Target's Lookin' Good in West Elm's Clothes

Intrigued by Target's Home Design Event, I convinced myself that I needed to make a trip to the Red Dot Boutique to ~~check out the deals~~ buy some laundry detergent asap. Little did I know that I was about to stumble upon a couple of VERY affordable capiz pieces that were nearly identical to the items I had been eyeing at West Elm for months. Here's a run through...

Besides the price (Target:$105, West Elm: $229), the only notable differences here are the shapes of the bases and shades — sleek squares for West Elm vs. clunkier ovals for Target.

1-23-09 target mirror.jpg
As with the lamps, the differences are few. The West Elm is slightly larger at 24" vs. Target's 19.7," but also significantly more costly at $199 compared to Target's modest $70. Target's mother-of-pearl version is a bit flashier with two more rows of smaller shell pieces, but in real life the sheen is actually more similar to West Elm's than the pictures let on.

By now you know the drill: the price (Target at $49, West Elm at $99-$149 depending on the size) is the main difference, and the second is a slight variance in shape (West Elm's smaller version has a cube base, whereas Target's comparably-sized base is rectangular).

Overall, I prefer the cleaner lines of West Elm's products, and I appreciate their part in making these shell pieces popular. BUT, a good deal is hard to pass up, and Target is certainly holding true to it's "design for all" promise. Does West Elm loyalty trump a bargain?

(Images: 1, 3, 5: West Elm, 2,4,6: Target)

Comments (17)

most likely all made in the same factories in China and Korea the specs are almost the same just slightly altered for each distributor.

The cool thing is that no matter your budget, you can get the look.

Great move for Target.

And very true, LoriSF. It's all mass-produced anyway.

If West Elm's stuff was better quality, might justify the price difference. But from what I've seen, their stuff is overpriced for the level of quality. Go Target!

what in god's green earth is the point of "west elm loyalty"?

please explain to me how it would be better than "target loyalty" or non-loyalty???

i bought the little tree branch side table for $89 and love it- looks very reclaimed which i think it is

I've been wanting a capiz floor lamp since I saw one on One Tree Hill. I was so excited when I saw it in the store, but now I'm worried it's going to become too trendy and I'll get sick of it. The price is nice though!

I second the question about "west elm loyalty?" WE and Target are both chain stores carrying mass produced products and provide no value beyond "hey, I got a nice lamp that ANYONE else can have"

Hurrah for Target! I do know people who buy almost all of their stuff at Pottery Barn, West Elm, and Crate & Barrel but never at Target because that's where they buy paper towels. Nothing I've seen from WE has been any different in quality from the target stuff. maybe "loyalty" should be "prejudice"

As for the 'value' of an item being less because it's mass produced- that's total crap. A item is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it- any item, no matter who made it or how.

Where do you think that 'unique' ceramic 50s table lamp or 'antique' coffee table at the flea market came from originally? Chain retailers, especially of home goods, are not some sort of new concept. Most of the stuff you see anywhere made anytime in the last, say, 75 years was not created in an artists studio by a dedicated craftsman, one at a time, especially for you. A lot of times it's not even original in the sense that it is likely a knock off of another mass produced item (just like this West Elm and Target capiz example).

A decor item's value, in my mind, should not be judged by its perceived rarity and more by its usefulness and beauty. A mirror from Target or West Elm may in fact have MORE value for most people then a hand carved and one of a kind piece for tons of reasons- it appeals to them, it's affordable, it's easily replaced if damaged, it's contemporary, it updates their space, other items can be easily obtained to coordinate, etc. All the reasons one person may value an item less, may be the reason another values it more.

Ha! My husband and I were at Target earlier today and he specifically pointed out the floor lamp as looking like crap. I generally find both West Elm and Target furniture/home decor not worth the price. I'd rather pay more for something of quality.

The line from Target is NOT good quality...I'm sure neither is West Elm...so if the quality doesn't bother you then def. go with whatever is cheaper.

And DayJay that is not reclaimed wood...and it's not made out of real tree branches either...rather some other wood/material mass produced and carved out to appear to be branches.

The economic models currently utilized by most 'corporate citizens' are vastly different from those relied upon 75 years ago. It may not matter to some people how or by who an item is created, but that is not how I see the world and I just don't place much value in the object itself. But that's my opinion.

If I buy something at Target I don't feel guilty for not shopping at West Elm, I feel guilty for not shopping at a store that carries locally manufactured items (especially as I'm Canadian and I have to cross the border to shop at either) or from something like esty. So yeah, I buy local artisan-produced goods, including furniture, when I can. Yes, department stores employ some members of my community, but they do so at a tiny wage, so they don't need my money to make payroll. Again, that's my opinion.

But that's neither here nor there. A paid endorsement I get, what I don't understand is how anyone could say that they feel loyalty to a store that doesn't sell items made just for them... Come on, if someone makes a table and tells you they thought of you when coming up with the design you might feel some loyalty towards that specific person, but other than that? Nope. Brand prejudice is more like it. All the more reason to carry reusable shopping bags with cute designs on them - no one can tell you bought your toilet paper at Wal-Mart instead of Target.

LoriSF and zuke, you are correct...

as a former lighting designer for a US-based Taiwanese company...our major bread & butter client was Wal-Mart, although we also sold items to/dealt with Bed Bath & Beyond, Home Depot, Z Gallerie, Staples and occasionally Target as well as a few others.

What happens is that there are a slew of major factories in China-most "specialize" in a material...some are better at wood, or glass/acrylic...some metal specialists etc. At certain points in the year all those retailers go to China to go over line ideas, supervise/check on prototyping for the presentations...and many of the presentations to major retailers occur in Hong Kong/Shanghai etc. One a trend or two of the season is established...a lot of bets are off!

Case en pointe: a sequin lamp I designed as a "Tween" request from Wal-Mart was presented & shown to them...they loved it but their line budget did not allow for extra items that season...so they did not buy it from us. Fast forward a year or two...and I saw the same lamp in Target (tweaked ever-so-slightly) and another I did actually show up in a trade magazine for the manufacturer Tensor!!!! Verbatim from my sketch...color & all. The sketch was clearly passed around the factoryfor the highest bidder...no matter whom. Ditto with a floor lamp that was too modern and high spec for wal-mart-they saw it...and lo & behold following season it showed up in Z Gallerie. Flattering, but frustrating!

Moral of the story: although you can create intellectual property rights in the U.S. between companies for protection...once a hungry factory sees that they have made a prototype for you and your "client" does not buy it...well, they have many other clients waiting to pounce with a lamp that "they just happen to have made a sample" for...and voila, it is sold somewhere else. Target, curiously enough, requires that any sketches or prototypes done on their request for proposal...become automatic property of target, and you lose rights to show it to anyone else. Ergo, the most unique design I ever did... I lost - they did not end up making it that season, but neither did i ever "see" it anywhere else.

And, they can indeed alter slightly to each client's potential buyer's budget (ergo more basic bases, nicer quality shades, the need for knockdown for shipping costs, etc.)

I guess to "sum up..." don't feel guilty for loyalty...as there is none on the other end ;-) Just plain ol' buy what you like, just because you prefer it.

Geez Scarletdog, lighten up. Not everyone can afford one of kind pieces. You can pull a room together with a mix of unique and "mass produced" items if you have vision and talent.

Hi guys and gal,

I just want to inform everybody here if you guys are looking for these kinds of products just let me know or you can e-mail at rommelb@comclark.com or laforge@comclark.com. I am a Lighting/Furniture designer base in the Philippines and who has a 14 years of experienced in the area. I work and designs for lighting companies in the US. We have a design and manufacturing facilities in the former US base in the Philippines called Clark Air Base now called Clark Freeport Zone, Clark, Pampanga.

For these kinds of products are mostly made in our country because of the indigenous material like shell, etc. But it very sad to say just like other people who shared their comments here like Lizztopia, the original items were made in the Philippines but then were copied by Chinese businessmen and mass produce in their country but the quality is not as good as it was originally made in the Philipines.

So if anybody here wanted something but are to expensive you can contact us or me in our factory at 6354-9209065002 (my Mobile), 6345-4991253 (office) or you can e-mail me at rommelb@comclark.com and we can fabricate anything for you which I think is much cheaper but good quality and original products. We can also do a custom job just for you so you will be the only one who will have this item and we will sign an agreement with you for confidentiality and originality upon request. We have done so many custom jobs for hotels and resorts and some residential for the US market. Some of them are well known and to give you some you can visit their website like www.varaluz.com, www.fineartlamp.com, www.kalco.com, www.hinkleylighting.com and more...
We can arrange any shipment as you preferred, so let us know if anybody is interested. Thanks and hopefully we can help make or provide some of your dream fixtures that will lighten up your homes.