Designers Splurge on These 3 Things for an Expensive-Looking Living Room – and Save on Almost Everything Else

The best-dressed spaces often aren’t the most expensive. They spend loudly on the things you notice and save quietly on the things you don’t. Knowing where the money matters, really, is half the art. We understand this instinctively with clothes. A $40 pair of pants might read more like $400 beneath a beautifully cut blazer. So what does that high-low look like in a living room?

We asked designers where they're really putting their money. Ahead, three living room furniture finds worth balling out on, and three where no one will know you didn’t.

Where to Splurge

Sofas

‘Man, I wish I didn’t buy that super-comfy leather sofa! I never use it!’ said no one ever. A four-figure price tag might make you nauseous at checkout, but a great couch pays for itself. It’s the first thing you see when you walk inside, and probably the last thing you interact with after a long day.

‘A great sofa is worth the money,’ insists LA-based designer Ryan Saghian. It’s where you’ll watch TV and host wine nights, chat with friends and do absolutely nothing at all. ‘I always tell clients to spend on the things they’re actually going to live with and touch every day.’

A sofa also occupies an awful lot of living room. ‘We’re always trying to balance, to make a star in the room, something that’s going to attract a lot of attention, and the rest we can save on,’ says Anna Vasiltsova, founder and principal designer at Anna Design LA⁠. Choose right, and it’s going to set a more elevated tone for everything else.

Besides, anything tasked with bearing the weight of several people at once probably isn’t where you want to get loosey-goosey with quality anyway. ‘Spend on the sofa…. I’ve dealt with enough furniture claims to know those are the pieces that fail first when they’re cheap!!’ laughs Alex Perez-Rulfo, owner and lead designer at Hacienda Design Studios⁠.

Consoles

Rivaling the sofa in scale – and occasionally lining the back of one – a console gets its fair share of eyeballs. Whether it's acting as a media unit under the TV or simply defining the room's layout, it's prime real estate for your favorite decor. If it's got drawers, even better: there's room for all the bits and bobs we’d rather not see, which the less organized among us will be in and out of constantly.

‘I’d put money into a console that gets heavy daily use, since real wood and true joinery hold up,’ says Michelle Squire of Marin County-based Studio SQUIRE. Often a fairly simple structure, 'the difference between a well-built frame and a flimsy one shows up fast.’

And don't let its slim proportions fool you; a console can be bossy in a great way. A softly rounded sculptural style can really relax a room. Upholster it in pattern, and you’ve opened the door to more. For what is ostensibly the most basic piece of living room furniture, a console actually has a lot to say.

Vintage Chairs

Even the most expensive chair doesn’t necessarily garner the same ‘where did you get that?!' envy when we all received the same cinderblock-of-a-catalogue in the mail. For impact, nuance, and the simple fact that ‘they don’t make ’em like they used to’ is often true, designers insist that splurging on a one-of-a-kind vintage chair is smarter than it seems.

And this goes for decidedly non-nostalgic spaces, too. ‘I love to mix vintage pieces into my projects, and that’s where I’d spend more, perhaps on a William Plunkett armchair or another less obvious design classic,’ explains Tabitha Organ, interior designer and founder of London studio Tabitha Isobel⁠.

Roll up your sleeves and trawl a flea market or vintage shop when you can. ‘When it comes to buying vintage pieces, I like to see a piece firsthand to really determine the quality.’ And if not, 1stDibs, Chairish, and Etsy have no shortage of gems across eras from reputable sellers.

‘I’ll always make room in a budget for art or one incredible vintage piece because those are the things that give a room a soul,’ muses Ryan Saghian.

Where to Save

Side Tables

Do not get swindled by that very striking, $1,000-plus side table. It’s not a nightstand; it can’t store anything. And, what with the current ‘tiny’ table trend, some can barely hold more than a Negroni anyway.

‘Where we save on is accent tables, which are easy and inexpensive to refresh as the room evolves,’ notes interior designer Michelle Squire. Quality matters a little less here (how much does a Negroni weigh, anyway?), which leaves more room for frivolity. If this were an outfit, the side table would be the costume jewelry. Have fun. When you’re over it, move on.

‘There’s more room for play and experimenting here,’ says Charleston-based interior designer Jacqueline Wens of Jacqueline Wens Interiors. ‘You can also introduce color or texture without making long-term commitments.’

Coffee Tables

The jury was mixed here, but most designers agreed that you probably don’t need to spend as much on a coffee table as you think. It’s a focal point, sure, but it’s not bearing the weight of a human. A few book stacks and candles simply aren’t putting it through much, making this more a question of style than serious construction.

‘Coffee tables are areas where you can spend less,’ says Eric Winnick, founder and CEO of New York and Miami-based E Lawrence Design. ‘There are significantly more options available in the midrange market now, so it is possible to find pieces that look good without making the same level of investment.’ He cites Crate & Barrel and Arhaus as favorite in-betweens, while Spaces by Dee’s Daniela Alilovic favors Anthropologie Home, if she’s buying new at all.

‘I don’t tend to splurge on coffee tables, as this is where I utilize second-hand solid wood or well-constructed pieces (to balance out the budget). Although I do not want to fully cheap out, I find that low- to mid-range pieces work perfectly fine.’

In other words, save the four figures for something you’ll actually sit on.

Anything Trendy

Sometimes we're wooed by a quirky ottoman. An accent chair that every influencer seems to have had white-glove delivered overnight. Giving in to trends is part of the fun, so long as you don’t blow your budget.

Rudy Arevalo, interior designer at Phoenix-based Mackenzie Collier Interiors, says of-the-moment accents are where we can afford to be less precious about quality. Chances are, we’ll get bored and move on in a year or sooner anyway. ‘These are good opportunities to spend less without sacrificing the longevity of the pieces you use every day.’

Chrome? Scallops? Skirts? If you’re on the fence, big box is no design sin. In fact, something a little unserious alongside a fantastic oak console and leather sofa can make the expensive stuff look better. Discount retailers like HomeGoods, or zeitgeisty spots like Urban Outfitters, where you routinely find something you never knew your heart needed (what a rush), are perfect for this.

‘I’ve never really believed in design snobbery. Some of the most beautiful spaces I’ve seen are layered,’ says interior designer Jacqueline Wens. ‘High and low live together. These anchor a room and can age beautifully over time.’

Throwing money at a living room only gets you so far.

‘People are always surprised by how much I love getting a deal. I’ve never believed that good design means everything has to be expensive. I’ll put something important from an auction or a serious vintage piece next to something accessible without thinking twice. I spend where quality, comfort, or craftsmanship actually matters, and then I have fun everywhere else,’ says LA-based designer Ryan Saghian⁠.

As for where to have fun, the Spring/Summer 2027 New York Fashion Week runways dreamed up some pretty fabulous furniture fodder.

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