Very few people can spend with wild abandon and buy the pieces of their wildest dreams without ever needing to glance at a price tag or consider a budget. There’s almost always a compromise somewhere, even in houses that appear to be filled only with expensive art, fine fabrics and custom furniture. You might assume that if someone has the funds to hire an interior designer, they also have the funds to buy the very best version of everything, but that’s rarely the case. Knowing where to invest and where to cut corners is what makes a great designer.
Beata Heuman is known for confidently including the occasional high street piece in her clients’ homes – the £175 La Redoute rug is now especially recognisable – but does it really matter? Arguably, a home could look less authentic and zapped of character if everything was bought in one supermarket sweep of Pimlico Road and Chelsea Harbour. Might it be our old tat and the occasional IKEA shelving unit or Zara Home tablecloth that keeps things interesting?
We were curious to know, do interior designers believe you can achieve a high-end look with high street pieces? Can mass-produced or accessibly priced homeware slot into our homes and appear timeless and hard to detect? If so, where do they like to shop for clients?
Emma Ainscough
“You definitely don’t need to procure everything in a home from the likes of Pimlico Road. I love a high/low mix and in my humble opinion, that’s what makes a space feel more authentic and curated. Textiles are one area where you can save money by mixing and matching. Choose one hero fabric and use it cleverly on things such as headboards and cushions where you’ll need less meterage, then use less expensive plain linens and velvets where you’ll need to use a lot of fabric. Hackney Draper is my go-to for plains – their colours are so useable and always seem to slot in well. The Cloth Shop also has great stripes to complement any scheme.
Artwork and prints are another example where you can combine high and low effectively. Don’t be afraid to use less expensive prints in the same space as a beautiful and valuable piece. King & McGaw (plus other affordable art print suppliers) offer high quality photography prints and posters which, when used on an oversized scale or amongst varied medium artworks, can create great impact. Equally, Glassette sells lots of affordable art, often on a small scale, which can look so effective in a cosy corner of a room or bought as a pair.”
Joanna Plant
“The most interesting interiors are always a mix of high-end and low price point, differing periods and styles. Some of my most favourite finds have been from the high street and I have a particular love for IKEA! I’ve written previously about La Redoute’s bed linen, which continues to be my go-to for well priced, heavyweight washed linen and it also sits happily alongside my antique sheets collection. I’ve been buying brass bathroom accessories from Rowen & Wren (which have a simple design and are well-made) and I couldn't function without plain linen from Volga Linen – I use it on every project without fail.
In short, whilst we specify many beautiful things from high-end suppliers, it's the accessible resources that you have in your back pocket that we rely on time and time again.”
Kay Westmaas, Studio Westmaas
“I think it’s achievable to have a high-end look whilst also buying some items from the high street. I'd advise people to choose affordable things which are not obviously from a particular shop (otherwise they’ll be quite recognisable!), such as bed linens, bed throws, table lamps, vases, and even dining chairs.
Personally, I've bought some great inexpensive items from Etsy (in particular this table) and there are some great makers on there. I also sometimes shop at West Elm for clients as they have a good selection of lighting and side tables. Even Sofa.com has great sofas and armchairs which I've bought for clients in the past and they’re happy to use a customer’s own material.”
Chloe Willis, Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler
"I queued for ages at the Tottenham branch of IKEA to get my hands on one of Ilse Crawford’s Sinnerlig daybeds for my London flat. I combined it with cushions in Le Manach's ‘Les Elephants’ fabric and West African indigo cloth on the seat. I’ve also used painted IKEA picture frames in the bathroom.”
Angelica Squire, Studio Squire
“I believe you can achieve a high-end look even with the inclusion of some high street pieces. The emphasis should be on some, of course! My first tip would be to avoid anything that’s too trendy and has already become a mainstream item. Instead, look for pieces that feel less obvious as they’ll stand the test of time.
The other thing to bear in mind is that often, expensive-looking rooms are extremely well layered. That means cushions on sofas, books on tables, artworks dotted about. This final – and often much more personal – layer of decorating is what gives a lot of character to a room and helps to blend in the affordable, widely-available pieces.
Cushions are a good one to buy inexpensively but try and opt for something plain over anything distinctly patterned that might give the game away. The variety of high-street sofas on offer these days has become unbelievably decent. Sofa.com and Swoon are just two examples of shops where you can find shapely styles that look more expensive than they were.”
Jessica Buckley
“Whilst not so easy, I think it is possible to achieve an overall high-end look in a room if you pay careful attention to the details. The finishes of mass-produced items tend to be cheap and not particularly fine, so I would avoid anything with poor quality stitching, naff ‘antique’ or brushed metal finishes and shiny fabrics. When putting together a scheme, the trick is not to saturate a room with products all from one place (this advice stands for any budget). When looking at upholstery, I’d advise sticking to natural fabrics, items with wooden finishes (rather than faux veneers) and swapping out cheap foam cushion pads for down/feather ones.
In terms of high-street buys which can work well; try the plainer lighting designs from Pooky (but combined with a shade from somewhere else, or vice versa), also The Wall Light Company do very smart and reasonably priced wall lights. Elevate high street furniture by replacing the handles with hardware from Matilda Goad, Willow & Stone or Chloe Alberry. I can also recommend OKA, their plain velvet and linen cushions are great quality and come in a superb range of colours. For affordable artwork and prints, I like the Tate Modern Shop.”
Sarah Stemp, Sascal Studio
"Buying from high-end suppliers is a real luxury and more often than not, it comes with a hefty price tag (eye-wateringly so in some cases) but as we reiterate to our clients, you're paying for an incredible level of quality and craftsmanship and investing in pieces that will last a lifetime. With key items like sofas, dining chairs and armchairs (essentially, pieces which will get a lot of use), higher quality pieces are definitely worth the investment if your budget allows. Thoughtfully designed and well-constructed furniture will be so much more comfortable and last so much longer than something cheaply mass-produced.
Having said that, it doesn’t mean every single element of your home needs to be high-end to achieve a polished look. Whilst it’s worth the investment in the sofa itself, it doesn’t mean the fabric needs to be designer too. Places like The Cloth Shop on Portobello Road do a great heavy linen in lots of different colours and it upholsters beautifully.
Likewise, we use Etsy a lot to source inexpensive rugs. Our living room rug (for example) was purchased affordably from a seller based in Morocco and it’s one of my favourite things in our home. To fill walls, Choosing Keeping and Pentreath and Hall have lovely inexpensive options (we have used their botanical prints in a client’s house).
Essentially, think of your home in the same way you think of your wardrobe. If you invest in well-made, quality pieces (a great pair of jeans or a classic wool coat) you’ll initially spend more but you’ll keep those items forever and, over time, the cost per wear pays for itself. You can always experiment and mix in high street pieces but the overall look will remain timeless.”
Anna Haines
“It’s absolutely possible to use lower priced pieces in a home that looks high-end. It helps us manage a budget when we can present our clients with inexpensive ‘high street’ options which are still well-curated and well-made. Whilst it is important to source one-offs, it’s a comforting leveller to introduce products that can sit happily within this melange and yet be much more affordable.
We often source soft linen valances from the ironically titled ‘Secret Linen Store’. Their cream colour works well in country bedrooms, plus they’re a lovely washed linen and a fraction of the cost of a bespoke valance. The secret is out! La Redoute is also super for children's bedroom furniture and handcrafted rattan headboards. We have specified this one before and it looks really smart.
Finally, we love the sweet spotlights from Rowen & Wren – they’re handmade and in a beautiful antique brass finish. We like to source these in place of recessed spotlights for a softer, more subdued light.”
Christian Bense
“I think alternating high and low is the key to achieving an overall high-end look. It’s super obvious when someone has just thrown money at a room. And regardless of how lovely, you can always tell when money trumps taste, irrespective of the style. Not only does it create more of a layered look, but incorporating a few inexpensive pieces makes a home feel lived in and collected rather than fresh off the showroom floor.
It’s about trying to find the pieces that are cheap(er) but look expensive; so I would avoid sets of upholstered furniture from the high street – i.e. pre-upholstered dining chairs – and instead incorporate affordable design with items such as side tables, lamp bases and even mirrors. For example, an £80 metal lamp base from Pooky is really just the vessel to carry an interesting shade. So in that instance, spend the money where it counts. Likewise, a simple marble side table from La Redoute or Graham & Green just becomes a surface to display the more precious styling items that sit on top. When you shop on the high street, make sure it’s not for the hero piece but rather the secondary piece that blends into the background.”
Tiffany Duggan, Studio Duggan
“Our ethos is to create liveable yet dynamic interiors which transcend styles and eras. It’s all in the mix, so we’re very comfortable incorporating touches of high street, but only on the accessories side. We like Zara Home for glassware, West Elm for rugs and Pooky for lighting.”
