Here’s how your interior designer shops at HomeGoods

By Dina Cheney

For The Washington Post

The next time you’re trawling the aisles of your local HomeGoods, you just might run into a pro, like Robin Gannon of Robin Gannon Interiors in Lexington, Mass.

“Even in my highest-budget projects, everyone is always looking to save,” she said. “Clients might not mind spending money on a sofa, but does the side table really have to cost $3,000? No, it doesn’t.”

At wallet-friendly spots like Target, Home Depot and World Market, “you can fill in a lot for a little,” Gannon said. Whether you’re after a few finishing touches or a houseful of furniture and decor, here’s what the pros pick up at chain outlets.

HomeGoods and Homesense

“HomeGoods is a mainstay for us,” said Gannon. She’s far from the only interior designer who frequents the retailer and its sister store, Homesense (mostly in Texas and along the East Coast).

Beth Diana Smith of Beth Diana Smith Interior Design in the New York area appreciates the constantly changing inventory, which varies at each location. “You don’t know what you’re going to find,” Smith said. “You can’t shop for anything specific. You have to see what they have.”

Sometimes, that includes furniture that is typically pricey. Smith once discovered a patterned accent chair from a brand normally not available in retail stores. She purchased it on the spot. “If you walk into a Homesense and see a table you love, do not leave it,” she said. “You’re better off buying it and returning it later [if you need to].”

But HomeGoods and Homesense shine most when it comes to decorative items, like faux plants. (“We are always looking for ways to fill in the blanks,” said Gannon. “You don’t want to leave blanks.”) For a more upscale look, seek out specimens with more texture and consider repotting them (maybe in a vase from an adjacent aisle). Just steer clear of ersatz foliage that looks “super plastic and stiff,” said Gannon. “If it’s super shiny, run.”

Gannon also recommends visiting the art area for prints brushed with paint. The extra texture lends them a handmade look and feel, she said.

“I have gotten beautiful pieces in carved gold frames, and people have asked where I got them. I always say it’s a designer’s secret and that I can’t give out my sources.”

One of those secret sources is HomeGoods’ decorative accessories section. There, she’s found Assouline coffee-table books (she’ll remove the jackets if they’re torn). She’s also stocked up on Riedel wine glasses and Ralph Lauren rocks glasses, which she arranges on bar carts.

In her clients’ homes, Sarah Storms of Styled by Storms in Maplewood, N.J., mixes geodes and bone-inlay boxes from this section with luxe accents. “We can’t do high end for every single thing,” Storms said.

But “stay away from orbs, and if you see 17 versions of something, that trend has passed,” she said. Instead, seek out “unique things that feel like you could have picked them up on vacation in Mexico City, Paris or Bali.”

Before heading to the cash register, hit the bathroom accessories area. During my last HomeGoods pilgrimage, I found eucalyptus soap in a bottle pretty enough for pride of place in my powder room.

The best of the rest

HomeGoods is not the only big-box store designers write home about — there are plenty of treasures to be found elsewhere.

Ikea: The Scandinavian mega-retailer is a go-to for furniture and cabinetry. Ikea pieces lean neutral and customizable, and they work well in most spaces. When modular, they can approximate the look of pricey millwork or built-ins, said Atlanta-based Jessica Davis of Atelier Davis. Davis bought Ikea kitchen cabinetry, shelving and a desk system for her and her husband’s home offices.

Target: Try Target’s outdoor section for smaller furniture. Items intended for outdoors can often work inside too, said Davis, and they might actually be priced lower than their indoor counterparts. Davis created an (indoor) seating nook by her kitchen with two outdoor poufs plus a rug from the brand’s previous collaboration with designer Nate Berkus. Neither of these items are currently available, but you could try the Lenwood outdoor bench from Target’s Threshold collection with Studio McGee ($350). Storms is also a fan of the “beautiful, soft” bedding from the brand Casaluna.

Home Depot: Home Depot ceiling lights are a “good secret weapon and don’t look discount,” says Storms. She recommends the one-light matte white flush mount with a white opal glass shade ($70) and two-light matte brass flush mount with tiered milk glass shade ($100), both from Globe Electric. Storms has also found high-end-looking vanities for her builder clients’ spec projects, like the 24-inch white oak vanity from Swiss Madison ($386) and the 30-inch marble-topped vanity from Home Decorators Collection ($600).

Wayfair: Storms also recommends this online retailer for bathroom vanities, like the 18-inch vanity from Loon Peak ($297) she used in her builder client’s spec house. I second her strategy. When I needed to find a vanity stat, I ordered a marble-topped Frankfurt 24-inch bathroom vanity ($749) from Wayfair’s Birch Lane brand. (For a more refined look, I swapped out the drawer pulls.) Over the years, I’ve ordered many rugs and pillows from Wayfair, like the 8×10 Western Geometric rug ($253), 8×10 Hasting abstract rug ($215), and Fleur De Jardin Collection throw pillow ($33).

Bed Bath & Beyond: Though its trademark blue-and-white coupons and physical locations are, for now, a thing of the past, this retailer continues to be a smart source for essentials like sheets, towels, plates, cookware, storage bins and small appliances. Although its inventory is more about utility than aesthetics, you could find the right decorative accent. When looking for a piece to pair with the Loon Peak vanity for her builder client, Storms chose the glam, rippled Kate and Laurel Viona mirror ($190), she said.

World Market: For an I’ve-traveled-the-world feel (whether it’s authentic can be your secret), don’t miss this chain’s eclectic assortment of global goods. Looking for a lidded llama-shaped basket made out of water hyacinth? Didn’t think so. But if you were, you could find it here, for about $80. Or take a cue from Davis, who gravitates toward items with simpler profiles and less ornamentation, like wicker baskets or rattan mirrors.

Costco: “I live for Costco sheets,” said Storms. She recommends the Hotel Signature 800-thread-count 6-piece sheet set ($110 for king size).