I visited the West Elm Outlet in Industry City, Brooklyn, and loved the variety of discounted items.
I found ottomans for 95% off, affordable light fixtures, dining sets for 40% off, and more.
As an interior designer, West Elm is one of my favorite retailers for clean, modern designs — but it's not exactly known for affordability.
Enter: West Elm Outlet. There are fewer than a dozen of them in the US, and I went to the location nearest me in Industry City, Brooklyn.
As an interior designer, I was excited to find it offered a broad selection with steep discounts and tempting deals on everything from furniture to accessories.
Here's what it was like shopping at the West Elm Outlet for the first time and why I'll definitely be back.
The West Elm Outlet in New York City was huge and appeared to be in a massive warehouse.
The entrance looked very industrial, with doors that appeared to be 12 feet tall.
Mina Lisanin
It had organized displays, plus sections and boxes of seemingly random items to dig through. This made shopping feel more like a treasure hunt.
In a way, having to search for items makes the shopping experience feel much more rewarding.
Mina Lisanin
A few minutes into my trip, I grabbed a $9.97 pillow insert that would usually cost more than double that price.
The manager special felt like a steal.
Mina Lisanin
I couldn't find a cover big enough for it, so I grabbed a discounted curtain panel I could use to sew one myself.
It was fun to look through the different options.
Mina Lisanin
The next display was filled with dinnerware sets for an additional 40% off their ticketed price.
My chef of a fiancé approved of this section.
Mina Lisanin
Some sections of the store looked well-organized, like this shelf with sculptural lighting for 70% off.
The deal seemed great if you were able to find all the matching lamp pieces.
Mina Lisanin
When I looked up, I found a beautiful chandelier that was reduced to $576. After the extra sale, it was just $172.
If I had a car with me, I would have taken this light home.
Mina Lisanin
Across from the lighting, I found bedroom furniture on sale for an additional 50% off the ticketed price.
Some of these dressers looked incredible.
Mina Lisanin
There were multiple aisles of nightstands and dressers.
There were a ton of white nightstands to choose from.
Mina Lisanin
I appreciated the variety, from options with drawers to ones with doors. Many looked like they were in perfect condition.
I could imagine fitting so many things in this nightstand.
Mina Lisanin
They weren't all winners from a design perspective, though.
As an interior designer, even I was a little stumped by the tiny drawer for such a big piece.
Mina Lisanin
The store even had a few kid-sized furniture pieces.
I don't have kids, so I thought these would be perfect for our future English and French bulldogs.
Mina Lisanin
There were a lot of accent chairs on display for shoppers to test out.
I saw a lot of people sitting on this chair.
Mina Lisanin
I found a leather chair that had been on my radar for months at West Elm's regular store.
The light leather chair would look so cute in a living room.
Mina Lisanin
At the outlet, items are extra discounted if they have imperfections. The chair was an extra $200 off because of a tear in the leather.
A professional might be able to fix this tear — or it could be easily covered by a blanket.
Mina Lisanin
The sofa section was packed with options.
There were numerous sectional and loveseat options.
Mina Lisanin
They seem like a really popular item here — tons of them had "Sold!" signs.
Maybe I should have come earlier.
Mina Lisanin
I found great coffee-table deals, too. Most were a few hundred bucks off of the original price — plus an extra 40% off.
What's a sofa without a coffee table?
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As I walked around, I found more popular styles that were heavily discounted because of small blemishes.
The blemish on this table looked like nothing a pair of scissors and white paint couldn't fix.
Mina Lisanin
One of the best deals I found was a large $1,500 ottoman for only $70. I can't even find similar ottomans for that price at Target.
This ottoman at West Elm Outlet felt like the deal of the century.
Mina Lisanin
I left feeling impressed by the selection and all of the money I saved. I will definitely be back … ideally with a big car.
I loved the plywood look of the sign behind the checkout area.
Mina Lisanin
