How to shop like a designer

The best part about going shopping for beautiful furniture and accessories is finding great buys just like the designers. SheKnows talks to designer Evelyn Eshun from W Network’s Take This House & Sell It to find out what her tricks to finding great designer worthy items for cheap are. Read on and find out more on how-to shop like a designer.

Designer shopping

“There is a method to learning how to shop for home furnishings, you must be organized and categorize. When I shop for my clients, I have to be aware of what they’re looking for. When searching for bargains be prepared to purchase items you might not need right at the moment, but buy for a reason and make sure you end up using your purchases. Be open-minded and not worried about having all the furniture perfectly co-ordinated,” states designer Evelyn Eshun from W Network’s Take This House & Sell It.

Eshun uses her own store as a jumping off point offering her customers unique furnishings, art pieces, accessories and customized bedding, drapery and renovations.

Furniture and Fabric

Next, the designer reads newspaper ads to check out furniture store specials. She also visits large outlet malls, although you find a lot of the same home interior stores in the smaller malls; the stores at the bigger outlet malls offer much more to choose from, including clearance and overstocked items.

“When I want very affordable furniture that I can fix up and paint, I go to used furniture centres often times run by charities where homeowners and builders send goods for resale, you can buy everything from a kitchen sink to a fireplace,” explains Eshun.

For great deals on fabric, Eshun says at the back of many fashion fabric stores you can find home design material. The selection may be limited, but the cost can be much less than even a specialty design fabric store wholesaler.

Furniture shopping tips

How to make sure the furniture you’re buying is top quality.