20 Designer Looks for Less: High-End Home Decor on the Cheap!

home decor Look for Less Pendant Lighting

I love {these Darlana lantern pendants} (size small) that I chose for over the kitchen island in our previous home:

Sources: Lantern pendants  |  Rattan counter stools in Fog  |  Find other sources for my kitchen remodel {here}

but they definitely weren’t cheap! At the time that we remodeled our kitchen I couldn’t find any similar pendants at a lower price but more recently I came across {this lantern pendant} that’s such a great look-alike. It has a very similar design and the exact same dimensions but is less than half the price of the Darlana pendant:

Save: Darlana pendant  |  Splurge: Tari pendant

In addition to the satin brass color option that’s the closest match to my pendant, this look for less version is also available in brushed nickel and midnight black.

Look For Less Area Rug

This is such a good one! If you’re familiar with Serena & Lily’s Mirabelle rug, you know that it’s a gorgeous patterned rug in neutral colors that work well in almost any room:

Of course there isn’t much of anything from Serena & Lily that’s cheap! The 8 x10 size of the Mirabelle rug is over $2000 so it’s definitely a splurge piece. A spot-on look for less (MUCH less!) is {this Adela rug} that’s currently on sale for over 90% off the Serena & Lily version:

Splurge: Serena & Lily Mirabelle Rug  |  Save: Home Depot’s Adela Rug

It’s available in three other size options too. Is the quality of the two rugs the same? No, the Serena & Lily rug is a higher quality double tufted wool rug while the look for less version is a low pile polypropylene, which is a synthetic fiber. So if you want to invest in a quality rug that you’ll have for 10+ years, I’d go for the splurge but if you have a busy house with kids & dogs and know that whatever rug you get will need to be replaced in a few years, the look for less version is definitely the way to go. It’s a pretty amazing rug for the price and is super soft:

You can also find the look for less version in blue {here} and in some other color options {here}. Also check out {this lookalike rug} which is similar but with tassels along the short sides of the rug.

Look For Less Chairs

When you need between 4-10 chairs for around a dining table, the cost of new chairs adds up quickly! I have {these Riviera chairs} in the fog color around our kitchen eat table and absolutely love the style of them (and they’ve held up really well too):

Want a similar look for less? When you buy {this set of 4 French bistro chairs}, the price per chair is about half the price of Serena & Lily’s chairs.

Splurge: Serena & Lily Riviera Chair  |  Save: Amazon’s Philomena French Bistro Chair (set of 4)

You can also buy the look for less chairs in a pair {here} but the price per chair is a little bit higher. Another pretty look for less version of this chair that has a chevron design on the back and seat is {this Celle dining chair} (they’re sold in a pair):

The biggest difference between these look for less chairs and the Serena & Lily splurge version is what the frame is made of. The Serena & Lily chairs (on the right below) have a rattan frame while the look for less version (on the left below) has an aluminum frame.

I personally like the look of the rattan frame better BUT the aluminum frame has the advantage of being usable both indoors and outdoors plus the chairs are stackable which is really nice!

They also sell a conversation set of two chairs, a loveseat, and an ottoman {here} which is the exact set I bought for our porch.

Look For Less Home Accessories

Let’s talk about look for less home accessories because I found some amazing ones! First off, you may have seen decorative giant clam shells in designer pics before – they’re such a fun home decor piece but… the price tag on them is typically in the $200-$400 range such as Pottery Barn’s giant clam shell {here}. Luckily I found a very similar decorative clam shell for under $50 {here}!

Splurge: Pottery Barn Giant Clam Shell  |  Save: Home Depot Giant Clam Shell

It’s a slightly smaller size than the splurge version but I actually prefer that because it’s a better fit for the top of a dresser or console. Talk about a cheap home decor piece that doesn’t look cheap – I bought it and LOVE it! I plan to fill it with faux succulents for year-round use but since I’ll be decorating for the holidays pretty soon, I decided to get a jump on it and fill my clam with a few pretty ornaments:

Entryway Sources: Rug  |  Raffia console  |  White table lamp  |  30″ x 40″ Framed art print  |  Decorative ivory box  |  Decorative snail  | Decorative clam shell  |  Shallow wood bowl  |  Glass beads  |  Cube ottomans

You can find this same clam shell on Amazon {here} but Home Depot currently has better pricing and it ships free too!

Look For Less Lamps

I’ll kick my look for less lamp finds off with one that I recently bought and have been SO happy with. For a long time now, I’ve been eyeing Pottery Barn’s large rattan Cambria lamp that you can find {here} but the rattan has a whitewashed look that I didn’t love. Recently I bought {this similar sized rattan lamp} after finding it at a fraction of the price and I LOVE it:

Sources: Framed art print  |  Rattan lamp  |  Coral (similar)  |  Dresser

In fact, while some look for less finds are lower quality, I don’t feel like that’s the case with this find. It’s a very well constructed lamp and I actually like the natural finish of the rattan better than that of the splurge version.

Splurge: Pottery Barn Cambria Rattan Lamp (Large)  |  Save: Home Depot Jolina Rattan Lamp

Both versions of this lamp are 26.5″ H and the base is wide so they definitely have an oversized feel that’s best for on top of a dresser, console, or table (they would be a bit too large for bedside lamps in most bedrooms). If you want something smaller, Amazon has a smaller 20″ high version of this same rattan lamp {here}.

If you’re looking for a new floor lamp for your living room or next to a reading chair in your bedroom, I love the mixed metal look of {this Reese floor lamp} and found a lookalike for it too! Check out {this Simone floor lamp} that’s almost the same height and very similar style:

Splurge: Pottery Barn Reese Metal Floor Lamp  |  Save: Amazon Simone Floor Lamp

I prefer the larger shade that comes with the Pottery Barn version but for the price difference, it would still cost less to buy the look for less lamp plus a new shade.

And last but not least, I’ve got a look for less find that I’m currently debating about. While I’m all about cheap home decor, for upholstered pieces that I plan on having for years and years, I think investing in a high quality piece is well worth it. I have several high quality upholstered pieces that I’ve had for 10+ years now (basically forever in the world of a design blogger – ha!) and are still going strong. Now that we’ve remodeled our “circus room” (more updates are coming but you can check out our shiplap ceiling {here}). I’m on the hunt for a new sofa for that space.

I’ve looked at several sofas from Serena & Lily including {this sundial sofa} and {this beach house sofa} because their upholstered/slipcovered pieces are made by Lee Industries which is a top notch, high quality brand that has never disappointed. We own several Lee Industries pieces including our sectional sofa (you can get more details on that plus tips for shopping for the best sectional sofas {here}). But a newer brand, Maiden Home, has entered the field and their North Carolina made pieces are supposed to be of similar quality but available for less since they sell direct to consumer.

Here’s a comparison of two very similar bench seat sofas – the Serena & Lily version is $6598 (or $5478 with their current 20% off) plus $299 shipping while the very similar version from Maiden Home is $3500 plus $235 shipping:

Splurge: Serena & Lily Sundial Sofa  |  Save: Maidenhome Dune Sofa

That’s a big difference! I would actually love to hear from any of you that have a Maiden Home sofa or sectional – I’ve dug into the reviews but would love to know what your experience has been too!

You can also score a lot of great designer look for less finds at T.J. Maxx (did you know that you can now shop the store online?). I didn’t include any of their finds in this post because their inventory changes daily. Most of their great look for less finds sell out in a few days but they often get restocked later. Right now a few of their cheap home decor finds that don’t look cheap include {this small seagrass hamper} that’s similar to Serena & Lily’s La Jolla basket, {this fringe woven knot pillow} that’s similar to Serena & Lily’s Montecito pillow, {this dipped leg stool}, {this capiz pendant}, {these rattan counter stools}, and {these striped counter stools}.

I hope you guys enjoyed this post and found a cheap home decor piece (that doesn’t look cheap!) to try in your own home. Hope you have a great start to your week!