"HomeGoods is one of those stores where you just don’t know what magical things you might find. In a recent viral TikTok video that’s stacked up close to 15 million views, influencers Aubrey Gavello and her fiancé Alex Wood show off some of the more, well, eclectic objects you might stumble across while HomeGoods shopping. Some of their finds? A “globe with no countries on it, just an inspirational quote” or a framed canvas of a cat masquerading as Mona Lisa.
Other influencers quickly jumped on the #shoppingathomegoodsbelike trend on social media, showcasing some of their HomeGoods shopping finds in viral TikToks, like a giant taco end table, pasta-shaped candle, and a leather jacket wine holder. The millions of views on these videos show how universal the experience of shopping at HomeGoods can be.
Why the Shopping at HomeGoods TikToks are So Relatable
HomeGoods is an off-brand retailer, meaning they use strategies like buying excess inventory from brands to be able to offer great prices and deals. Because of these strategies, it also means that their selection changes much more frequently than a typical retail store, so every time you go in, there’s bound to be a new selection to browse through.
Shopping at HomeGoods can be a bit intoxicating between the low prices and the treasure hunt feel of stepping into the store, but even if it seems like a great find (looking at you, taco end table), it doesn’t mean you should buy it.
The Original Shopping at HomeGoods Viral Video
Interior Designers Weigh In
Here are four things interior designers say are worth buying at HomeGoods and three things to skip if you want to elevate your home decor. As well as some advice on how to avoid those impulse purchases.
Cameron Jones, Interior Designer
Cameron Jones is an interior designer based in Raleigh, North Carolina, who starts each project with one goal in mind: design spaces that are meaningful, purposeful, beautiful, and unique to each client.
Tami O’Malley, Interior Designer
With over two decades in design, Tami O’Malley has created hundreds of products for brands like Target, HomeGoods, and Papyrus. She now brings that passion to Tami O’Malley Design, creating functional, thoughtful interior design for families throughout the Chicago suburbs and beyond.
What to Buy at HomeGoods
Shop: Lamps
“Good quality lamps can be really pricey,” says Cameron Jones, an interior designer based in Raleigh, North Carolina. “If you exercise patience, you can score some fantastic brand-name lamps at HomeGoods for a whole lot less.” One tip that Jones uses all the time with her clients is to look for lamp bases that you love, even if the lamp shades aren’t your favorite.
“Shades can easily be traded out for a more modern shape or a fun pleated fabric shade to make your HomeGoods purchase look super custom,” she says and recommends spots like Pooky or Ballard Designs to snag one of their pleated shades, a style that’s on trend right now.
Tami O’Malley, an interior designer in the Chicago area, agrees that lamps are a great thing to look for while shopping at HomeGoods. “I once snagged a pair of Made Goods lamps at a fraction of the price,” noting that a pair of lamps from this brand can typically run around $700 that she found for $59. She also found a Lillian August floor lamp on one trip that found a home in her daughter’s bedroom.
Shop: Picture Frames
Jones says she almost exclusively buys all of the picture frames that she uses in her own house from HomeGoods because they’re typically great deals. That said, she does warn that “you’ll have to weed through some terrible-looking options,” but promises that there are always great ones each trip she takes to the store. She recommends steering clear of anything overly trendy and sticking to classic gold and silver styles so that they’ll stand the test of time.
Jones also says that refreshing some of your older pictures with new frames from HomeGoods can instantly give your space an update, so she also says that taking a look at your current selection and taking advantage of shopping the inexpensive prices at HomeGoods to get new frames is an easy and quick way to change up a room.
Shop: Wrapping supplies
HomeGoods is a mecca for quality wrapping supplies like gift boxes, tissue paper, and gift wrap. One HomeGoods enthusiast on Instagram proudly showed off her wrapping paper haul, boasting that most of the rolls were only $3.99, while another enthusiast on Reddit highlighted how they found wrapping paper for $1 after the holidays were over.
Considering wrapping paper can cost upwards of $10 at other stores, both Jones and O’Malley say shopping at HomeGoods for gift-wrapping supplies is a must.
Shop (Judiciously): Home Accessories
HomeGoods has a plethora of accessories, but this is also a spot where it’s easy to go overboard with impulse purchases. “It’s so tempting to pick up little knickknacks that seem cute in the moment,” says O’Malley. “But if they don’t really serve a purpose or add meaning to your space, they’ll just end up cluttering things up.”
Both Jones and O’Malley say that coffee table books are a great accessory to purchase at HomeGoods. Large, oversized coffee table books can be a great styling tool for trays or shelves, and you’ll be able to find them at a lower retail price.
Jones says her other favorite accessories to shop for at HomeGoods include things like decorative trays and boxes, but that you’ll want to snap these items up when you see them because the best ones are never on the shelves for long.
Candles are a favorite accessory that O’Malley often adds to her cart at HomeGoods. “Look for simple pillar candles or seasonal scents with clean labels and white wax for a minimalistic vibe,” she recommends. “They are perfect for styling on a beautiful tray paired with an iron wick trimmer or brass snuffer.”
What to Skip at HomeGoods
Skip: Faux Plants
You’ll be confronted with lots of fake plant options at HomeGoods, but resist the urge, say both designers. “They generally scream faux and do not convince anyone that they are real,” says Jones, while O’Malley adds that “they can look cheap and just don’t bring the same natural beauty that real plants can.”
Both agree that if you’re looking to add fake greenery into your decorating, this is a category worth splurging on a bit more. Because they’re fake, Jones also makes the point that they last forever, so it’s worth it to spend a bit more upfront to get ones that actually look and feel like real plants.
Skip: Art
I know you might be after the Renaissance painting that features two girls “who are ahead of their times,” but skip taking it home with you. “The art at HomeGoods is mass-produced and lacks personality and soul,” stresses Jones, who recommends supporting an artist instead if your budget can swing it, as it’ll make your space more aesthetically pleasing.
If you have your heart set on decorating your walls with finds from HomeGoods, one tip Jones has is to skip any canvas-wrapped artwork and to go for pieces that are already framed. This will make your walls look more high-end than if you go with the canvas options.
Skip: Impulse Buys in the Checkout Line
To help curb impulse purchases, O’Malley recommends skipping buying anything from the checkout line and having a general idea of what you hope to find before you go in.
Final Tips for Shopping at HomeGoods
With endless selections and low prices, shopping at HomeGoods can be a great way to give your space a high-end feel without breaking the bank, but be wary of getting caught up in the excitement of great deals, or you might end up with things that you don’t need.
As the HomeGoods brand commented on Gavello and Woods’ viral shopping TikTok, “Sometimes you don’t know what you need until you go to HomeGoods.” Which is true: You just may stumble on the perfect item you didn’t know your home was missing during your next HomeGoods shopping trip.
Elliott Harrell, Contributing Writer
Elliott is a mom of two little girls and is based in Raleigh, NC. She spends her days running a sales team and doing laundry and her nights writing about the things that she loves. She’s passionate about all things motherhood and women’s health. When she’s not working, writing or parenting you can find her trying a new restaurant in town or working on her latest needlepoint project.