Warehouse Specialty Is Used--but Upscale--Furniture

Out in an industrial park in Chatsworth, way off the retail track, is a spacious warehouse jammed full of home furnishings. Mostly contemporary in style, the furniture and accessories have been used on commercial photo shoots and in designer showcase homes. Not quite new, but hardly used--much as floor samples in retail furniture stores.

But the prices at Designer Interiors Warehouse show a deep reduction from regular retail. On my recent visit, I first spotted a dining table with a travertine marble top (42 by 72 inches) and pedestal base. It was marked $2,190. Fair price, I thought, but no big deal. Then I learned that the six beautiful hand-carved Italian chairs were included. Suddenly it became a great deal. The table alone was worth the price.

Then I checked an iron and glass cocktail table; $1,090 seemed a touch high until one of the very helpful sales ladies pointed out the matching console table and end table that were included in the price.

So when I hovered over a bedroom set consisting of a headboard, footboard, two night stands, mirror and a six-drawer dresser, the $3,990 price for everything wasn’t a big surprise. The retail price on this set would have run around $8,000.

A lot of the pieces here are part of a set, like the stunning Italian leather (almost like suede) sofa with a matching love seat and chair at $2,990--a price the sofa alone would fetch at many an upscale furniture store.

But there are some deals that stand alone. An upholstered chair suggesting a deco style with lovely and unusual lines is only $290; a stunning curved, lacquered entertainment center, which would be the conversation piece in any room it graced, was $1,490. At retail it would run around $2,200. Another faux stone entertainment unit, 9 feet wide with a mirrored back, lights and glass doors, was an excellent buy at $1,690.

The accessories at Designer Interiors Warehouse are outstanding, especially the picture frames. One ornate silver frame, about 36 by 24 inches, is priced at $290 and easily could fetch $500.

A few traditional pieces were also well-priced, like a pine armoire at $890 and a chenille-covered down sofa, chair and ottoman for $2,910. This is a great place for serious furniture buyers who are looking for contemporary or transitional pieces that are high in quality but affordable in price.

* Designer Interiors Warehouse, 9132 Jordan Ave. (one block east of Topanga Canyon Blvd. and just north of Nordhoff Street), Chatsworth. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Closed Wednesday. MasterCard, Visa. (818) 709-9918.

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Weekend Super Sale: A big sale is in progress at Strouds Clearance Centers, where about 60% of the merchandise is made up of imperfections and markdowns from their other stores. The cotton thermal blankets at $9.99 are a great deal. Laura Ashley fans will love the Bed-In-A-Bag sets. A queen size set was $189.99 in the regular stores; the price at the Clearance Center is $89.99. Plan for winter with $40 flannel sheets at $11.99 and unisex velour robes that retail at $40 but here sell for $19.99.

* The nearest Strouds Clearance Centers are in Pasadena at 3742 E. Foothill Blvd., (818) 351-9605, and in Los Angeles at 8104 Beverly Blvd., (213) 655-5780.