You don't need a lot of money to have a beautiful home, but you DO need to tap into your creativity! I was talking to a designer friend of mine about Overstock recently because we both think that it's a great resource for finding furniture. Lots of my friends avoid large discount retailers because let's face it, at first glance most of it appears very generic -- they can be a sea of beige, black and cream for the most part with lots of pleather, microsuede, and 'boxy' or 'puffy' styles. While you have to do a fair amount of digging to find the pearls, I promise that if you surf Overstock regularly you will definitely find some hidden treasure and here's how...

Imagine this $296 Cream Oval Back Settee in your entryway reupholstered with your favorite pattern... I can imagine this covered in vintage linen or a luxurious sand velvet.

Use your imagination! When I shop Overstock I look for potential in everything, "What If I did this..." and then I try to imagine how a chair or table would look with new fabric or repainted. With a little creativity, which can include anything from new feet to hardware, paint, fabric, etc., you can trick out lots of Overstock finds into pieces you'd love to have in your home that are totally showroom or magazine worthy. Let's look at this chair for instance...

Not many can get away with animal prints in their home. I'd love to see this turned leg Zebra print arm chair in a living room, only I'd paint the frame white and go with a kelly green, turquoise and white graphic pattern for the fabric. It would also look great painted navy with a navy and white chevron print. Or you could keep the chair black and reupholster it with a natural cream and beige fabric like this one from Hancock (only $9 per yard!) for a more traditional look. I also can see this chair reupholstered in a lovely ikat from Robert Kime (any Kime ikat would work beautifully on this frame).

Some basic tips when you shop on sites like Overstock...

• Look at the lines of a piece. Will it play nicely with other pieces already in your space? Does it have good lines? Look beyond the color or the upholstery - do you like the actual bones of the piece?
• Measure your space. Don't go by the photos, always look at the measurements! Will it fit? Don't buy things just because you think you may use them at some future time or because it's a bargain. Unless you are an interior designer, buy what you will use in your home right now.
• Look at the materials (wood, particle board, glass, Lucite, etc.) so you know what you're paying for. And while not everything is amazing from a quality perspective, think about it: How great does your ottoman really need to be to hold the occasional feet or a tray stacked with books? You may not need to spend $1,000 on a side table or an ottoman, put the big money into pieces that you'll use often like a dining room table and chairs, mattress, or a sofa.
• Pull together images of your favorite pieces from magazines and see if you can find something with a similar look on a site like Overstock? With the help of a furniture upholsterer (or a book if you feel inspired), you can often DIY your way to owning that dream piece you thought you could never afford or find.

How about replacing the zebra print on this round ottoman with some suzani fabric? The Uptown Zebra Print Ottoman is only $182!

I'd love to get my hands on this Ellis Asian-inspired chair ($269) because with a new fabric, I could use this in my office for guests or at my desk. I think it would look great with a graphic black and white print. I can also imagine painting it a fresh, bright color (like lime green or teal) and add a bold fabric from Madeline Weinrib. A few of these chairs would look lovely around a white parsons table in an eating nook.

This hand-painted satin black accent Chest looks great as-is for $296 but imagine it painted teal with new hardware or painted goldenrod? Stunning! You could wallpaper the drawers (inside) with a funky print to add more of your own personality to the piece. It would be a nice piece to greet guests in a hallway with a large mirror above it or some art work. I also see this chest as a great place to store mittens, mail, and more!

With a little imagination and some elbow grease, you can really stretch your dollar and have furniture YOUR way by shopping sites like Overstock. Best part, you can tell your friends that you had a hand in designing your Overstock purchase because well... you did!

(images linked to their sources above)