Best Modern Furniture Stores

I think Room & Board, and Design Within Reach in NYC are decent stores-- also love Mitchell Gold & Bob Williams (a little more pricey but nice stuff)...

Mitchell Gold is a great NC company, owned by a male samesex couple.

Crate & Barrel furniture is not a good buy. Design in Reach is overpriced ugly modern. Mitchell Gold is pricey but good value--I believe Mitchell & Williams broke up as a couple some time ago. Room & Board seems to be a cheaper, lower quality alternative to them. Mitchell/Williams is based in Atlanta, but manufactures in NC--they have an outlet store if you're not too far away to visit.

A Mitchell and Gold outlet in North Carolina?

I know of a darling little boutique called IKEA.

Roche Bobois

Actually CB2 is the better Crate and Barrel option - it's Crate and Barrel's more modern design line. They don't have a lot of stores, but I really like most of what they carry.

CB2 used to be the knock-off cheaper version of Crate and Barrel and then they did a complete flip - they made it into a more modern, hip line instead.

I'm always amazed at how much I like in that place - but again, not a lot of stores: 1 in WeHo, 2 in NYC, 1 in Chicago, 1 in SF.

I love Crate and Barrel. I might grimace at the price, but I am never upset I bought it, and I still have the furniture with compliments 20 years later.

CB2 stuff is kinda crappy though R7

Had briefly considered it because it looked good, but the couches are all pretty uncomfortable and the other stuff looks like it would break if you looked at it the wrong way.

And OP-- there's this wacky new invention called Google ...

R9, back when I was an inferior desecrator, I ordered a neutral colored sofa for a client from CB2. The cushions did not match. They tried three times to send a sofa with matching cushions and failed each time.

I don't want no heavy ass grandpa ranch furniture. If I can't move it around relatively easily, it aint for me.

Granted, I don't want my furniture breaking three years after I bought it, but what realistically do people mean when they say sturdy furniture? I don't expect furniture to last decades and am not trying to pass furniture down to my great grandchildren. If a piece last 15 years, I don't expect more.

Have you tried See's Candy? They have the best dark chocolate. Their cremes are good too.

I like Room & Board - they mix in brands that are classics with their own pieces and the quality is good. Baker furniture has some contemporary lines but they're expensive.

I can see this thread is going to turn into hissing cat fight!

You'll love it at Levitz!

I've had no issues with CB2 - but then again, I bought only accessories and lighting.

Never heard of CB2. I love CB!

Room and Board is not as good as CB to me. It has too much wooden and older person stuff for me. I like a more Scandinavian modern look, no wooden furniture

If you shop carefully, you can get some good pieces at both C&B and R&B. But you need to look at the craftsmenship. Neither company actually manufacturers much of what it sells. Most everything is a vended item, with upholstered items coming from one part of the world and casegoods from another.

And take a careful look at the "classics" at R&B. While the Herman Miller pieces are the real deal, the Knoll classics they sell, like Saarinen tables, are inferior knockoffs. I bought a sofa bed years ago from R&B that was well designed and well made (and comfortable according to guests who used it). I have some stone side tables from C&B that are terrific. Mitchell Gold has wildly uneven quality - they too source from all over the world in addition to their own factories.

All three are good options for furniture, but you must select wisely.

Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams (alas, separated but still business partners) are huge supporters of the LGBTQ community so if you want to keep your dollars in the family, consider doing business with them.

Avoid Ikea and most department stores and home stores, who focus on low quality / high margin goods.

I'm in the furniture business and once visited a massive factory complex in the middle of China with thousands of workers. Literally, cattle cars arrived at one end of the complex and leather sofas and recliners destined for the US market came out the other end. Every building in this complex did everything in between - tanning the hides, constructing the wood frames, creating the steel springs, a cutting and sewing room with 1000 women in matching uniforms working at identical sewing machines. It was surreal. It was all about quantity and little regard for quality. That's the type of product most mid-market furniture stores sell in America.

Again, what's bad quality? How long do you expect furniture to last? After about 15 years, I want to replace furniture for something new anyway,

Most people today are not looking for furniture that will last decades. It's another disposable commodity that we want to last for a few years to maybe 10 or 15 years. Looking good and cool matters most to most

What about Macy's?

[quote]Most people today are not looking for furniture that will last decades.

That's because they know it only needs to last until Trump starts a nuclear war.

Yep got couch from Macy's in 2002. Love it and receive compliments all the time

Macy's is great

An example of poor quality. A simple wooden table with a drawer.

The joints are glued. Not screwed and certainly not tongue and grove. Remember any humidity changes will cause these seams to open and the table will wobble when this occurs.

The back has been stapled on and is not properly sized. The back helps stabilize the piece and if not properly applied will destabilize the table.

How well does the top meet the base? Can you see light between those seams? If you pick the table up by the top, does the base move or shift when you jiggle it.

The finish has been sprayed on with evidence of overspray on the back and sides. The finish surface feels rough or sandy, meaning the wood was not properly wiped down or cleaned before the finish was sprayed on. These raised "sandy" areas will loose the finish after a few months of being dusted or cleaned.

Without a proper glide or slide, the drawer will stick or become so loose from loosened joints it won't function properly.

Test the table on a flat surface. Place it on a glass dining table which is 100% flat. See if it wobbles due to uneven legs.

Check any applied hardware or ornamentation, like pulls or metal leg caps. Is it screwed or nailed on, or merely glued or pressure fit? Over time, these can fall off.

The piece you actually get or take home will never look better than the sample you saw in the showroom. Before you buy, check the stores "damaged and dented" close out section too see if the table you want has been returned by previous customers due to quality issues.

Good advice, R26 Thanks!

Pottery Barn...EUUUWWWWW!

Restoration

I wouldn't want a sofa that moves around "relatively easily." Two friends of mine had one they were forever moving back into place. Fugeddaboutit.

[quote]And take a careful look at the "classics" at R&B. While the Herman Miller pieces are the real deal, the Knoll classics they sell, like Saarinen tables, are inferior knockoffs.

Re: Room & Board's Saarinen tables, R19. What is inferior about them, exactly? Also, I take it you would only buy the real thing, from somewhere like DWR or Hive.

Another question: what if I spill red wine on the white laminate top? How long do I have to clean it up before it stains permanently?

Thanks.

OP is looking for cheaper alternatives to CB. Comprehension, people.

Craigslist

Macy's is best answer

Since you're looking for bedroom furniture, and don't want to spend as much as DWR would cost, you might consider the Architecture, Portica, and Parsons beds at Room and Board. I've seen all in shelter rags over the past few years.

I'll throw this out there for what it's worth, OP. I'm a huge fan of midcentury modern and am amazed at how many pieces I've picked up at local secondhand and consignment stores. Good shit. Not sure if this is your thing or if you want new furniture only, but I've had good luck (and I live in a crappy second-rate burg).

Nice but CB has cheaper nice beds than RoomB

To The Dump, to The Dump, to The Dump Dump Dump.

Havertys

West Elm might be more affordable than C and B. I like Room and Board but it's pricier

Yeah Room and Board is more expensive

Joybird.com, thrivefurniture.com, inmod.com, lexmod.com, and allmodern.com all have mid-century modern-style furniture.

Check Raymour & Flanigan, too.

Mid century ?

West Elm is nice

Mid-century Uncomfortable. Tried it. No thanks.

West Elm looks like it will last for two years.

R31, high pressure laminate surfaces are not stain resistant. White or light colored laminate will stain if the spill isn't wiped up soon, especially red wine or a tomato sauce. While you can scour the stain away, you're really just removing some of the top surface. If you want laminate, be sure they aren't selling you melamine, which is basically a thinner version, also called low pressure laminate.

And the difference between a real Saarinen and a knock-off will be in the quality of the marble and how it's finished, the workmanship of the base and the finish on it, the method of attachment between the top and the base, and probably the warranty. But the most pronounced difference would be the thinness of the beveled edge and the figuring of the marble. Marble with a lot of mottling isn't as prized as, for example, a pure solid background with distinct veining. There are different quality levels of knock-offs, as with any other highly copied design. It all depends what you're willing to overlook.

Of the popular furniture retailers mentioned in these posts, West Elm is, in my humble opinion, at the bottom of the food chain.

Value City

I'm more inclined towards getting the laminate, R47. Thanks for your guidance.

West Elm=crap. And crappy customer service to match the crappy junk they sell.

In the old DL days, someone would've chimed in with "I make all my own furniture at home" by now.

Arhaus - very well made and styles from traditional to modern

There's an online company called BluDot that I am somehow on the mailing list for. Mostly midcentury. No idea as to quailty but it looks good.

Another one called Froy seems a bit less expensive and more authentically midcentury.

Again, no experience with quality on either, have just seen catalogs

Anne-Sophie Duval in Paris is still reliably fab, OP.

Look at these prices!

What gorgeous stuff though,R55 ! I weep for these tasteless bitches talking about "I dont care if it only lasts a few years"

R56, everyone is not a snooty wanker

Bump

HomeGoods

What does “clean lines” mean?

Scandinavian look + low price = IKEA.

What about thrift stores and good paint, OP?

R62 I once got a really nice desk from a thrift and painted it. It looked really nice when I was done.

Furniture is tough, you really have to see it in person - I can’t order it online unless I’ve already seen it in person. I feel like pottery barn is way overpriced with some things.

CB2 is good, I know people that buy from them for staging. What I’ve seen of CB2 tends to run small - although that could be because they are buying for staging.

Homegoods is very hit and miss. Some things look cute but they quality isn’t there - and some things are nice and of quality.

I just got a sofa at Raymor and flannagain, and it’s actually a higher quality and more comfortable than I expected.

A friend bought a Mitchell-Gold sleeper sofa ~20 years ago. I used to sleep on it when I would visit. It gave me such a headache, lying on the mattress all night, that for the first few years, I would choose to sleep on the unfolded-out sofa.

I don't know what they spray mattresses with, but it made this one unbearable. Not just a headache, either: I would become paralyzed for a spell. I knew I had to get up off of the thing to make the headache go away, but it took forever for my brain to convince my feet to take action.

I noticed last year that that effect had gone away. My friend wants to replace it, as it's gotten tatty. Hope he doesn't buy another from Mitchell and Gold.

I like small, modern furniture. Heavy big furniture is out of style

Mitchell Gold is crazy expensive. No way

Mitchell Good makes the sofas for pottery barn (or at least use to)

Target

Lazzoni and Jensen-Lewis have beautiful, well-made furniture.

And way too expensive

R70,

All of the furniture i currently have is from those two stores and I have no complaints. I’ve tried other “high end” stores and their furniture was pure crap. The furniture that JL and Lazzoni sell isn’t cheap, but it’s defibitely worth the price.

Naw, I don’t spend that kind of money on furniture

ValueCity

West Elm is all junk. Herman Miller is having a 15% off sale right now at DWR.

Herman Miller is insanely expensive. Ridiculous

Very expensive. Unmatched style and unbeatable quality. Definitely not for everyone.

Only for a few actually

And West Elm for everyone else.

West Elm is more expensive than most people can afford. It’s a higher end store

Wayfair

80 replies and NO ONE has mentioned Rooms to Go? NO ONE on this site is middle class and frau-adjacent???

The Room Store

most of the retail places mentioned the furniture is not well made. Dont buy a houseful at once, make purchases slowly. Buy antiques. Go to auctions and estate sales from wealthy households. Usually timeless quality and you can re upholster sofas chairs etc. Go for the exlectic look and mix and match.

Blu Dot and Joybird are pretty good---you choose the fabric/wood finish, etc.

Buy one piece at a time, it will be worth it.

R83, most people don’t want antiques.

OP seeks modern furniture, not antiques and grandma furniture.

Thread's close to a year old. We're still giving furniture advice to OP?

^ Correction - close to [italic]two[/italic] years old.

It’s a good topic. I need a new platform bed. Modern

SimpliHome

Bump

I shop exclusively at Crate and Barrel because I like the personal service. I cannot tell you how many times I've been in Macys furniture dept (White Plains) and no one is there, in fact, I've only seen someone there ONCE. I have too wonderful am chairs I bought at Ethan Allen...but that's another story ($$$).

I’ve found amazing deals at Wayfair and Overstock. Retail stores will never offer the same discounts. The quality risks are 50/50 - more about comfort - but they look great and I did a whole house for less than $5,000. Also depending on where you are LetGo was a good mine for me. If you have a car in a stylish urban area, you can find great stuff.

No love for Ashley's Home Store?

Figures. I forgot I was at the home of taste-free bitches.

Havertys

Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams is for people who still think Will & Grace is groundbreaking, watch the motion picture “Trick” on a regular basis, and are still looking for a tight black t-shirt at Banana Republic.

Not my style. I don’t like ornate furniture

Bump

Since OP is, in all likelihood, a flyover middle class frau, I recommend this:

No that’s too fem and cluttered. I like masculine modern clean lines, mainly espresso and dark colors.

R100, it cracks me up that you criticize the look above as “fem” but then you say you like colors like “espresso.”

That’s what the store calls it

This thread has been a god send. I recently built a new smallish home in a modern Scandinavian style, and I’ve never bought furniture in my life. I didn’t know of the existence of half of the stores mentioned in this thread.

I’ve bought a chair, ottoman and a bookshelf from Article’s website.

Wayfair, Overstock, IKEA, West Elm and CB2 all seem tacky as shit.

I’m hesitant to buy a couch unless I can sit on it person.

Dania and Room and Board both have stores in my town. What do you guys think of the quality of those companies?

West Elm looks nice, modern

I luv Article

Furniture is one of the things I would never buy online.

Article

I've updated all my furniture in recent years---Crate & Barrel was consistently disappointing, with poor value. I can say the same thing about West Elm. Design in Reach--totally overpriced and often ugly. Gold & Williams--expensive but generally good quality and they do have an outlet in NC. Restoration Hardware seems pretty variable. Room & Board is probably a good, cheaper alternative to Gold & Williams, although I didn't like their sofabeds.

More regional: Arhaus (not everything's a winner but worth a look); DC Area: Hardwood Artisans, not cheap, but excellent quality.

IKEA: Good for bookcases, stuff for a guest room, kid's room or other stuff you'll probably replace in a short time; surprisingly limited range of stuff for a home office.

Take note that places in the Gold & Williams class always have a sale of some sort--sometimes floor samples, sometimes bedroom, sometimes living room. Figure out what you want and wait for the right sale, it will turn up.

I like this sideboard

OP, your title says you want "Best" furniture, but the body of your post says you want something "cheaper" that Crate and Barrel. Best and cheap are mutually exclusive...you can have one but not both. And Crate and Barrel is already sorta at the bottom of the furniture heap. I guess there's always Goodwill?

I'm looking for a TV watching/reading chair. I want it to be big and oversize, but not a recliner. I want something with a high back and midcentury. Any suggestions?

Like this, R111?

West Elm is crap furniture. You'll be lucky if some Poor picks it up from the curb in front of your low rent apartment in two years.

Jordan's Furniture sells smaht pahts - and comes with a cup holder!

Allmodern.com and Wayfair.com has amazing modern styles that are affordable.

Thanks to whomever posted Allmodern.com. Their prices seem a little low, which worries me. How is the quality?

I'll let you know. I have a platform bed ($156) modern style dresser ($600) and night stand ($295) coming on Friday. I'm not expecting Ethan Allen, but hoping for better than Target

Could someone recommend a nice, modern, clean line dining room table? I want one in charcoal or Mocha.

Love this one