Discount home stores promise low prices, but among the mix of high- and low-quality items, not everything is a bargain. What to know:

Lamps “Budget lamps look more expensive in muted colors and natural materials like wrought iron, wood, linen, glass or rattan,” says Vannessa Rhoades, author of Just Right!: Easy DIY Home Staging.

Rugs Count the knots or loops on the back of the rug. Decent rugs should have at least 150 knots per square inch, says Artem Kropovinsky, founder of Arsight, an interior design studio in New York City.

Storage baskets “Look for a metal frame, not a wire frame, which tends to become loose over time,” says interior designer Debbe Daley of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. —Wendy Helfenbaum