Moving into the blank white box of a new apartment is simultaneously thrilling and intimidating. Your furnishing choices will decide how the space looks, feels, and functions. Minimalist sanctuary? Bohemian pleasure den? English countryside manor? Giant archival fashion closet? Frazier's larger-than-life apartment? The paintbrush is in your hands and the square footage is your canvas (within the bounds of your security deposit, of course). With our guide to the best online furniture stores, you'll have all the tools you need to get started.
When it comes to interior design, the issue isn't usually knowingwhat you like, but instead knowingwhere to find it. You’re probably not going to drive over to the local furniture store and pick up a matching tan leather living room set, but shopping for furniture online can quickly become a confusing slog. Every home is different, so there’s no one size fits all approach to finding the right pieces. That said, we’ve been all around the internet and have landed on a handful of dependable places to get started. Here are 35 of the best online furniture stores to shop for your home, from your home.
Best For: On-trend accent furniture and decor
The younger, hipper, brother of furnishings mainstay Crate & Barrel, CB2 uses that big company know-how to partner with top designers and deliver high-design trends at a more reasonable price point.
Best For: Modern design for the whole home
Chances are, you’ve popped into one of West Elm’s many brick-and-mortar stores and have been soothed by their signature warm, modernized mid-century style. Their site has every home good you could need, nearly all designed from the brand’s Brooklyn headquarters. And for a large-scale brand, West Elm has made significant investments in sustainability and social responsibility, landing onBarron’s “100 Most Sustainable U.S. Companies” list for the last four years.
Best For: Attractive furniture with great prices and fast shipping
A lot of companies talk about “cutting out the middleman” to give customers a better product at a lower price. Article is one of those rare brands that actually seems to have made that happen in a real way. The stylistic range is fairly limited to clean-lined, updated-mid-century, but if that’s your vibe, Article has prices you can wrap your head around, and maybe the fastest shipping on the block (because they run their own warehousing and logistics, most orders arrive in two weeks or less).
Best For: Award-winning design at a reasonable price point
Blu Dot launched over 20 years ago with the mission of filling the gap between high-end designers and IKEA (no shade, they’re also on this list). As a winner of the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award, they’ve succeeded in blending form and function. Plus, because they keep every part of the process in house, they can keep costs accessible to the average design enjoyer.
Best For: Unique, inspiring pieces, sleek storage