Interior designer reveals the home decor item you should NEVER buy at stores like Walmart or Amazon over ‘height’ rule

THERE’S one home decor essential budget-conscious shoppers should consider spending some extra cash on, according to an interior designer. Laurin White said she loves finding deals at big-box stores like Walmart and Amazon, but not every home layout is a one size fits all. Shoppers might want to reconsider going to a big box store like Walmart for one home essential, an interior designer said Credit: Getty Laurin White said homeowners should rely on professionals for the perfect drapes Credit: Courtesy of Laurin White She explained how drapery dupes often won’t fit windows, but said a professional can create the perfect length for any property. “I would absolutely save up and do draperies made for each window with the correct height, the correct fullness, all of those things,” White, who runs the Birmingham, Alabama-based studio Cambridge Row, told The U.S. Sun. Sign up for the Fabulous newsletter Thank you! “There are probably dupes out there […] but if you want your own pattern and to have it sit at just the right place with just the right draw with the beautiful flowy fullness that you need, you really need to invest in somebody that knows what they’re doing.” White stressed how this doesn’t mean big box stores should be off the table for cash-strapped homeowners. read more lifestyle stories “There are definitely things that you can find. I find them all the time,” she said of major retail chain wins. “I find really interesting silverware, plateware, decorative bowls. I’ve even found really amazing lamps and then I just swap out the lampshade. “I’ve bought lamps recently on Amazon for $30, and I faux finished them for eight dollars and they look just like something that would have been a couple thousand more.” Outside of shopping mistakes, White has also opened up about some paint choices she wouldn’t recommend to decorators. Most read in Lifestyle She admitted using darker colors like a charcoal gray or midnight blue may not be the best choices for bathrooms because it doesn’t feel clean. “It would be perfect for a half bath,” she said. Curtains can be perfectly sized if they’re made by a local shop Credit: Alamy “But I have learned after living in it for six years that it’s really hard to feel like it’s very clean.” White also said the colors can make mourning routines a bit more difficult, especially if you need to see yourself clearly. “It’s really hard to apply makeup because it’s just too dark,” she said. “And so I would just say totally play up a moody, smoky room color, maybe in a half bath or in a little bar area, or even in your kitchen in some cases, but you just need to be careful about how you’re actually going to use the space.” Comment now