Interior designer Brian Collins offers these tips for buying furniture and accessories.

• Fancy woods and veneers cost more than ordinary wood or composites.
• Furniture made of wood with glass inserts or special inlays will cost more than an all-wood piece.
• A hand-knotted rug costs more than a machine-loomed rug.
• Scale matters. Chunkier furniture is less expensive to manufacture than amore delicate piece.
• A sofa with loose cushions is usually more expensive than a sofa with tight cushions sewn into the sofa.
• Furniture made in large quantities and housed in the vendor's warehouse is going to cost less than furniture made in limited quantities.
• Exotic fabrics such as silks cost more than synthetics.
• Furniture upholstered with the manufacturers' fabric is less expensive than furniture upholstered with the customers' own choice of material.
• Silver-plated, polished stainless steel or brass hardware is more expensive than plain steel or iron hardware. "Quality hardware is like jewelry on a piece of furniture," notes Collins.
• A suede and wool accent pillow is going to cost more than a cotton and Ultrasuede pillow. Upholstered pieces with fringe or tassels cost more than a plain Jane alternative. Hand-distressed finishes and special paint techniques up the cost.
• Designer labels (Ralph Lauren, Coach) and name brands cost more than less recognizable labels. "The educated consumer is willing to pay more for a designer label because he or she feels confident about the designer's established track record," says Collins.
• Limited edition signed and framed art work costs more than framed art posters.
• To give a low-end room a high-end feel, Collins suggests splurging on a few upscale accessories such as a crystal ashtray or silver candlesticks. On the flip side, to keep an upscale room from feeling stuffy, he suggests periodically updating it with trendy items such as coloured glass vases or terra cotta pots.

Is there anything to positively avoid in a room, regardless of the budget?

• "Never use artificial plants," says Collins. "Stick to living plants or recently deceased objects such as dried, cut branches. If a real ivy plant would wither and die on the top of a breakfront, who's going to believe a fake ivy will thrive there?"