We all know that shopping for home decor can be quite expensive. Buying furniture, rugs, art, and decorative accessories for a single room adds up very quickly. It’s only natural to want to save money wherever you can, and allocate you budget wisely. So, when it comes to your next home decor purchase, should you splurge or save? How do you know what items you should you spend more on and when is it the right time to save your pennies?

As a designer, home decor shop owner, and former custom furniture designer for our woodworking business, I have a few insights and opinions on the matter that I’d love to share with you.

I put together a handy little guide you can download and print out. If you’re short on time, just grab your copy by clicking on the link or image below, and send me an email if you have any questions on when to splurge or save.

splurge or save home decor shopping guide

Items to Splurge On

When it comes to buying furniture, there are a few key pieces you should be prepared to splurge on. They include your sofa/sectional, dining table, and anything with drawers that will get heavy use.

A great quality sofa will last you for many years, and can be reupholstered to breathe new life into it years down the road.

splurge or save on sofa

The dining room table is a central focal point of your dining room, and should be of sufficient quality and beauty to stand the test of time.

There’s nothing worse than crappy drawers! If you’re buying furniture with drawers, that you plan to use daily, like a dresser, it’s essential that you buy a high quality piece. It will typically be made of more durable wood, and have better overall construction and drawer hardware.

Other items you should plan to spend more money on include:

  • Fake plants – prepare to spend for a more realistic looking faux plant
  • Statement Pillows – splurge on the 1-2 pillows that will really make a statement in your room
  • Mattress – because a good night’s sleep is soooooo worth it
  • Anything that brings you joy…because your home should be filled with things you love.

Opportunities to Save Money

There are several items where spending more doesn’t always translate to better quality or a better overall look. Some areas to save include:

  • Dining chairs
  • Side tables and nightstands
  • Lamps
  • Decorative accessories
  • Drapery
  • Headboard or bed frame
  • Bookcases
  • Mirrors

You can find great quality dining chairs at a reasonable price, so it’s unnecessary to overspend here. As long as you have a beautiful dining room table, you can save your money on the chairs. You might even be able to swap out less expensive chairs after a few years, and achieve a completely fresh new look for your dining room!

inexpensive dining chairs

Same goes for side tables and nightstands. There really isn’t a reason to spend a lot of money on side tables and nightstands, unless you fall head over heels in love with the look of the piece. A more expensive price tag won’t necessarily get you a better quality item, so it’s best to allocate more of your budget to other areas.

The Middle Ground

In the guide, you’ll find several items listed right in the center between the ‘splurge’ and ‘save’ categories.

The best way I can describe this middle ground is that there are opportunities to save money on these items, but you don’t necessarily want to buy the cheapest one you can find.

For example, there are amazing, unique, high-end ceiling light fixtures out there you can spend a lot of money on. If you find one you fall in love with, and want to splurge, go for it. However, there are plenty of other attractive light fixtures out there that are much less expensive, and the quality is still very good.

ceiling pendant lights

So, while you don’t want to buy the cheapest light fixture money can buy (trust me, you won’t be doing your home any favors), instead try to shop for light fixtures that both beautiful and reasonably priced.

A few more items also in the middle category include:

  • Accent chairs
  • Coffee tables
  • Area rugs
  • Bedding
  • Accent pillows
  • Art
  • Ottomans and poufs

Next time you’re out shopping for home decor, I hope my Home Decor Shopping Guide will help you decide when to splurge or save. After all, we all love finding opportunities to save a little money, while we work on filling our homes with things we love.

For some of my favorite home decor products, check out my curated collection of home decor products in my Shop.

Also, for more tips on saving money when buying furniture, check out this post.