, so while I was doing yoga this morning I realized that you didn’t mention FLOR in the Rug category! I have a Flor rug in my living room and while in downward dog I was admiring my rug, LOL! Wow…
Flor.com is my favorite resource for rugs because we’re so hard on them and they’re so easy to clean…no moving under the vacuum, no snagging or rolling edges, you can switch them up whenever you need to and it doesn’t hurt that I can get a trade discount as an interior designer. :)
You’re so right about Flor! How could we have forgotten them?! We love our basement rug! Off to edit our list and add them…
xo,
s
Thanks so much for the post – I’m definitely going to do a deeper read on it next time I’m looking for something specific. Right now we’re in a build-our-own phase, so the KnockOffWood site was right up our alley!
Unfortunately, I didn’t see one category that’s been driving me crazy lately – decorative paper sources! I’ve been inspired by posts online about folks using decorative paper to cover bins/boxes, line drawers/cabinets, etc. but have had the HARDEST time finding any fun and coordinating decorative papers to use. Do you guys have a go-to source for those, or know anyone who does? I’ve looked at wrapping paper sites, Container Store, Hardware stores and craft stores to see what I can find but everything was either too small (scrapbook paper size), too seasonal or too UGLY! Any ideas?
Other than looking on Etsy, ebay or even in craft stores like Michael’s I’m afraid we don’t have any go-to sources for decorative paper. Have you tried visiting specialty shops like Papyrus or googling around for online finds? That might yield some stuff that you love. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Thank you so much for the helpful list! I do have one question in particular about the floating shelves that you recommend. I was looking for a molding-type floating shelf and just purchased a set from Bed Bath and Beyond. Unfortunately, they’re impossible to hang (correctly). Although I can get them up on the wall, they never sit flush with it (they have two keyhole-hardware-pieces on the back of them to fit over the screws in the wall). I see that you have floating shelves in your dining room and was assuming that they were the Ikea ones — how are those mounted (and are they sturdy)? I was thinking of jerry-rigging (sp.?) the ones I got from BB&B, but it might not be worth it. Just wanted to see if you had any advice or any posts on floating shelves that I may have missed in your archives! Thanks again for the list, all your hard work, and the awesome blog. Oh! And thank you for putting up the “after” pics of the bathroom — I was super excited to see it all completed and I think it’s all gorgeous.
We hung out Ikea ones with metal anchors that can hold tons of weight and they’re perfectly flush against the wall and very sturdy. We highly recommend them, and the price is great. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
This is great!
I was wondering about your rug sources though…most of your top favs are online. I’m currently rug shopping but worried about buying online because what if I don’t like the feel/texture when I get it – I hate to have to send it back and loose my shipping charges.
Have you ever gotten a rug online that you hated…any “secrets” to making sure you don’t get something you hate the feel of?
Hey Kyley,
We love reading the online reviews for rugs before ordering them (overstock has great ones). They’re very honest and will indicate whether colors are more vibrant in real life and mention when a rug feels plush and high quality. We find they really help to clarify if something is a great buy or if a rug looks great in the pics but is better left unordered. And as a worst case scenario you can always return things for a full refund if they arrive and they’re not what you expected. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
I love your bamboo shades! The WM near my house doesn’t have any, but I haven’t looked at the other local WMs yet. Do they carry darker stains? I’m about an hour North of Richmond, so I’m hoping our stores might carry similar things. :)
Unfortunately the bamboo shades at our Walmart were recently recalled so we got our bathroom shade from Home Depot. The good news is that Home Depot has darker bamboo blinds (and no recall) so they’re a great place to look. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
NikKidd – here are some paper sources for you to check out. I can vouch for them:
Whimsy Press
Rock Scissor Paper
Paper Mojo
Paper-Source
Be sure to hit these guys post holidays to stock up as they have great sales!
What a great list, I always wonder where you find such great stuff. Now…if only Kansas City would get an IKEA!
Thank you for this! My fiance and I are trying to find fun, affordable places to start decorating our first apartment/house (haven’t decided yet). Love y’alls blog and can’t wait to convince him that we can DIY everything ourselves!
This is SOOOO HELPFUL!! THanks so much!!