home consignment center: decorator's dream

I am NOT  kidding. If you are whatsoever addicted to home decorating, but don't have the dollars to match your fantasies, you MUST visit a Home Consignment Center. There are many locations, but I frequent the Newport/Irvine store.

The Home Consignment Center
Mid-Century Rating: 4 out of 5 stars (3.8)

18910 Teller

Irvine, CA 92612

(949) 250-5845

The Home Consignment Center

Rebecca's 5 Point Rating Scale (1-not-so-great and 5-fabulous):

• Store Size / Inventory - 5 (you name it, they have it from practical to decorative)
• Merchandise Quality  - 5 (nice items and a large variety)
• Organization - 1 (there are some patterns to merchandise placement, but really no rhyme nor reason as to where things are located in the store)
• Pricing - 3 (the prices are reasonable for used, quality furniture, much better than retail, however they do price high if they think supply/demand warrant it)
• Service - 5 (store always has decent amount of staff who are willing to help out)

Total Rating is 3.8 (5 stars)

Link to Yelp Reviews

In order to demonstrate how huge, overwhelming and totally disorganized the store is, here is my evidence:

Are you having a panic attack yet? I would say it's not that bad, but it IS that bad. On the plus side, there is a ton (maybe 2 tons) of merchandise, and if you enjoy wandering around and have at least an hour to kill, you can view this like a treasure hunt. You really don't know what you will find.

What follows is a sample of their wares. However, they promise inventory turnover of two weeks. I have been in frequently enough that I know they mean it, so these items won't be there when you visit. Something else fabulous will be there!

The prices are pretty fair and you can usually guess fairly accurately. For example, this cool little occasional table will be less than $150.

Personally, I believe it is best to go with some sort of goal just because the aimless wandering can feel rather fruitless in hind sight. My goal on my last visit was, "I need a credenza to put under the TV in the bedroom." I did not succeed. Come with measurements. Your smart phone (really? get with the program) can serve as a camera and they have measuring tapes readily available. Measure it up, then come back with a truck (or our truck) and buy it.

The Home Consignment Store excels at dining room sets. A good one like this will be priced anywhere from $500 to $1200.

This is a decent coffee table with a glass top. About $200. Mid-century (or craftsman) lines and handy underneath for books and magazines. Oh I forgot, I don't keep books and magazines. Never mind.

There were about 4 rows of armoires, stacked up just like this. Bring your skinny friends to run the gauntlet and find one you like. These go for CHEAP. Obviously supply and demand. Too much supply. I have been following this store for years, and NEVER have I seen it stocked to these proportions. Must be a recession effect.

Finally, a true mid-century something something. About $50 a stool, retail $200.

Little known fact, you can find patio furniture hiding among the sofas. This is a pretty nice grey faux wicker set. Hmmm.

Modern furniture, mid-century shape. Would make a nice end table or bedside table.

More modern that would blend nicely with mid.

Cool chair. Another cheap treasure.

I found this very interesting. This is a Room and Board table and chairs. Going for about $1000 which is about $2,000 discount over Room and Board. I think. The chairs are amazing. You could buy the table and chairs and consign the table back to the store.

Cool little green sofa. Tempting, but not sofa shopping! Sofas go cheap. I will never buy a new sofa again. They are always under $300 for sofas you would pay retail $1000-$2000. Honestly, with pets, sofas become a bit throw away, so consignment is a great way to go.

Nice little slipper chair. Under $100.

What is this woddity (term borrowed from Retro Renovation, means wonderful oddity)? It is a strange and unique chandelier. The lights are at the tips of the long silver thingys.

The art. Homes Consignment Store has a ton of original artwork. Pictures are stacked against walls, in piles of five or more. They are hanging all over the walls. Art is leaning against furniture. It is everywhere. And the prices are extremely reasonable. Pieces for $300 or less... I have picked up two different pictures that were both high quality and impressive sizes. But you have to REALLY dig.

Cherry blossoms could fit in nicely somewhere.

Modern red splash thing thing... Impressive size and about $100.

Okay, this one is TEMPTING and I may go back for it. $300. If you turn your head sideways to the left you can see birches with a green and orange forest. YAY. The size is enormous. At least five feet wide by four feet tall. This is the kind of thing that makes an impact in the room. Who is the artist? Who cares.

This Paris scene could be cool in the right house. Very mid-century.

Normally these stepped chests are good in Asian decor. But I kind of like it for an entry hall. Not fancy, made in a basic way. You could stuff shoes and umbrellas in there pretty easy.

Decent arm chair for about $100. This is a department store piece, retail $600. I have sold stuff through Home Consignment Store. It is very easy and they are incredibly helpful. You get, I believe, 50% of the sale price, which is not bad. Better than Craigslist for sure, and less hassle then eBay. The stuff sells quick, and they cut you a check within 30 days of the sale. They price at what they believe the market will bear for your used items ... And, they are PICKY. They have turned down some of my stuff (boo), given their limited floor space, they make the most of it.

Very mid-century little coffee table. Extremely nice price less than $100. Good in a family room.

Nice piece for $300. Great little dresser.

And another piece for a reasonable price that would be terrific in a dining room or a hall. Very art deco.

Makes a nice bedside table. Priced higher at $600 but I wasn't sure why. Obviously totally Asian.

Weird buffet. Cool glass top, the space between the cabinet and the glass top is a wine rack. Sort of dumb, sort of intriguing.

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