Oh, honey, I feel your pain.

I have hoarded the white cotton seersucker bedspreads that are a summer staple from my youth, and their only flaw is that a laundry in the Boston area decided to print a black customer number on the corners.

But they are threatening to wear out after 45 years. How annoying. Try to find good ones of those any more.

You might try Vermont Country Store for those. They have white seersucker and white plisse, although they feature the weird minty green colors so I almost missed them.

Lampshades - the ones that come with lamps nowadays are also so cheaply made. I had two lampshades custom made to get the right off-white colour. Cost me way too much money but it was worth it (decorating wise). I need two more but that's another budget.

Wiping rugs - I agree. We have an end-of-the-roll remnant carpet store that will custom bind remnants but again, it isn't exactly cheap.

I would like to find anything that doesn't fall apart before it's time - from furniture to dishtowels.

I have some rugs I bought at HomeGoods, but I bought a couple for my dad's new place at Target. They also have some basic pillows -- not a lot, but some. I would think Bed, Bath and Beyond would have basic pillows, but I haven't looked for them there.

Try Company Store for basic pillow covers in cotton, linen and velvet solid colors. I would also look at Pottery Barn. They also sell them as covers, so you have to buy the inserts separately, but shipping is easier and less expensive if you have to order them.

> I would think Bed, Bath and Beyond would have basic pillows, but I haven't looked for them there.

Not as many as you would think.

Bedspreads have been a problem for years, though, ever since the disheveled bed look came into fashion. My mom died in 2001 and we had a terrible time finding anything but "colonial" style bedspreads even in her later years.

I have found some nice, basic runner/rugs at Fred Meyers. I don't know if they have them in your area.

I think Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel are great for moderately priced pillows, and Crate and Barrel in particular has a decent selection of plains in the $40-50 range.

But sometimes you want to stay under $20 or so and that used to be the place for Sears and Penney's and such. Like we had plain corduroy covers for pillows we would take in the car with use, use to watch TV on the floor and such. The last one, a 40 year green corduroy cover, disappeared after the car accident because my mom still used it in the car.

I seem to be able to stay under the $20 mark if it is for Barbie or some other bizarre or faux-riche design.

Pal - Kohl's has a decent selection of budget friendly, "plain" pillows. Also, do you have a Garden Ridge in your area? I think I have seen a fairly good selection there.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kohl's Solid Throw Pillows.

Target had some pillows last night that were about $15 for a pair in a few solid colors and others with more texture that were $13 to $20 each. Some were on sale this week. I have some I bought there over the last few years (two different colors and textures bought in different years) along with a single down filled one from Home Goods on my family room sectional. I won't buy more expensive ones for the room because my dogs lay on the sectional and my sons throw them on the floor at times. Nothing delicate or too hard to replace.

Thanks, Palimpsest - I haven't thought about Vt.. Co. Store in a while. The last time I ordered something similar from them, I was surprised by the poor quality. Perhaps they've gone back to their earlier standards by now.

On the subject of rugs by the front door, I've been very pleased with House Pet tiles from Flor. I bought them in two colors to work with the rug in the living room, and assembled a bordered rug for our city front hall, and used the rest at the back door entry at the kitchen. I cut the reddish tiles in half to make the borders.

They are great for wiping dirty shoes, they are a cinch to vacuum, the cats can scratch on them without any visible damage, and they look much nicer than anything else I've seen.

Here is a link that might be useful: FLOR House Pet carpet tiles

Not to highjack, but I never thought of using the FLOR tiles to make a door mat. Can you pick the whole thing up to clean underneath w/no problem? It's a great idea if you can. I like my entry rugs to blend in rather than be something that catches one's eye.

Pal: I always used to buy those bound remnants for a few bucks at a carpet dealer & had forgotten about them til now. You could just pitch them when they got nasty. They don't do that anymore? Probably too much $$$ labor to bind.

BB&B has some plain colored 20" pillows for $19.99 and 25" 'floor' pillows for $24.99. Also pillow covers for $14.99 if you have inserts.

There have never been more home decor accessories available but one often has to search for specific products.

IMO our expectations have grown out of all proportion to what is reasonable if we think every store can carry every product we might want. Especially since most people also expect the highest quality at the lowest price. Is it any wonder many stores are no longer in business?

Here is a link that might be useful: Bed Bath & Beyond pillows

It's getting harder to find the basics in clothes we wear, too. Like a nice white shirt. Something basic, not a tone-on-tone pattern in the weave. No mini-pocket over my right boob (so that my left one feels left out). No zippers, no trim, no sequins, no fringe. Not see-through.

Sure, you can find one or two plain white shirts each year - but not many and you wind up buying the one that fits "less poorly" than the rest. And that's something I like to buy every year or 2, because they yellow with time & a new one is SO extra-white & pretty :)

As for home dec, I thought my problem was that my style is out of sync with the rest of the market so I'd just blamed it on myself. I mean, I must be looney-tunes to think a plain black curtain rod is in style when we have ORB and chrome with fancy finials around ;)

Lucky there are TONS of things available and the internet has made shopping a 24-7 coast to coast option, I agree.

But the inexpensive basics have all but disappeared.

If I wanted to decorate a room with gold lame, feathers, black sheers and animal prints, I could do almost with one stop shopping. Try to find a medium green pillow in cotton or linen, a green that doesn't glow in the dark I mean.

This may be regional or even because I live in the middle of a city, but there are TONS of available inexpensive but ugly faux riche accessories, and the mid range things are pretty plentiful but Pottery Barn, Pier One, and IKEA are all a hike. ( I don't have a car). Plus, they have a specific "look" that isn't always consistent with what I am looking for.

I will pay $200 for a pillow if I like it enough, but a lot of my clients won't and sometimes I just need something to fill in, or because I am moving, to stage a little bit, or for purely practical purposes (like I don't want people getting soot on their shoes up in my attic and then tracking it on my good rugs.)

Sometimes when there is more available than every before, a real basic becomes hard to find.

Engineer, I have had to order all the basic curtain rods I am putting in my sister's house online. (Especially rods that return to the wall). If I wanted something with a gold fleur-de-lis or colored lucite ball on it, I would have multiple choices within a few blocks. A plain seam-lock rod or continental rod for rod pocket curtains, forget it.

I buy white shirts from Lands End and Brooks Brothers. Online of course, which supports what Palimpsest is saying.

Jab65, I put a thin pad under the FLOR things. The tiles are attached to each other with their proprietary "dots," which are circles of strong tape. And I admire your intention to clean under them - something I do fairly rarely! They are so flat that nothing substantial accumulates under them.

I think this sort of thing goes in stages. Embellished pillows become popular--they are available at all price points. But that makes the simple, unadorned pillow difficult to find, and perhaps only available at high-end retailers, meaning that they are very expensive.

Towels used to be like this. Back in the 80s, it seemed it was impossible to find a non-velour towel, let alone one that didn't have embroidery or flocking or ribbon trim or the like. I disliked the velour towels because they didn't dry as well as plain old terrycloth.

You used to be able to buy sheets in lots of different prints. Right now, I'm looking for a nice floral print sheet set, and all I can find are children's character sheets, and 1000 thread count sheets in solid colors. Or very expensive, although lovely, floral sheets, but I really can't justify spending over $500 on one set of sheets.

I've always had a red, white, gray and black kitchen. Right now, I'm buying extra dish towels and things in red, because for a long time there, it was almost impossible to find red accessories for kitchens. And I'm sure, given time, it will be again.

I buy plain pillows at Pier One.
I did stop buying them because they just became cat fur pillow magnets.
I make them. Or covers for them. But stopped, again due to the magnet factor.

Sheets & towels are definitely in and out. I like a percale so they don't wrinkle as much. It's all that soft stuff right now. And priced stupidly. IMHO.

I have to wear white, 100% cotton button down, button collar oxford shirts for work. I can buy blends for $15 and up at Kmart and places like that. Can't wear them (blend) and the quality is as expected.

I can buy extremely high end priced shirts by designers, and we're talking mens, at $65+.

I finally found Lord & Taylor, "guys" size 20 shirts. If I were smaller in the bust they could be an 18. Always on sale, they're about $27.00. I can wear them, stain them, bleach them, iron and starch them and off I go.

I am open to other ideas....
But try finding a woman's shirt that isn't stupidly expensive or embellished. Yes, the Gap, J Crew & Land's End are in those categories. We're talking uniforms!

I have found exactly one long sleeve dress shirt that I can wear off the rack. Most shirts need to be substantially altered, by taking them apart at the top of the sleeve, and sometimes to have the tails shortened. Most tailors won't do this or can't do it well.

I would like to know when this chrome and silver finish or fake mahogany partial board gig will be over. All I want is a brass or brass look rectangular side table/snack table height thing with a glass top and simple lines. I want this simple practical thing without spending over a thousand bucks. I guess I'm asking for the moon!

Fashion is a fickle mistress. Whether it's home decor or clothing. Yes, yes, and yes!!

Ditto the issue with finding inexpensive basics. The cats like to nibble on lampshades, so they usually have a short lifespan here. No way am I spending more than $30 for a lampshade, and I've been lucky enough to find some plain basic shades at Ross, Tuesday Morning, Walmart, etc. I also buy every one I see at the thrifts. I've become a white/cream lampshade hoarder!

I like to be able to see the exact color and quality of most things in person, so I totally understand not wanting to have to order every single thing online.

I spent the weekend looking for trim for a window treatment. Looking for a medium sage green or even an olive color. A gold or dark taupe would have worked, or even a burgundy, because I'm just that flexible. There were 10 shades of teal and aqua, lots of grays, lime green, all sorts of trendy things, but no simple average green.

Clothing...O.M.G. I occasionally need to dress up for work. I want to look like a woman, but without wearing anything too revealing or that looks like clubwear. I need comfortable business-wear flats...no sequins, no bows, no peep toe.

I could go on and on, but you all know what I mean.

I've been looking for *plain* off-white/ivory pillows in a silk, even a textured shantung, for at least the last two years. Anyone seen such an animal? ;o)

Company Store has ivory silk pillow covers.

Here is a link that might be useful: Silk Pillow Covers

OMG lascatx, the raw silk is exactly what I had in mind!!! I'm wanting something with a little texture and love the look of the raw silk. I've seen natural linen but find it's too informal/casual for the look i'm wanting. The price is beyond reasonable! Thank you so much! ;o)

Glad that worked for you!

Pal, limited to natural and denim, but Levenger also has a non-furry, non-day glo reading pillow. A bit pricey, but available at 20% off right now.

Here is a link that might be useful: Levenger reading pillow