Housing Works' Design on a Dime: Buy Designer Furniture & Fight AIDS

Photo: Getty Images

It's time to grow up and trade in the Ikea furniture you've had since your first apartment for something a little more stylish. What's that? You have champagne taste on a beer budget? Not a problem! Housing Works, the nation's largest community-based AIDS service organization, has teamed up with Real Simple magazine for the Fourth Annual Design on a Dime event.

The celebrity studded event features the handiwork of thirty of the nation's leading interior designers, who have created breathtaking rooms inside the Metropolitan Pavilion using donated, brand new, high-end furniture. The best part? You can buy the furniture (or an entire room) at 50 to 80 percent off!

Design on a Dime will also include a silent auction of photographs by renowned photogs like Herb Ritts, Ross Bleckner and Melanie Dunea—including Dunea's photo of the late, great Heath Ledger looking like James Dean.

All proceeds benefit Housing Works, which provides lifesaving services—including housing, medical care and job training—to homeless New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS.

This year’s Design on a Dime is co-chaired by actress Maggie Gyllenhaal and participating designers include Sills Huniford, Thom Filicia (of Queer Eye fame), Charlotte Moss and Jamie Drake.

If you want to get first dibs on the goods, a star-studded VIP benefit will be held on Thursday, May 8, from 6pm to 9pm The VIP benefit will offer exclusive preview shopping, cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, live entertainment and the opportunity to brush elbows with Calvin Klein's Francisco Costa and Queer Eye's Thom Filicia. For tickets, which start at $200, call 212.645.8111 x164 or log on to www.housingworks.org/dime.

If you don't want the VIP red-carpet treatment, you can still shop till you drop on Friday and Saturday when the event is open to the public free of charge.

Redecorating your apartment has never been so easy, affordable and charitable!

Check out the deals after the jump!

Here's a sneak peek of the deals you'll find:

• B&B Italia burgundy wool sofa, $495 (retail: approx. $4,999)
• Knoll chrome barstool with black leather seat pad, $225 (retail: $889)
• Charlotte Moss turquoise table, $55 (retail: $137) and chairs $24 ea. (retail: $55)
• Bernhardt white leather club chair, $175 (retail: approx. $500)
• Vernon Panton blue linen and chrome high-back chair, $350 (retail: approx $2,500)
• ’70s vintage chrome floor lamp with marble base, $750 (retail: approx. $1,750)