Help me decorate my house!

March 22, 2018 10:44 AM

My living space is in desperate need of a makeover, but I'd appreciate some direction towards online retailers I might like. Where should someone with a budget a couple notches above Ikea and a love of beauty, particularly Asian and Mediterranean-influenced decor, buy home furnishings?

I'm learning to manage lifelong, low-grade depression, and as part of the process I've recently looked around my living space and realized that it's not comfortable, it doesn't reflect me at all, and it doesn't make me happy. So I'd like to change my home decorating theme from "whatever was cheapest at Ikea eight years ago, plus furnishings my mom gave me" to a space that I love. But I've never created this kind of space for myself, and I don't like shopping. What I'd like to find are some online retailers that sell home furnishings that suit my tastes and budget.

My budget is, say, over Ikea and under Anthropologie. I'd rather spend a little more on something that I love, but I can't imagine any universe in which I spend over fifty dollars on a decorative pillow.

As for my tastes, I find them hard to articulate, which is part of why I got to this point in the first place! I have a lot of Pinterest boards, for any of you who use Pinterest and want a visual idea of my taste. The most representative sampling would probably be these boards: living spaces, art, patterns, illustrations.

I like Asian-inspired design, particularly Japanese-style spaces, traditional Chinese decor and chinoserie. I also like Mediterranean and Moroccan interior design. I like Art Nouveau, vintage illustrations, travel posters, flowers, brocade, jewel tones and soft colors, chandeliers, comfortable chairs. I have two kids, so nothing too delicate or labor-intensive, and we rent our house, so wall decals yes, painting murals no. My first foray into changing my living space was buying this Totoro shower curtain... partially chosen because of the soft colors, rounded shapes and stylized Japanese feel I like, and partially to please my kids!

I like detail but dislike clutter. The cardinal sin according to my personal aesthetic is gloppiness, and I can't stand shabby chic and lots of fussy throw pillows. I have a little affection for fantastic and whimsical, but too far into 'bohemian' or 'eclectic' and I get twitchy. But I also dislike minimalism, sharp edges, everything white and cold. I also don't like cutesy or twee, anything with an inspiring word or quote on it will not enter my house.

I've never liked shopping, online or otherwise. I get overwhelmed by the choices too easily, I feel frustrated if I don't find anything I like and I just don't really enjoy it the way some people do. I already went through this process with my clothes, and in the end I found about five online retailers I like, one of which supplies most of what I wear. I'm hoping to have the same outcome here -- to find a handful of retailers whose offerings I actually like to look at and can imagine in my house. Thank you very much for your help!

posted by shirobara to Home & Garden (22 answers total)

My budget is, say, over Ikea and under Anthropologie

Hmm, West Elm? (They're definitely over Ikea, but I don't know if they're under Anthropologie.) Sorry if this ideas is too obvious.
posted by salvia at 10:54 AM on March 22, 2018

I know you said you have something of a budget that goes above Ikea but have you considered thrift shopping?That's where I tend to find my most unique and beloved decor items. Granted, I do this for $$ reasons but I do quite recommend it. You will probably have better luck in actual thrift stores rather than craigslist or facebook marketplace.

Bombay Company might also be a good store for you to look at.
posted by MiraK at 10:55 AM on March 22, 2018 [2 favorites]

Budget you say? Goodwill and the like are your friends! Richer people get rid of stuff all of the time and these places are a treasure trove and really cheap. And chances are that they will have much better quality stuff than West Elm, Room and Board, Ikea, Pottery Barn, etc.

Garage sales and estate sales can work too, but the pricing might be tough. People tend to overprice their possessions when they do it themselves and anything that is a mega bargain at a garage sale gets picked over by professionals in the early morning.
posted by k8t at 10:57 AM on March 22, 2018 [3 favorites]

Scrolling through your boards, what really stands out is how nature-inspired your pins are. So for furniture, I'd say Wayfair (huge site, so this will take a lot of search customization; you pick your price range, and there is a 'globally inspired' category) and World Market, but you might get a lot of mileage out of decorating with plants and aquatic elements. (You wrote jewel tones and soft colors, and pinned a lot of blues and greens; if any of your hand-me-down furniture will take sanding and a new wood stain, or Kilz primer and paint, there's that option, too.)
posted by Iris Gambol at 11:03 AM on March 22, 2018 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks, I'm so excited to have links to look at already! Just for the record, don't assume any answer is too obvious, I really am new to this kind of thing!
posted by shirobara at 11:08 AM on March 22, 2018

You might check out CB2, which is a more modern, minimalist, slightly cheaper sister to Crate & Barrel.
posted by Knowyournuts at 11:14 AM on March 22, 2018 [2 favorites]

You seem pretty crafty from your pins! I would consider thrifting some cheapo accessories like picture frames, end tables, and maybe vases or glass ware, and then painting them to be mermaid-y. You could get a lot of mileage out of a table you paint and then style with a vase filled with like beach glass and a bunch of fun picture frames.

...I kind of want to make a mermaid house now.
posted by Snarl Furillo at 11:19 AM on March 22, 2018

For "Asian and Mediterranean-influenced" you should definitely check out World Market, that's like their whole thing.
posted by showbiz_liz at 11:23 AM on March 22, 2018 [4 favorites]

Check out Wayfair!
posted by spindrifter at 11:25 AM on March 22, 2018 [1 favorite]

It's not cheap, but I love Marimekko (and other scandinavian design stuff) for some of the reasons you might. It's whimsical without being twee, warm and approachable, simple shapes with wild pattern, and has a basic love and respect for the natural world.

Crate and Barrel used to have a lot of Marimekko and made the terrible decision to cut ties in 2012-ish, so try the site Finnstyle. Here for example are the throw pillows. I have a full set of dishes and find them so durable and satisfying for daily use.

It's not Asian or Mediterranean-inspired, but I do think that there's a sizeable love of Scandi design in Japan, actually, based on Instagram and on the work a Norwegian designer friend has been able to do there.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 11:26 AM on March 22, 2018 [1 favorite]

If you need rugs, look on Overstock for Safavieh ones. They have some great patterns, including indoor-outdoor ones that are super durable, but also have a clear Mediterranean influence in the patterns.
posted by limeonaire at 11:31 AM on March 22, 2018

A friend of mine recently got all new furnishings for an apartment after she separated from her husband, and when I admired her stuff, she told me she ordered it all from Houzz. It's a little kooky - you have to set up an account, but then you can look at all kinds of photos of spaces, save items to pin boards on the site, and search for furnishings based on all kinds of search terms.

I would recommend reading the reviews very carefully and paying close attention to the price and construction of the pieces. Flat pack furniture is cheaper than built furniture, but can be lower quality and hard to put together for instance.

I ended up buying a very nice mid-century sideboard that I'm pleased with. It came quickly and the freight company was very professional when they delivered the sideboard.
posted by Squeak Attack at 11:33 AM on March 22, 2018

Granted I live in an area with excellent estate sales, but seriously, estate sales, thrift stores, and proper flea markets are your best bet for finding well made and unique pieces.
posted by jbenben at 11:37 AM on March 22, 2018

I would approach decorating from the standpoint of how you want room to feel. So it's not Maybe I want this room to be blue? but the room could be ocean-y, with water-y blues and greens. My friend loves Asian furniture and has gotten some great stuff on Craigslist. I think you can get a terrific couch, either new or on CL, maybe something with carving, then look for a velvet-covered chair. You can add a lot of character and style with choices of lamps and rugs. I love rugs and have patiently acquired a couple nice Oriental rugs. I think Anthropologie is overpriced. Marshalls/ TJ Maxx/ Homegoods has good deals on home accessories including rugs, side tables, and often chairs. Ikea has really affordable curtains. Get an idea of the overall feel and then it will be easier to choose.
posted by theora55 at 12:03 PM on March 22, 2018 [1 favorite]

I think one of the hardest parts of making a space feel good is getting rid of old stuff that makes the room feel cluttered and unplanned. If you can remove everything from a room, then set it up how you want it and find a way to toss or repurpose all the things that didn't make it back in, it will feel purposeful instead of like you have rearranged your junk drawer. As you're looking for furniture, keep an eye out for a way to hide/store the stuff that you'll need but don't necessarily want to be visible.
posted by Emmy Rae at 12:41 PM on March 22, 2018 [2 favorites]

I can't really speak to the quality or value of their offerings, but Pier One might match your aesthetic.
posted by adiabatic at 1:02 PM on March 22, 2018 [1 favorite]

We bought most of our furniture and rugs from Wayfair and Overstock. I'm surprised no one else has suggested Pier 1; they're a little on the pricey side, but still in between Ikea and Anthropologie. World Market fits your aesthetic, but the quality isn't the best usually. And as always, Craigslist and FB Marketplace. Someone upthread mentioned Bombay; we got a really nice Bombay console table for like $40 on FB. But Wayfair should definitely be your first stop.
posted by kevinbelt at 1:07 PM on March 22, 2018

Seconding Ross, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Steinmart (if you have them) and Home Goods. I do't go there for clothing, but for throws and blankets, small furniture, bins and baskets, pet bedding, and cute kitchen stuff, they are great!
posted by Squeak Attack at 2:17 PM on March 22, 2018 [1 favorite]

Also it looks like the Japanese dollar/low price store Daiso is in Seattle now, if you want to look at Japanese home goods for a low price.
posted by Squeak Attack at 2:22 PM on March 22, 2018

ABC Carpet and Home is likely out of your budget generally (especially factoring in furniture shipping), but you may be able to find some pleasing trinkets there. Also, they are having a big sale right now.
posted by praemunire at 2:49 PM on March 22, 2018

Just chiming in to elaborate that Pier One seems to have really expanded their design aesthetic sometime in the last ... 10 years. There's a much greater variety of stuff there than there used to be.

The people who own Wayfair also own Birch Lane. There's some overlap in what they carry, but it's not 1-1. Be sure to read the reviews and check the materials on Wayfair --quality is VERY inconsistent. The good news is that they actually have reviews (West Elm doesn't!) and a decent filtering system -- one of the things you can filter by is "style" which isn't perfect but should help some.

Target -- variety of styles, about to launch a new brand you might like. Quality is mixed.

Ballard Designs -- probably pricier than you're looking for in furniture -- some of the stuff is at least Anthropologie expensive. But worth checking out for lower-cost items (pillows, etc), and quality is good.

Joss & Main -- This might actually be another outlet of the Wayfair empire? It seems pretty comparable

Grandin Road -- IDK, I think it's possible there's one warehouse supplying all these stores

Anyway, I also find shopping to be overwhelming and tedious, but it's also really nice to actually like the environment you live in.

So this may be obvious to you but to mitigate the overwhelm I'd pick one area at a time to focus on. For me the first thing would be bedroom -- do you like your bed, comforter, reading lamp, whatever you see when you're waking up and falling asleep? Then I'd prioritize the rest of your apt by amount of time you spend there/emotional significance.
posted by mrmurbles at 6:46 PM on March 22, 2018

I know you said you don't like too boho, but I personally find Justina Blakeney at the Jungalow to be good at doing boho without going too nuts. Not a specific recommendation of a site where you can purchase things, but she does lots roundups of where to buy specific items. She also came out with a book (The New Bohemians) along the same lines if the style appeals.
posted by peacheater at 6:27 AM on March 23, 2018