How to Shop Within Your Budget

Everyone has a different budget. 
 
If you are in the higher end category you may already have a designer to help you with your selections. If you are, you will have access to wholesale pricing depending on how your designer works with you.  If you are choosing to do it on your own with a higher budget, then most likely you will be going into some of the higher end retail stores like Von Hemert, Kreiss or Williams Sonoma Home. 
 
If you are like me with a bit of discretionary income and need to stay within a smaller budget, then there are a lot more retail stores available like, Bassett, Thomasville, Ethan Allen, Room and Board just to name a few. 
 
If you are just starting out and on a tight budget, then Ikea or Living Spaces are perfect options!  They have great selections at a more moderate price.
 
Depending what you are looking for - whether it be accessories or tables and chairs, dining room sets, bedroom sets, living room pieces and or accessories including art and rugs – you can find many options online.
 
Some of the online stores I recommend to my clients and friends are Ballard Designs, Wayfair, West Elm, Pottery Barn, and Overstock.com.  There are many more to choose from as well.
 
The most important thing I’d like to share is if you are looking to purchase a sofa that you will be sitting on regularly then I really believe in getting the best you can afford since that will get the most wear and tear. 
 
When you are buying, let’s say a coffee table, you can find them in prices from a couple hundred dollars on up to thousands of dollars.  I like to remind my clients that no one will walk into your home and say “why did you buy the cheap one?” They don’t know your options and if your home feels good to you then it will feel good to them when they walk in.  When we buy things we only think of them individually.  But it’s more about how it relates to everything else in the room.  We usually walk into a room and see the whole picture, not just 1 piece at a time. 
 
Make the process fun.  If you get overwhelmed online then take a break.  You can save the pictures in Pinterest on a separate board and then go back to all the pieces you have looked at and compare.  You will be able to make better, more fluid choices.
 
Be gentle with yourself if you are doing it alone. And if you are not, then be gentle with the other person, be it a spouse/partner or a child/teen.  They might have opinions too.  Listen, and then be able to make a decision you all can live with and enjoy!
 
Happy shopping!

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