"Pottery Barn" Style on a "Target" Budget

I LOVE and ADORE the style of Pottery Barn. It's fresh, sophisticated yet simple, and most importantly, it's inviting. Whenever I look through one of those catalogs, I feel like the rooms on each page are whispering for me to "come on in and stay a while." Of course the masterminds behind the staging of those photo shoots know EXACTLY what they are doing and probably even went to school for a degree to do exactly that...create the desire in me to have my house look "that way." However, after locating the corresponding letter that matches that lovely ottoman, sofa, or whatever the piece may be, then glancing my eyes on over towards the column of prices...my mouth generally hits the floor and a thought similar to this runs through my head: 

"$999??? That's RIDICULOUS! Oh! And look! That's the SALE price...it's originally $1299!"

I consider myself a bargain shopper, and nothing about that price screams out bargain to me! In fact, sometimes it makes my stomach hurt a little bit to think that someone would actually pay that price. Maybe it's because I can't afford such luxuries on a whim, but I really think it's more of me knowing that if a piece of furniture in my house cost that much it would be carefully protected by a glass case so people could enjoy it from afar! So my latest aspiration is to create in my house something similar to what I fall in love with on those magazine pages...the style of Pottery Barn, but on a budget more along the lines of Target.

For example: I recently decided to change out the bar stools in our kitchen.The old stools were left "for free" by the previous owner of the house when we bought it a little over a year ago. And don't get me wrong...those stools came in handy on more than one occasion. But because of the way the kitchen is shaped, and where our table sits, I realized that those stools were creating a small obstacle course to go between the kitchen and living room. They were a wee bit on the "tall" side and were just a little too bulky and cumbersome. Plus...they don't really fit the "feel" of our house. They were metal framed with round, cushioned swivel seats, and high metal backs. Sound comfortable, right?

So...I began looking for new bar stools. I wanted something simple and less bulky, yet still comfortable and user friendly. Of course, I initially went to the Pottery Barn website. And BAM! There they were, in all their glory, for the small price of... $100...each. BUMMER. I really, REALLY liked them. Now that I had a general idea of what I was looking for, I thought to myself "let the bargain shopping begin!" I started to look at other websites...Macys, JCPenny, Target, Overstock.com, WalMart, etc. A few of the sites didn't have anything even remotely close to what I wanted, but then at JCPenny I stumbled upon what I like to think of as quite a steal. I was able to get the ALMOST identical stools for the much more reasonable price...2 for $79. That's less than HALF of what it would have cost for them at Pottery Barn. I was super nervous that they would arrive and maybe not be great quality or I wouldn't like them as much in person as I did online (my #1 fear). So after a few days of thinking, measuring, checking and double checking the return policy, I ordered them, and patiently waited the two weeks for them to be delivered.

Two bar stools now sit neatly under the bar in my kitchen. You no longer have to plan an attack route to get around them. They are modern but timeless. They're even a little distressed on top already so now I won't freak out when the first "mark" is made on them. And I love them. I am so happy with this purchase. I get giddy thinking about the money I saved to opt out of the name brand and go with the look-alike. Because with that extra money I can now buy something else to mimic the Pottery Barn look...all while keeping it within a reasonable budget!

Copy and paste the following link to check them out! (I even got them cheaper than they are currently listed for!)

http://www2.jcpenney.com/jcp/X6.aspx?DeptID=57087&CatID=67246&GrpTyp=STY&ItemID=16e2e8b&attrtype=&attrvalue=&CMID=57087|67121&Fltr=&Srt=&QL=F&IND=3&cmVirtualCat=&CmCatId=57087|67121|67246


Here's to shopping, finding great deals, and decorating!!!

p.s. Anyone who knows how to put a link in a blog without having the entire address like I do...feel free to share! I'm still learning!