Hey, we got that!

Now that we have been in the retail business for a little over a year

 I can't help but notice some things related to owning a shop.  

Prices and styles and inventory and all that good stuff.  I subscribe to a few

 shopping vendors like Joss and Main and One Kings Lane and I love looking 

at their offerings. They have pretty pics all grouped in themes, and it is pleasant to

  look around their offerings and sometimes find something you just gotta have!

 But the funny thing is that I have noticed more than a few times that the things

 we have picked out to sell at our stores are often very similar to the items

 I see online at these vendor sites~but with a huge price differential! 

After scrolling around tonight online at One Kings Lane and looking at 

their vintage things for sale I was saying to myself, 

WOW~we have THAT! 

And our prices are sooo much better....I thought this would

 make a fun blog post~so I am sharing OURS and THEIRS. 

See what you think~

OKL French folding chair $259

Maison Decor french bistro chair $89

OKL Vintage Tole Floral Chandy  $819

MD Vintage Tole Chandelier $395

OKL Vintage Iron Patio Set  $589

I just got a set of four of these identical chairs! 

No table, just the chairs so you decide if the table is worth an extra $400~

MD Vintage iron garden chairs ~set of 4 / $120 

They have the same mesh seats under the vinyl cushions.

Antique French Iron floral chairs paired with a different table 

OKL $895

Well the very first thing I ever bought for my first Maison Decor store was a set of 

4 of these old iron garden chairs with the shield back floral detail.

They were white and chippy. 

I since painted them and was selling them for either $35 or $45 a chair.

I can't believe this price of $895!

And then I saw another One Kings Lane listing for the same style.

Iron chairs, chippy white paint ~ OKL 3 for $855

The same chair but now only 3 of them without a table

for almost the same crazy price. Mine were 4 chairs for under $150.

Maison Decor iron chair in hot pink with vintage linen upholstery

Under $45 a chair, just makes me wonder....

How can their chairs be that much? 

OKL 1970s French Country Tole Tray  $119

MD Tole Tray $89

Its not painted in the French Country style, but its got a great color, 

the artist was accomplished and its older than the OKL tray.

Not a huge price difference I will admit~but I am still better in the price department!

OKL Antique Baroque mirror $2999

I just brought home a mirror a little bit smaller than this one, but not by much.

It resembles it quite a bit too~what do you think?

MD Antique gilt mirror $195

It's not quite as ornate but its pretty comparable in style, size and age.

Its got a grand style feeling about it and it is lovely.

And you get to keep about $2800 in your pocket!

You can take that cruise to Bermuda and have your baroque mirror.

OKL Old Designer Books $129

I love using old books for decorating.

MD Decorator Book Collections by Color $70

I thought it would be cool to get some antique

 and vintage books with color coordinated spines. 

At the shop we have a group in green, blue and a pinky coral group. 

They look great for styling our vignettes but they also will be nice on my customers's

table tops or their book shelves as accents with an old world look.

OKL 1950s Coffee Table with Cabriole leg $489

MD Vintage coffee table in Antibes Green $149

Our table is painted green and doesn't have  a cabriole leg, 

but a ball and claw leg instead, 

however that is about the only difference...and of course the price.

Look how fantastic this table is in our window display~and the price is right!

Antique Gothic Mirror $1349

Really? These prices are sometimes insane!

I love old mirrors and cannot resist nice ones at good prices for our stores.

MD Gilt Arch Mirror $140

Its not gothic but its an arch top and has a similar feel and size....

and over $1000 less!

We don't have the best photos representing our unique finds,

 but we do have a good eye for finding the things

that make a house a home.  Home decor accents speak volumes about your own 

personal style as well as make you feel at home in your own dwelling.

Creating a beautiful comfortable home takes time finding the right accent pieces.

We have some special one of a kind accessories. 

We also carry reproductions in addition to our vintage offerings

 that you have seen here in this comparison blog post.

I only buy things I would feel comfortable using in my home~

and those are the things you will find at Maison Decor!

If you have been following my blog you might know that I have used accents

from Home Goods to finish up clients homes.  So I was thrilled to be asked

by Home Goods to be one of ten national designers to be part 

of their Pinterest campaign called Happy By Design! 

Starting in August I will be pinning to the 

Home Goods board, Happy by Design,

showing off some home accessories that I have found at Home Goods 

and how I use them in my designs in the home and in my shop!

  I will be blogging more about this program next month, 

so look for that. I love Pinterest for all the inspiration I find there~

and if you haven't been to Pinterest, you might start at my 

Pinterest page and look through my boards by clicking here.

 Home Goods loved them!

I am teaching Chalk Paint Introductory classes in our new store, 

as well as other workshops  so I am super excited about

how nice the space is for our workshops.

If you would like to read more about the class or register you

 can do so online by clicking below

Maison Decor Workshops

Come learn how to use the paint with the wax and create lots of finishes!

Its fun and easy and you will leave with enough confidence 

 to paint your kitchen cabinets!

Come see us at our new location

150 Main Street Reading Mass

Mon- Fri 10-5

Saturday 11-4

781-942-7400

Located next to Harrow Chicken Pies~

(cuz everybody knows Harrows!)

We have many new pieces of furniture coming in all the time

and  although I try to get these loaded onto our online shop so you can 

look at the latest while wearing your jammies....I will admit a lot

of things never make it online~but if you want to check it out 

visit us at www.shopmaisondecor.com and click on furniture.

 making Life more Beautiful is our motto!

We can customize your furniture with Chalk Paint® by Annie Sloan

or show you how to do it yourself if you stop by the shop.

There is a popular post I wrote about decorating a house 

on a tight budget in 30 days.

I almost exclusively shopped at Home Goods for this client!

Click on the photo below to read the post.

Wherever you choose to shop to decorate your home, I hope you 

choose the things that make you happy and speak your decorating language!

Are you a traditionalist with a twist? 

Do you favor a bit of French Cottage in your decor?

A splash of bohemian color and texture with a dash of rustic style?

Thats the great thing about decorating~picking a style that feels like you!

At Maison Decor we are all about 

Making Life More Beautiful