When it came to finding finishes for our home renovation, I didn’t want to compromise on quality, aesthetics, nor cost. I was often searching for very specific measurements for my finishes, since real estate in a two-bedroom apartment in NYC is spare, and the internet offered way more options. While shopping for finishes in person allows you to touch and test things out before you purchase, the selection in stores often fall short. Plus, the best deals tend to be found online. I would go to a showroom to get hands-on experience with a product, then wind up purchasing it online, since I could often rifle up a coupon or two.

Another tip for saving money is if you hire a contractor, be sure to ask them about their contractor’s discounts for both in-stores and online. E-commerce sites and IRL vendors often cut a special price for professionals, who can then pass on those savings to you.

Here are a few sites that I used to find unique finishes for our home.

Bathroom fixtures and kitchen faucet: Faucet.com

We went to Faucet.com for all of our Kohler bathroom fixtures (Mostly, the Bancroft line is you want to be specific). It was also a dream of mine to have a rainfall showerhead, but also a handheld one for ease of washing our dog. Having a HyrdoRail helped me bring this dream to fruition. I also loved the look. That, the subway tiles, and the ceramic sink handles gave me a slight Industrial Revolution/Victorian Era feel. (Alas, a clawfoot tub was not to be. We had extremely sturdy existing cast iron ones that were in great shape.)

Cost-conscious tip: I went with chrome because it was a classic tone, and also because it tended to be the most affordable in price. Chrome was also the most readily available stock-wise, and if you recall from my previous renovation post, you’d know that we had a super tight window to pull off our reno. Their customer service was super quick and helpful. Our Delta kitchen faucet was sent without a part, and they were extremely quick in rectifying the issue.

Vanities: HomeDepot.com

I would have loved to have a luxurious, double-sink vanity, but unfortunately, it was not in the cards for our space. We had only 26” workable inches for a vanity, which made our search pretty difficult. Ultimately, I found these dove gray ones from Home Depot. The Carrara marble top wasn’t sealed, however, and an unsealed marble surface can be susceptible to water stains. Our contractor patched that up for us though.

Apron-front sink: QualityBath.com

I wanted an farmhouse sink for our kitchen, but due to the kind of odd configuration of our fridge, we could only fit a teeny 24-incher in the space. Finding 24” fireclay, apron-front sink proved to be quite the challenge. I finally settled on this one from Latoscana from QualityBath.com. So far, no complaints, and even though it’s actually quite a small sink, it actually is quite spacious and deep.

Knobs and drawer pulls: MyKnobs.com

We got our whole kitchen (counters and all) from IKEA. That can’t really be ordered online. We had to first get our space measured before we went into the store and picked out our cabinets and countertop. But for the hardware, we wanted something matte black that would complement our Delta Essa Faucet.

Kitchen pendant lamps: Amazon.com

Yes, I bought our kitchen pendant lamps on Amazon — and they were a huge steal at $26 a pop! The lamps look particularly great with LED Edison bulbs, which were exactly what we put in them.

Built-in bookshelf: Etsy.com

Etsy might not be your first thought when you hear the words “custom built-ins,” but Etsy was where we found our incredible bookshelf vendor. If you’re in New York City, I highly recommend Soil and Oak. They specialize in custom industrial pipe open shelving. We gave our measurements to Jay Lee, the proprietor of Soil and Oak, and our preferred metal finishes and wood, and he created the pieces in his workshop and installed everything for us. It was also extremely reasonably priced, and the I got the built-ins I had always dreamed of.

Art lamp and wall sconces: LampsPlusOpenBox.com

My husband and I have both always loved the look of art lamps for accenting larger canvases. This was a piece I painted specifically for our dining room, and just for fun, I managed to find an art lamp that was incredibly wallet-friendly online.

Open Box sells returned or floor models of Lamps Plus lighting fixtures at a discount —but rest assured, everything sold on Open Box is in perfect working condition. However, this means you never know what you’re going find on the site or how long the deals will last. Our picture light is the Ralston Antique Brass Plug-In Picture Light ($70) that we copped for a fraction of the cost.

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Feature photo: Breno Assis/Unsplash

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