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We delve into the styles, prices and level of service offered by the top online sources for furniture.
Actually going to furniture stores is pretty passé right now. We shop for everything else online, so why not shop online for furniture too? Online furniture stores can present a much bigger range of items than a brick and mortar store can, and often include better shipping and delivery options than a store which expects you to take your chosen items home yourself. Here are the features that make an online furniture store stand out.
Styles
By shopping for furniture online, you can jump around from one furniture style to another without having to move a foot. If you’re in the market for modern, minimalist, and contemporary, you can browse furniture sites like IKEA, which has made a name for itself with its minimalist Scandinavian approach. All-Modern is just as sleek and modern as you’d expect from the name, with clean lines and spare designs. CB2, a younger brother to Crate + Barrel, is similarly up to date but with an eye to timeless style as well. It brings plenty of color into its contemporary-styled pieces.
If you’re after something more classic and traditional, you might prefer to try Overstock, which offers plenty of wood and mirrored styles. Apt2B also presents an interesting mix of edgy and classic seating, case goods, and other furniture designs, while Design Within Reach is a good address for iconic designs from the middle of the 20th century until today.
Some online furniture stores let you browse a range of styles all in one place. One Kings Lane and Wayfair are both hard to pin down to one particular style of furnishings. Both stores offer thousands (in the case of Wayfair, millions) of different items which span many different styles. One Kings Lane is a particularly good option if you’re looking for unique, one-of-a-kind vintage and market pieces alongside steep discounts from brands like Martha Stewart and Ralph Lauren.
Shipping and Delivery
One of the biggest advantages of doing your furniture shopping online is that you can frequently take advantage of free shipping. Apt2B stands out in this regard since it promises free shipping nationwide for every order, but this is rather unusual.
It's more common to find a store that offers free shipping on orders over a certain price. Wayfair and Overstock both follow this model, with free shipping on orders over $49 and $50 respectively. Overstock’s shipping costs are still very modest at $2.95 on every item under $50, regardless of its size, which doesn’t leave much room for complaint. If you already love shopping at Target, you can love it more because it also has free shipping on some items.
It’s worth mentioning that sometimes paid shipping is worth the cost. Design Within Reach does not provide free shipping, but the delivery service is in-house and full service, which means that they’ll bring your item all the way into the room where you want it, place it according to your wishes, assemble it if necessary, and take all of the packagings out with them.
Virtual App
No matter where you do your furniture shopping, the biggest difficulty is trying to imagine how an item of furniture will look in your home. Thanks to augmented reality apps, IKEA and Wayfair are among the online furniture stores which make it easy to see how your new couch or dresser will fit in the space available. You can just use the IKEA Place app on your iPhone or iPad to see an item in place in your home. Wayfair’s View in Room app does a similar job of showing a 2D image of your chosen piece in place, through your phone’s camera viewfinder.
Customizable Options
Some online furniture stores include customizable options within their range. Room & Board offers its pieces in many different colors, finishes, and sizes, but if you don’t find exactly what you’re looking for you can take advantage of the custom design option. While IKEA does not offer custom design, you can take their pieces and make them your own by interchanging shelves, adding or removing basket inserts, setting up furniture in varying configurations, and adding your own paint colors and finishes.
Easy Search Filters
When you shop online at furniture sites that have a huge range, it’s really important to be able to use practical and useful search filters. AllModern is easily searchable by category of furniture, material (such as glass, wood, or metal), and by sizing. Overstock also makes it simple to search for the right item by filtering results by color, style, furniture type, pattern, and price.
Sales and Discounts
It’s much easier to catch sales and discounts when you shop for furniture online. You can browse all of Target’s sale items all in one place when you visit its online store, which is much harder to do at the brick and mortar stores. Target always has a section marked ‘furniture deals’ on its drop-down menu. Outlet sales and discounts make more expensive furniture sites like Apt2B far more affordable. You’ll find chairs, couches, and tables at big discounts in its outlet section.
Then, there are sites like One Kings Lane, where there is always a flash sale going on. The items on sale are only ever available in limited numbers, and they're revolved quickly, so if you're after a furniture bargain, it's a good idea to visit it regularly to catch the next flash sale.
Reviews
Although it can be tricky to know exactly what you’re getting when you buy furniture online, other customer reviews can help you. Sites like Overstock include customer reviews to make it easier to discover what the color and fabric look like in real life as well as giving you guides to the actual feel of a couch or a bed.
It’s Easy and Convenient to Shop for Furniture Online
Shopping for furniture online saves you time and energy walking around stores. Whether you’re out to furnish an entire home or just want to update your apartment with one new piece, you can browse a huge range of online furniture stores. Try one of the stores we recommend above for style, sales, and savings.
