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Rugs a little ratty? Throw pillows pilling? Bedding that says ick instead of ahhhh? There are smart ways to style up your décor without breaking the bank. A good place to start: discount

home goods stores. You can shop for stylish items at the big-name retail outlets — think HomeGoods, T.J.Maxx, Marshalls, etc. — without making a large investment, says Karen Otto, chief

staging officer for Home Star Staging in Plano, Texas, who redecorates homes for sale to increase their appeal. Although there are plenty of cheap prices at discount home goods stores, a mix

of high- and low-quality items means not everything is a bargain. How do you figure out when it’s worth opening your wallet and what’s best left on the shelf? We asked interior designers

and home stagers what they look for when shopping for top-notch items on the cheap. JackF/Getty Images LAMPS THAT LIGHT UP YOUR LIFE — AND WON’T WOBBLE OR CRACK You can instantly and

inexpensively update a room with new lamps. But before you buy, take a minute to evaluate their construction, says Artem Kropovinsky, founder of Arsight, an interior design studio in New

York City. Make sure a lamp is sturdy with a solid switch and a securely attached cord, Kropovinsky says. If any part of a lamp seems loose or wobbly, he says, it’s not worth it, whatever

the cost. That goes for the lampshade too, he adds. It needs to be “well-stitched and made of durable material to withstand heat from the bulb.” Steer clear of lampshades with glue drippings

or plastic liners that have chips or dents, says Diana Hathaway, founder of the interior design firm GorgeousColor.com in San Francisco.   If you absolutely love a lamp base, but the shade

is poorly made or damaged, you can always purchase a shade separately, Hathaway says. Just be sure that it is a third of the base’s height and covers the electrical elements, says Debbe

Daley of Debbe Daley Designs. PRO STYLING TIP: “Budget lamps look more expensive in muted colors and natural materials like wrought iron, wood, linen, glass or rattan,” says Vannessa

Rhoades, founder of Three Bears Home Staging in Katy, Texas, and the author of _Just Right! Easy DIY Home Staging_._  _ Look closely at the finish, Hathaway adds. Metal that’s been painted

to look distressed or aged can look cheap in your home when surrounded by higher-quality furnishings. Opt for a solid color instead. Stephen Noulton/Getty Images RUGS THAT REFRESH YOUR ROOM

— AND WON’T CURL OR FRAY Rugs can transform any room by adding new colors and patterns, Hathaway says, but you want to inspect the quality before you roll it up and take it home. First

thing: Check the corners. Though it can be hard to get a complete look at a rug in a home store, Hathaway says, the corners of a rug tell you if it’s very lightweight and prone to curling or

wrinkling. A rug’s binding can be another good giveaway when it comes to quality, Hathaway says. Run your hand along the edge to see if there are spots where it is already unraveling or

missing completely. That’s a clue that it’s not well-made. Density is another way to check a rug’s structural quality. You do that by counting the knots or loops on the back of the rug — the

higher the number of knots, the better the quality because the rug will be stronger, Kropovinsky says. Decent rugs should have 150 knots per square inch. Look carefully at the fibers or

strands of the carpet; they should be thick and plush. “If you can see a backing through them, it’s a cheap rug, and when it mats down, it will not look great,” says Lisa M. Cini, president

of Mosaic Design Studio in Columbus, Ohio. “Look for a good edge binding that won’t pull off and check for shedding; if it’s shedding now, it will continue to shed.” PRO STYLING TIP: Be sure

to buy a good-quality rug pad, which can enhance the look of an inexpensive rug that lacks weight while guarding against wear, Hathaway says.