There’s no shortage of great homewares to be found online, but sometimes we prefer to shop the old-fashioned way: in person. (How else will we know if that couch is comfortable enough for a six-hour Netflix binge?) Plus, we love to support local businesses. But we also love a good deal, and it can be difficult to find bargains with so many fantastic (read: pricey) shops around town. To help us out, we rounded up some of our favorite New York interior designers and asked them to share their favorite furniture stores in NYC.
The 18 Best Affordable Furniture Stores in NYC, According to Local Interior Designers
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Published Oct 9, 2019
Interior Define
Crystal Sinclair of Crystal Sinclair Designs
1. Interior Define
For small or odd-shaped apartments, I love Interior Define because it offers semi-custom sofa/sectional options. The Maxwell custom sofa has a more traditional look with great lines and a gorgeous base. I love their Audrey fabric dining chairs too. They’re simple and clean but a great way to have fun with color.
2. Boconcept
BoConcept has wonderful options for affordable sofas and storage units. I’d use this versatile storage unit in a bedroom or living space. And this is my go-to sectional—not only does it have a sturdiness a lot of sectionals lack but it also feels just like a B&B Italia without the price tag!
3. Industry West
Industry West has a whole array of great items, including chairs, tables and lighting. The Porringer Lamp would look stunning in a kitchen or over a long dining table. And while some of the items aren’t exactly bargain prices, they offer a reasonable payment plan.
H&M
Ashlie Broderic of Broderic Design
4. H&M Home
H&M Home is the best kept budget-friendly design secret in the city. Peruse bedding, throw pillows, accents and accessories on the top floor of the 34th Street H&M. The Washed Linen Duvet Cover Set comes in classic white and stylish autumn hues, and the price point is just right for experimenting with different colors and textures. Mix different shades from the same color family to create an effortlessly cool, undone, Nordic vibe.
5. Sit Down New York
When working with a limited budget, don’t miss Sit Down New York in Union Square for eye-catching side tables and sculptural lighting. The concrete and wood Exeter Side Table seamlessly fits into an industrial space, and the Magnus Floor Lamp pairs well with a mid-century side chair to fill out an empty corner.
Mike House of Guerin Glass Architects + Composite Fabrication
6. Furnish Green
In my work, we don’t always have clients with unlimited budgets, so I have learned how to be resourceful when it comes to finding furniture. This has proven especially useful when furnishing my own homes. Thankfully, I also love vintage and lightly used pieces—I don’t think I’ve bought new furniture in the past five years. One of my go-tos in the city is Furnish Green. They have an amazing showroom in a totally nondescript office building in Flat Iron. It feels like a hidden gem out of old New York, and they have a keen eye for finding surprisingly stylish pieces and restoring them in a way that feels surprisingly current. I have a couple of allover-print sofas from the ’60s or ’70s that I treasure—similar to this one currently on offer.
7. Big Reuse
Another shop in this category is Big Reuse in Gowanus. They are a donation-only architectural salvage operation with everything from upcycled kitchen cabinets, appliances and reclaimed siding from water tanks to furniture of every era. Stock is constantly changing, so it’s best to go in person. My wife loves her vintage secretary desk repurposed from a school cleanout—similar to this one currently in stock.
8. Craigslist
If new or lightly used furniture is your jam, you can’t go wrong with Craigslist. New York has a seemingly never-ending supply of stylish denizens cycling through different apartments on their way up the corporate ladder. The savvy ones will try to sell out their entire apartment in a weekend tag sale, and if you go on a Sunday toward the end of the day, deals are to be had. Let their loss be your gain! The key to Craigslist searching is patience and putting in specific brand names you are looking for and staying focused on direct-from-owner sellers.
Maggie Burns of Maggie Richmond Designs
9. France & Son
For affordable chairs and furniture, I love France & Son in Chelsea. The store has a huge selection of designs online and in store. I’m currently eyeing all of their cane pieces and am hoping to use their Kangaroo Lounge Chairs for an upcoming project. I’m also loving the Naka white freeform dining table.
10. Cb2
For finishing touches and accessories, I love CB2. I recently bought the Links Marble Chain for a great coffee-table item and am coveting the Black Marble Bowl as a dining-table centerpiece.
Amy Courtney of Amy Courtney Design
11. Dobbin St. Vintage Co-Op
Dobbin St. Vintage Co-Op is my favorite place for vintage items at a steal. They have an ever-changing inventory, but currently they have a curvy three-piece sectional for $1,100 and an amazing deco three-tier cocktail table for $275.
12. Adaptations and Porter James
One of my favorite stores for affordable furniture is Adaptations and its sister store, Porter James, in Greenpoint. They sell vintage, antiques and new items, all at reasonable prices! Instagram is the best way to shop their most current collection.
13. Housing Works
I also love Housing Works because you never know what you’ll be able to find. Here’s a pro tip: Visit the locations in pricey zip codes to snag the best finds. Check out the window displays for higher-end auction items or just peruse the store. And remember, all the proceeds go to a good cause.
Louisa Roeder of Louisa G. Roeder Llc
14. Organic Modernism
In Manhattan, there are three stores within minutes of each other that are the trifecta for a variety of stylish and affordable furniture: France & Son, Sit Down New York and Organic Modernism. Organic Modernism sells its own line of sleek, custom-made mid-century furnishings that cannot be found online at sites like Wayfair. Items like this coffee table and dining table (I love this green marble!) you don’t see very often.
15. Brooklyn Junk
If you’re in Brooklyn, there are two places I go for bargains. If you’re brave enough to sift through what is often “junk,” there are treasures to be found at Brooklyn Junk. I love the thrill of the find and the constantly rotating supply of goods. This is a Williamsburg classic.
16. ABC Outlet
I also often venture to Industry City to shop at ABC Outlet to buy reduced-priced pieces off the sales floor for clients.
Urban Outfitters
Anna Kroesser + Amelia Strat of Kroesser+strat Design, Llc
17. Urban Outfitters
We often look at Urban Outfitters for pieces that have an Anthropologie Home feel, but without the price tag. We love a channeled bed, and this one is right up there as one of our top choices. We love the idea of pairing this with linen sheets so that it doesn’t feel too formal. And this side table is a conversation piece. When we find an affordable piece, we like to shout it from the rooftops, and this is one of those pieces that makes us want to say “And it was only $129!” because it definitely looks more expensive than that.
18. Ikea
A lot of consumers think of IKEA as just “first apartment furniture,” but there are so many beautifully designed pieces that are original and creative that can hang with even the most expensive pieces of furniture. We have a soft spot for perforated metal, and we especially love it in this sage green. A lot of dressers can look bulky, but this one has a lightness that feels like it can fit into any space. We’re big into mixing materials, so we’d love to see it in the same bedroom as the IKEA rattan headboard. IKEA is also a great place to shop for rugs. This rug is so versatile—it’ll fit with any style of decor and could go on either side of the bed, at an entry, in the kitchen, in the bathroom, you name it. And that price is pretty hard to beat.