Home Furnishings + Textiles Sales Manager: Angela Gonzalez Home Furnishings + Textiles showcases a comprehensive collection of 500+ mid to high-end furniture, decorative accessories and home textiles resources. From traditional to contemporary and indoor to outdoor living the section features established and emerging brands in furniture, lighting, bedding, floor coverings, wall decor, pillows, and accessories. V RUGS & HOME ABC CARPET & HOME BED, BATH & BEYOND CANVAS HOME / OCHRE TJX USA / CANADA / EUROPE BETTER HOMES & GARDENS THE EDITOR AT LARGE GIFTS & DECORATIVE ACCESSORIES HOME LIGHTING & ACCESSORIES RUG NEWS AND DESIGN TOWN & COUNTRY MAGAZINEDon’t get me wrong–I like IKEA. Sure, it’s a pain to assemble a bed frame using only an Allen wrench and drawings of a humanoid creature. But it’s the go-to place for affordable furniture, and they have a lot of great stuff. But maybe you’re ready for something different.
Perhaps you’ve gotten lost in their store one too many times. Or maybe you’re tired of seeing the same LACK side table and POANG chair in everyone’s home. You want a little variety, and I don’t blame you. If so, here are ten other affordable furniture stores like IKEA (minus the maze). Yes, Amazon is actually a pretty amazing place to find affordable furniture. Now, their prices can be over the place. But with some filtering, and you can find great deals on furniture. I once bought a comfortable, executive desk chair for $25. That’s an extreme example, but it’s worth a look. Their daily Gold Box Deals also often include steep discounts on furniture. Yes, Sears has an online outlet, and you can find some incredible deals. In my own search, some discounts were up to 82%. Some of their sofas–not futons–were as low as $280. The caveat is, not all items can be shipped, and some of them may not be available for pickup near you. The good news is: you can browse by pickup location to find a store nearby.
If you’re into simple, minimalist design, you’ll love Muji. They’re quite similar to IKEA in price, quality, and aesthetic. Muji has locations throughout Europe and Asia, but in the States, their storefronts are limited to New York and California. You can order items online, and you’ll have to pay for shipping. But their prices are pretty affordable, so it may be worth the extra cost. Frankly, a lot of their stuff is overpriced. But some of their furniture items are comparable to IKEA prices, especially when they’re on sale. And if you check their clearance section, you can usually find some decent deals. It might be a long shot, but it’s worth asking. Some furniture stores will sell their floor models for a fraction of the price. At one frou-frou store here in L.A., I nabbed two fancy floor model barstools for $70 each. IKEA prices, better quality. Here’s another online retailer whose prices are all over the map. Some of their stuff is, frankly, insanely expensive.
But a lot of is it surprisingly affordable–and not just by comparison. Oddly, depending on the day and time, I’ve noticed their prices fluctuate. So here’s a tip: if you’ve got your eye on something, monitor it for a while. Also, consider searching in Private or Incognito mode. Sometimes, you’ll find lower prices. You probably know that Overstock is a discount surplus site, but maybe you didn’t know their prices rival even Amazon’s. I’ve found a few of the exact same Amazon products cheaper at Overstock. So make sure compare prices. Bonuses: free shipping if you spend more than $50 and a 10% off coupon if you sign up for their email list. Big Lots is another option, and you probably have a store near you. They’re similar in quality and price to IKEA, just with less variety. You can find even better deals on their furniture clearance items online. Some of their stuff is a bit more expensive than IKEA. But, occasionally, they have sales that bring down the prices considerably.
Oh, and here’s a funny story: Years ago, I bought a couch, in-store, for like, $450. A few years later, the cushions started sinking. Granted, I had a few couch guests over the years (and I did jump on it once, when I got my first job in LA). But I felt like the couch should’ve been able to handle that. When I emailed Cost Plus, they agreed. And they gave me credit, for the exact amount I paid, to buy a new couch. So they get bonus points for their amazing customer service. Etsy is a great place to find handcrafted furniture. Yes, sometimes, these prices are going to be expensive–after all, these are independent store owners. But, considering the quality, there are remarkable deals to be had. You can find decent prices on reclaimed or upcycled vintage furniture, too. Some will argue, rightfully, that it pays to spend a bit more money on quality furniture you’ll have for years. This is definitely true. But not everyone can afford a $2,000 couch; sometimes you have to compromise.
Also, if you take care of your stuff (i.e., don’t jump on your couch when you get a new job), you might still be able to keep lower-quality items for a long time. Of course, you can also get great deals on quality used furniture with tried-and-true methods: yard sales, estate sales, thrift stores, etc. Have you guys ever bought from any of the stores above? If so, would you recommend them? Are there any I forgot?The Meatpacking District owes its name to the meat distribution companies that once dominated the area. While some meatpacking houses still exist, nowadays you are more likely to find meat of the celebrity variety, twirling around the Bermuda Triangl... moreThe Meatpacking District owes its name to the meat distribution companies that once dominated the area. While some meatpacking houses still exist, nowadays you are more likely to find meat of the celebrity variety, twirling around the Bermuda Triangle of SoHo House, Spice Market, and the uber-swanky Hotel Gansevoort. The signature feature of this luxurious hotel is its rooftop, featuring a richly landscaped roof garden and an expansive loft with soaring 20-foot ceilings that offers breathtaking city views in three directions.
A 45-foot outdoor heated pool with underwater music anchors the roof's other side; it is unique in New York and reflects the ultra-trendiness that the district prides itself on. If it's Asian cuisine you’re craving you’ll definitely want to dine at Spice Market. The interior of the restaurant is as exotic as the cuisine: with a collection of artifacts imported from Rajastan, South India, Burma and Malaysia creating an interior of Eastern exotica including antique wall carvings, screens and pagodas. Spice Market provides a feast for all sense. Some art galleries have opened here, but the area is dominated by late-night establishments, high-end furniture ... moreThe Meatpacking District owes its name to the meat distribution companies that once dominated the area. it is unique in New York and reflects the ultra-trendiness that the district prides itself on.If it's Asian cuisine you’re craving you’ll definitely want to dine at Spice Market. Spice Market provides a feast for all sense.
Some art galleries have opened here, but the area is dominated by late-night establishments, high-end furniture stores, and fabulously expensive hairdressers. If you seek thrilling nightlife and pulsating action on the streets with traffic jams over century-old cobblestone streets, head here Cielo is one of hottest nightclubs. Its intimate size, impressive sound and sunken dance-floor make it perfect for catching a set by the latest hipster DJ. But given its notorious reputation as one of New York's toughest club to enter, good luck getting by the door. Speaking of tough doors, you might miss APT's door entirely, as the swanky lounge resides in a nondescript building that could easily be mistaken for a butcher shop. For more nightlife action, try the glittery, subterranean club that is 675 Bar. If you're looking for a quieter, more low-key way to spend time in the district, keep in mind that one of the most pleasant times of day to visit this neighborhood is between 10 and 11 in the morning.
As you wander around the district, do head down Gansevoort Street to get a feel for how this neighborhood evolved. The now-defunct Florent restaurant was the first trendy place to open, and as you pass its old location on Gansevoort Street, you'll see the remnants of the old dilapidated elevated railway, which has been turned into America's first overhead park, called the High Line. West 14th Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues should not be missed, replete with stylish boutiques such as Jeffrey, a few bakeries, and an enormous Bodum store as well. And then there's the legendary Old Homestead Steakhouse directly across from the new Apple Store on Ninth Avenue at West 14th Street. If you're curious about the intriguing new architecture and glass houses juxtaposed with meatpacking houses, you'll definitely want to follow this section of our new architecture of Manhattan walking tour. Meatpacking District is located in the West Village neighborhood of Manhattan. The western slice of Greenwich Village—although some will tell you it's a separate neighborhood altogether;
don't listen to them—the West Village is a somewhat sleepier version of its larger neighborhood, with many tree-lined streets populated by residential buildings and punctuated ever-so-lightly with restaurants and bars. The locals have fought notoriously hard throughout the years to keep raucous bars and clubs from staying open—or even opening at all—to preserve the relative quiet of their neighborhood. The West Village stretches east from the Hudson River to 6th Avenue, and north from Houston Street to West 14th. It's northwestern corner is chewed off by the Meatpacking District, where the very sorts of restaurants and bars West Village residents try to keep out of their 'hood flourish. The majority of Bleecker Street's dining, shopping, and drinking options exist on the West Village's end of the street, with a small shopping mecca surrounding the intersection of 7th Avenue, where many high-end retailers have stores, like Brooks Brothers' Black Fleece, Comptoir des Cotonniers, Burberry, Marc Jacobs, and a whole lot more.
There's plenty of history here, and the bars are no exception—Dylan Thomas famously stumbled out of the White Horse Tavern heavy with whiskey on the night he expired at the Hotel Chelsea. For those aiming to avoid the thumping, throbbing nightclubs of the Meatpacking District, jazz can be had at Fat Cat, the legendary Village Vanguard, and smaller, quieter establishments like 55 Bar. If you'd like a more structured day of drinking, the folks at the Literary Pub Crawl put on a fantastic and informative tour.The sophisticated residents of the West Village have led a number of excellent restaurants to open in the neighborhood, from Italian favorite Sant Ambroeus, April Bloomfield's game-changing gastropub The Spotted Pig, Yerba Buena, and Perry St.. Of course, if you're not in the mood for high-end cuisine in mood-inducing settings, there's pizza on offer at John's of Bleecker Street, but you'd be better served by walking a little further east and feasting one our favorite New York slice at Joe's.