Many furniture stores have outlets, including one you may not expect: Anthropologie.
Another great place to look for discounted furniture is HomeGoods, owned by the same company as T.J. Maxx and Marshalls. Home Goodsâ merchandise varies from store to store, but they often have great bargains and stylish furniture, as well as little knick-knacks to decorate your space.
If you really want to save money on furniture and get high quality, the best option is to go vintage. Not only is it environmentally sustainable, but youâll likely find really interesting styles at a much lower price than anything new.
One pro trip: when searching for things like light fixtures or even bigger furniture pieces online, be as specific as possible. I do this by identifying a âdream item,â the model item I canât afford but want to find something similar to, and then use generic terms to describe it.
I typed âgold Sputnik chandelierâ into Amazon and found a option that I loved.
The worst part about virtually shopping the store is that they donât offer shipping. During my virtual appointment, I didnât fall in love with anything, so I didnât look into shipping. But the outlet does offer recommendations for local third party delivery companies.
Shop the Outlets
When I moved into a house this summer, my first big task was to buy a sectional couch.
If you want to actually see your items in person but donât want to drop top dollar, stores like Target and Walmart give you that choice. Most of these stores have partnered with celebrity designers or just plain celebrities, like Chip and Joanna Gaines and Drew Barrymore, to create stylish collections that look like your favorite luxury home items at a fraction of the price.
I knew I wanted to replace the chandelier above my dining room table. It might have resembled ornate crystal but it was actually just plastic. And I had a style in mind: the Sputnik design, which looks like a giant orb with spokes coming off of it.
In terms of design, Donofrio holds to this adage: âif itâs on stilts, it will sell.â What that means is look for furniture with tapered atomic legs, or what Donofrio calls casually âice cream legs.â
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.
My biggest piece of advice: watch their Instagram story @anthro_homeoutlet if youâre on the hunt for furniture. Their home outlet is a great choice if youâre looking to totally rework your style because they have so many options.
For me, I knew I would be much happier having the style I wanted in a light fixture, even if it wasnât as well-made as independent, artisan options.
For all the best advice on vintage furniture, I went to Paul Donofrio, owner of St. Petersburgâs Vintage Marché, a monthly market of vintage furniture from a variety of vendors.
Mix High and Low
Anthropologie opened its first (and so far only) home outlet in Pittsburgh in the fall of 2019, according to the Pittsburgh Business Times. The outlet is now taking virtual appointments.
I had an exact vision in mind. I wanted a teal velvet fabric to go with my already-planned design scheme and an L-shape that would allow for two people to lie down separately while watching TV.
Thereâs a reason I use the term investment. Purchasing furniture isnât like buying an item of clothing or a car â its value doesnât drop the second you walk off the lot. You can take your furniture with you to any space you live in. And if you get rid of it, you can generally make up some of your cost by selling the pieces on sites like Facebook Marketplace and Nextdoor.
Other spots I always check for unexpected discounts are the clearance sections of department stores like Macyâs or Nordstrom. Macyâs even has a Last Act section for their deeply discounted items â these usually arenât couches or bed frames, but you can almost always find plates, curtains, throw pillows and home accoutrements here for heavily reduced prices.
His guidance is to be constantly on the lookout and ready to make a purchase for a good piece even when youâre least expecting it.
When the time comes, youâll have a Zoom appointment with an employee who will take you through the store. If there are specific items that catch your eye, theyâll stop and answer any questions about things like price, dimensions, details. This is likely the cheapest youâll ever find unused Anthropologie furniture, but that comes with a caveat. I found that the best deals were on damaged merchandise, which ranged from a fabric stain to a chipped piece of wood furniture.
Buy Thrift, Then Redesign It
But all in all, Donofrio says good design is timeless. And if you find a design you love with elements you donât â say, a darkened wood dresser or a mustard yellow couch â you can always reupholster or stain and refinish the piece and make it different. In the case of mid-century furniture, Donofrio says, that can even add value.
But when I started searching online, I was shocked by the sticker prices. In the world of furniture, it seemed there were two options: sites like Amazon and Wayfair, where you can often find a bed frame or couch for as cheap as 0 or 0, or larger luxury furniture chains like West Elm and Crate and Barrel, where almost every big piece is over ,000.
How do they work? First, email [email protected] to get an appointment. In my experience, they respond fairly promptly with a 30-minute time and ask if there are any kinds of furniture in which youâre particularly interested.
Yes, furniture stores have sales, but they usually cap out at the 20 to 30 percent off range. That takes some of the burn off the tag, but not all of it. I ended up buying a slightly reduced custom sectional from West Elm and chalked it up to an investment.
But there are also ways to save money from the get-go while buying good furniture. Here are my strategies.
Source: thepennyhoarder.com
I love how the style adds flair to my dining room but also didnât break the bank. When making investments in furniture, itâs important to think about your values. Do you value comfort or style more? Do you view furniture as part of your life or more like pieces of art?