I need to buy furniture to be used in a home office/study so I’m looking for a desk, bookshelves, comfy chairs. I’ve looked online and in stores at Restoration Hardware (expensive!), Crate & Barrel and Pottery Barn and found styles I like but I have no idea whether the quality justifies the price. I don’t have the energy or time to look in consignment shops which I know is a good option if you have it. Where should I look? and what should I avoid? IKEA is off the table.
A desk desk…or a table to hold your computer?
Have you looked at Staples or Office Depot or someplace like that?
Target has nice computer table/desks…and bookshelves.
This really depends on the style. More contemporary or traditional?
Dania has good office furniture.
Also, keep an eye on NextDoor as really nice office stuff
comes up.
I found Craigslist to be a bust when I was selling many of my office pieces.
My last desk came from Target.
More library/study than office desk. This is one I like from Pottery Barn https://www.potterybarn.com/products/printers-writing-large-desk/?pkey=cprinters-home-offices&isx=0.0.0
Thanks for the tips.
Chairish & One Kings Lane both sell consignment online, you can choose brands you know, and get them used so better deal, maybe?
I have bought kitchen chairs from Crate and Barrel and my daughter had an apartment in which the previous tenant sold her the slanted bookcase shelves from Crate and Barrel. They can hold a good deal of stuff however as they are on a slant they do protrude into the room. Crate and Barrel also has CB2 which is lower priced.
A friend recently took me to a place called Living Spaces. Styles similar to Crate and Barrel/West End/Pottery Barn, but prices closer to Ikea. Quality probably somewhere in between.
Have you looked at Pier One or World Market?
Craigslist, then use Pottery Barn or Restoration Hardware in the search terms under Furniture or Household.
Used furniture store?
Online retailers like Wayfair. My friend loves Wayfair. I’ve never tried them.
We shop predominantly at Dania and Scandesign.
Local vintage and consignment shops.
Comfy chairs like desk chairs…or comfy chairs like easy chairs?
Home office here has a computer table just a table with a pencil drawer (from unfinished furniture store), a bookshelf (ours happened to come from a consignment furniture store, but you cannget bookshelves almost anywhere).desk chair that was purchased at Staples (where we could and try them).
If you are looking for inexpensive upholstered chairs…check World Market, Pier One, or even Target…where they have some nice armless chairs.
TJ Maxx/Home Goods might not have your major pieces (although the new HomeSense stores part of their division will I believe!) but will have things like desk chairs (rolling or not), storage units - small and large, or side chairs. Find your main pieces desk/bookshelves and then shop discount for the coordinating items.
Our sofa came from Ethan Allan, and one of our chairs from Pottery Barn (I would say cushions have not held up well). I have an armoire from Stickley. Our bed frame is also from Ethan Allen, the boys had ones from a bed shop in town when they had bunk beds, but now they are very simple platform frames from Amazon. I think everything else is a hand me down or was bought in garage sales.
Craig’s List for a Chinese Chippendale style desk. It is a beautiful piece that matched my existing mahogany bookshelves and coffee table purchased years ago a one of the best retailers in town. An older couple was downsizing to move. I would have been hard pressed to buy the desk new but love it, especially at a deep discount.
There are also office furniture liquidators and rental return sellers who have nice pieces. I bought some Lane chairs and accent tables at one of them in the past.
Beware of Staples. We’ve bought two comfy office chairs from them. Both looked nice and solid, but fell apart after a couple of years. You get what you pay for.
I like Nadeau. Their furniture is from India or Indonesia and there’s not particleboard or anything else heavy. Not known for desks but you can look and see.
We have a solid teak office desk that I would give away!
So much depends on how long you intend to live with the piece.
I personally believe it’s worth investing in quality couches, dining room set, living room chairs and beds. For those pieces I’d avoid cheaper places such as Target or World Market – though these stores are fine for items that are less expensive and easier to replace.
A neighbor recently redecorated using Wayfair – some of the items looked quite nice, and weren’t expensive… but I don’t know how comfortable I would be buying furniture online.