Need a simple guide to find chic and affordable furniture and accessories you can purchase online? Here it is! Whether you’re just setting up your vacation rental or want to upgrade an older property, the right furnishings will make your pad pop online and in person.
We know guests expect the decor to match your rates. Let’s not disappoint them. In fact, let’s wow them!
I love a high low mix of new and old to create a warm and inviting atmosphere. If you’re not familiar with the term, basically it means mixing affordable items with more expensive ones. Old and new. Finding quality antique or vintage pieces is infinitely more affordable than trying to find the same quality new. Stretch your budget with finds from local auctions and online auction sites like eBay. Use my resources to find affordable new pieces and voila. You’ll create the feel of a posh B&B without spending a fortune.
So where can we find those bargains to make your rental look like a 4 star hotel without blowing the budget? Here’s my sources for the best shopping sites I’ve found. With the major brands like Made and West Elm, you’ll be assured of good product and customer service. Online only retailers? You take a bit more of a gamble. Sites like Wayfair supply thousands of different brands all varying in quality and price which means you’re not buying into one brand or reputation. However brands like Wayfair live on their ratings and can’t afford to have unhappy customers.
Shop wisely. It’s OK to splurge on foundation pieces such as a good quality sofas and beds. Accent pieces and accessories are where you can scrimp.
USA Only | Used + Vintage Furniture Resources
Vintage French Louis XVI Shabby Chic Chair
CHAIRISH
This beautifully designed and curated website gives you access to tons of vintage finds. I love that you can really drill down into categories, color and style to find the perfect piece. Chairish acts as the go between the buyer and the seller. Large items can be shipped or picked up with the continental US.
You have a two day window to approve your purchase before the seller gets paid, so buyers remorse doesn’t have to be an issue.
Chairish is perfect if you know exactly what you’re looking for. That perfect rattan chair to complete your boho bedroom for example. It takes some of the wild west out of shopping for vintage. Everything is curated before it goes online, so you don’t have to worry about getting a dud or wading through a ton of ugly stuff to find what you want.
- Price range for 3 seater sofa: $135. – 45,000. (as of writing)
- Delivery: Varies depending on your location and item. Buyer FAQ’s
USA – New Furniture Resources
Fabric Upholstered Swoop Armchair
OVERSTOCK
I’ve used Overstock to furnish model homes when I didn’t have time to order custom and needed it quick. Love the selection of affordable art and wide selection of rugs. Think of Overstock as a direct competitor to Wayfair. They offer everything from sofas to kitchen sinks so one stop shopping is possible and let’s face it that’s a quick way to get your rental up and running. Overstock.com is easier to shop from than Wayfair for me. I like the larger photos, with some in room displays. There are more filters giving you the option of drilling down to find exactly what you’re looking for. The range of styles is enormous. Shop both sites and compare, because they stock similar or the same products.
- Price range for 3 seater sofa: $240. – $5400.
- Delivery: Free standard shipping to lower 48 states with $45. or over purchase. If you have to have it right away, there’s a limited selection of furniture available for two day delivery in the US. Join Club O and get 5% rewards and free shipping on every purchase. Overstock does offer international payment and shipping with Bongo.
Natural Rattan Willis Wingback Chair
WORLD MARKET
World Market does a great knockoff at a great price. They have a world bazaar aesthetic in the stores, and the textiles and accessories are great for that boho or eclectic look. The furniture is where they excel in my opinion. I have the Campaign desk in my office and the Everett Foyer table floats between office and family room depending on how I’m styling it. Available now in three finishes, it’s a super versatile piece if you’re mixing traditional with country or farmhouse. Solid wood with on trend finishes, you can’t go wrong. Dining tables and chairs are also great buys. Limited selection of sofas and accent chairs.
- Price range for 3 seater sofa: $350. – $949.00
- Delivery: World Market has coupon or sale deals and you can currently get 30% off and free shipping with a $199. or more purchase.
UK | Used + Vintage Furniture Resources
Stripped Antique French Chair 1875-1900
Similar to Chairish in the US, Vinterior offers a curated selection of new, refurbished and vintage pieces sourced from independent retailers and sellers around the UK. Think of it as a curated eBay feed where you can buy directly from the seller. If you’re looking for a one of a kind piece to punch up a room, then it’s worth a browse. May be pricier than shopping auctions or secondhand shops but you save time by being able to search in one place online.
- Price range for 3 seater sofa: £185 to 17,500.
- Delivery: Varies depending on location, item and seller. Some offer free delivery or collection.
UK | New Furniture Resources
Cooper Accent Chair Gold Velvet
MADE
Made offers an “affordable high end” range of furniture and accessories to buy online. Whether you’re kitting out your flat in modern, retro or traditional or a mashup of all three, you’ll find stylish furniture that will fit the bill. If you like to look, touch and feel before you buy, Made has three showrooms in the UK; in London, West Yorkshire and Birmingham. Each showroom has it’s own dedicated link on the website so you can see exactly what’s on display. Items in the showroom can be ordered via tablets in store.
All in all the Made.com site is super easy to navigate which is a huge plus when you’re shopping for a specific piece or room. Love that each item has all the details you need to make a decision.
Free fabric samples are available to order.
- Price range for 3 seater sofa: £199 to 1999.
- Delivery: £5-40 Express delivery items can be shipped in 2-10 business days. Otherwise it’s 6-8 weeks for delivery. Delivery charge for a sofa is £39 to a room of your choice, delivered up to 3 flights by a team of two. Can’t beat that!
Askem Orange Velvet Chair
HABITAT
Famously started by Terence Conran in 1964 as a high street shop, Habitat was acquired along with Argos in 2016 by Sainsbury’s. No wonder Sainsbury Home is staying on trend! Habitat has always been known for a clean no frills modern approach and that trend continues. You’ll find modern as well as slightly more traditional shapes here in sofas and chairs. Look for on trend shapes such as the new spindle back dining chair popularized by the current obsession with farmhouse style. IKEA does a lot of knock offs of the Habitat style.
The website is straight forward and easy to use with filters for color, price range and size.
- Price range for 3 seater sofa: £295 to 5200.
- Delivery: Free over £50. (small items) or £4.95 if spend is less. Furniture £25. over £500. Click and collect is available for small items (not furniture)
USA & UK | New Furniture Resources
Fleur de lis Pesmes Armchair
WAYFAIR
If you haven’t seen the commercials for Wayfair chances are you’re not watching much network TV! Wayfair sells a wide range of products for the home: furniture, accessories, beds, mattresses, plumbing, lighting and more. Everything including the kitchen sink and the tiles to go around it.
Both the US and UK Wayfair sites have a huge inventory to shop from, but you can spend a lot of time trying to find just what you want. The search function is not the best; filtering by categories such as “country” or “traditional” will give you irrelevant results. Wayfair also seems to duplicate items in your search results which can get tiresome. Filter by price if you want to screen out low end products. That said there are some good buys if you’re willing to dig. Wayfair, Joss & Main, AllModern and Birch & Lane are all the same company.
0 % Financing offered through Barclays in the UK. In the US you can apply for a Wayfair credit card.
- Price range for 3 seater sofa: Custom £580. – 1700. Non Custom £273. – 10,778.
- Delivery: Free with over £40. purchase. Very quick too. Even the custom sofas are offered for delivery within 2 weeks.
Roar + Rabbit Wing Chair in Pink Grapefruit
WEST ELM
This Williams Sonoma brand is the only one to make it across the pond so far. Shop online or in their three stores, two in London and one Kingston Upon Thames. Looking for a modern slash boho look for your rental? I once furnished an entire town home in West Elm furniture at the request of the investor who wanted to appeal to a youthful buyer. Wide range of sofas, accent chairs, living, dining and bedroom furniture from contemporary to transitional. You really can’t go wrong. I’m a big fan of the Williams Sonoma brand Pottery Barn and I can’t wait for them to start selling in the UK as well. Good value, well made and better quality for the price than most online only sites. The only downside is they don’t offer free shipping.
- Price range for 3 seater sofa: £699. – 2399.
- Delivery: West Elm offers three types of delivery, none of which are free. Unless they happen to have a promotion going on. They do offer full service delivery with your item assembled, unpacked and set up in a room of your choice with all packing material removed. Which I happen to think is a pretty good idea. Starts at £60 for UK mainland.
Strandmon Wing Chair in Skiftebo Yellow
IKEA
No lineup of affordable furnishings would be complete without mentioning IKEA. The ubiquitous retailer is everywhere and for good reason. They do a certain style very well at a great price point. If your ideal guest is expecting fun, modern and contemporary then IKEA is very budget friendly. It’s also easy to mix in with more expensive pieces to get that high low look for much less. I’m impressed with their delivery system and packaging. I recently purchased a sofa and a simple pine table and the delivery by the two man crew was easy peasy. My sofa is a newer design Stocksund, well made and fairly straightforward to put together. The slip cover is the brilliant part. You can pop it in the wash if needed which is a huge plus for easy turnover.
The pine table was a bit of a nightmare to put together but for the price it can’t be beat. IKEA specializes in furniture that fits in tight European spaces and this table fit the bill. After rubbing the top with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Wax and painting the legs in Craig & Rose Morris Blue, it belied it’s £40 price tag.
I once stayed at a short term rental which was entirely outfitted and furnished by IKEA from dishwear to sofa. They make it easy. Before you get too excited though, not all items can be delivered. It all depends on stock in your nearby warehouse. 365 day return policy.
- Price range for 3 seater sofa: £260. – 1150.
- Delivery: Smaller deliveries start at £3.95. Larger deliveries are £39.95 and delivered by a 2 man crew (which is ideal). You can also get items delivered from the store if you buy more than you can take.
These are just a sampling of what you can find online if you start searching. Click on any image to buy online, keep in mind some used items may have sold! I’ve tried to select the best for you. Got something unique and special in mind? Shoot me an email and I’ll see if I can find a source for you. Have fun browsing!
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