Furniture online shopping requires careful planning to ensure you won’t be disappointed in the finished product when it’s delivered.
Unfortunately, when shopping at online furniture stores, many people pay more attention to the price tag than to the quality standards. Or they make a rash decision that they later regret.
To be sure you’re making a long-term investment, it’s vital to know where and how the furniture is produced.
But that’s not all you need to know. So to avoid disappointment, check the following guide we put together to assist you.
First, let’s look at the advantages of purchasing from online furniture stores.
Advantages Of Buying From Online Furniture Stores
There are many good reasons for buying from online furniture stores rather than furniture shopping in large stores.
Let me show you what advantages you’ll have when you shop online.
Shop From The Comfort Of Your Home
There’s nothing more tiring than dragging yourself from store to store and later not having a clear vision of which furniture you like best.
When shopping from the comfort of your home, you can surf from site to site and compare all your options in one go.
Avoid Crowded Stores
If you’ve ever been to furniture stores on sales and discount weekends, you know how frustrating it is. You can end up queueing to see your preferred furniture, and by the time you get to talk to a sales assistant it’s out of stock.
There’s a good reason you won’t find an interior designer in such crowded stores.
And there’s the advantage that you can check out limited stock or sales until you find what you want at an affordable price point.
Check Out Honest Customer Reviews
When furniture shopping online, you’ll always find customer reviews, which can be a great help when you’re unsure if you’ve found the right product.
Let’s face it; the showroom guy probably isn’t going to tell the truth as he wants to make a sale.
Instantly Check Measurements Against Your Room Layout
When in a furniture store, it’s very frustrating if you’re not sure your choice will fit perfectly where you want to place it.
The great thing about online shopping is that all the information you need is on the screen while you measure the required space.
No Dealing With High-Pressure Sales People
We all know the feeling of being in a furniture store and confronted with high-pressure salespeople determined to make a sale. They’ll tell you what they think you want to know, not how things really are.
Shopping online is less stressful and much easier as you’ll have all the necessary facts in front of you without such pressure. And you can take as much time as you want.
Planning Your Research
Before you even start surfing for high-quality furniture in a one-stop shop, you’ll save a lot of time if you plan your research first.
Here’s how to do it.
Decide On A Style
You’ll find a wide variety of furniture style options when you shop online, but not all will suit your interior decor.
Begin your research by reading up on each style to have an idea of what suits your needs best. Decide whether you want a traditional or modern aesthetic. Once you’ve identified that, you can save time by applying your search to that style.
Take Detailed Measurements Of Your Room
The next step is to know exactly how much space is available. So taking detailed measurements of your room is vital. These measurements will help you avoid purchasing something that could either be too bulky or too small for your living space.
After measuring, you should determine exactly where to place the furniture and note the largest and smallest dimensions that would suit that space.
Make A List Of Furniture You Need
Before buying furniture, make a list of what you need to help you focus and stick to your plan rather than make any rash purchase you’ll regret later.
But whether you’re replacing furniture that’s outlived its purpose or purchasing for the first time, it’s also essential to know precisely what you need.
Prepare A Text Document To Save Your Favorites
By saving your favorites to a text document, it will be easier for you to return to them later. It will save time when you’ve finished searching and are ready to make a decision.
You can review them individually before comparing them, and you can do this at leisure without having to search online to find them again.
Shopping By Room
Let’s look at what the best online furniture stores offer for the entire home.
Living Room
There are so many furniture choices for the living room, so be sure you know what you’re looking for before you start online shopping. Here is how an interior designer would break things down.
Sofas
Living room sofas come in all shapes and sizes, from larger ones suitable for the whole family or smaller ones for small rooms.
And a sleeper sofa would be a perfect choice if you regularly have overnight guests. Start with how many seats you need and the space limits you’re dealing with and then look at the customization options for each of the products you prefer.
Sectionals
Sectional sofas maximize seating space and fit in all size living rooms, so they are ideal for family homes.
You’ll find L-shaped and curved sectionals that make a statement in any living space. And there’s the advantage that they can be used as a sleeper to accommodate any unexpected guests.
Loveseats
For a small awkward size living room, you’ll find a great selection of loveseats that will help make the best use of the space. They’re smaller in dimension than sofas, so they won’t look bulky and out of place.
And you’ll be sure to have extra seating for family or friends.
Accent Chairs
Accent chairs are great for filling small spaces or arranging a reading nook in your living room.
Apart from providing extra seating, they are an eye-catching focal point.
You can expect maximum comfort and lumbar support and for the ultimate experience, check out a recliner accent chair.
Chaise Lounges
There’s nothing better than a chaise lounge for stretching out to read or take a nap in the living room. It may take up more space than a recliner, but it’s a better way to make a statement.
Moreover, you’ll be sure to have enough seating when you have visitors.
Coffee Tables
Placing a coffee table in your living room will make it more attractive and complete the picture.
Coffee tables come in various designs and shapes ranging from square to rectangle and round to oval.
Rectangular tables are great for larger living spaces, but a square one is more suitable for smaller rooms.
Benches
A living room bench is a versatile and multipurpose piece of furniture. It’s space-saving as it fits in smaller areas without being intrusive. It can be used as additional seating in your home while, at the same time, it’s great for storing things out of sight.
Ottomans
An ottoman is a great accent piece for any living room. It not only provides extra seating for guests but is also a convenient storage place.
Rectangular ottomans are ideal for spacious rooms. But for smaller spaces, try placing two round or square ones throughout the room instead.
Living Room Sets
Generally, a living room set will consist of a sofa, two armchairs, and a coffee table. They come in virtually every design style and have the advantage that the furniture pieces are all coordinated.
And with the customization offers available, you can be sure that matching sets will be uniquely made to your requirements.
Dining Room
There’s a great choice of dining furniture online, whether you’re looking for modern pieces or vintage furniture.
Tables
For entertaining a small group of family or friends, you should consider a round dining table. People can face each other and make eye contact while sitting comfortably. And this makes it easier to converse with everyone seated at the table.
But large-scale dinner parties call for a rectangular table. They’re space-saving as they can be pushed against a wall when not in use.
Chairs
You’ll find an unbeatable level of comfort and design in the amazing selection of dining chairs in our one-stop shop.
They can be mixed or matched to suit your needs. For the highest comfort level, try mixing or matching high-back host chairs to the same design as low-back chairs. They’ll be an attractive addition to any dining room.
Bars
Most dining rooms aren’t large enough for a bar area. But if you enjoy entertaining, consider purchasing a bar cart, which is a versatile piece of furniture.
It can be used for dispensing drinks at a dinner party, and it’s also perfect for transporting food from the kitchen to the dining room. You can also use it to store extra crockery or glasses you may need during your dinner party.
Cabinets
Cabinets not only add a touch of class to your dining area but are the perfect place for storing the dishes and cutlery you use for special occasions. You’ll also have a place to store whatever else you need to make the dining experience special.
And to create a familiar atmosphere in the room, you can display personal items on the surface.
Benches
Benches are well worth considering for a dining room as they not only offer flexibility and additional seating options but also add character to a room.
They are space-saving as they don’t take up as much room as individual chairs, so your dining room won’t feel cluttered. And, as your guests will be sitting closer together, this will give your dinner party a more intimate atmosphere.
Stools
Whether you choose bar stools or slightly lower counter stools, they’re great for additional seating when an unexpected guest turns up.
They’ll add flair to your dining room and enhance your dining experience. You can even try being a little artistic by mixing and matching some unusual designs.
Bedroom
You’ll find bedroom furniture to suit any decor, whether you want modern pieces of sleek furniture or something more traditional.
Beds
You’ll be spoilt for choice with the option of wood, wicker, or leather upholstered beds.
There’s something for everyone, from single or day beds to queen and king-size beds.
The wooden bed frames can be upholstered in fabric or leather to create a modern aesthetic ambiance in your bedroom.
And there’s the choice of amazing headboard designs whether you want your bed to take center stage or downplay it.
Chests
Chests, or chests of drawers, are tall, narrow pieces of furniture ideal for smaller bedrooms. They provide maximum storage space without taking up much floor space.
You can use them for storing extra pillows or blankets or for general bedroom storage to keep your room uncluttered.
You can decide the amount and size of the drawers needed to enable you to keep your bedroom organized. And you can personalize your room by placing accent pieces on the surface.
Dressers
Dressers are waist-high, long pieces of furniture that are excellent accents for spacious bedrooms. The large drawers are perfect for storing folded clothing or keeping any other accessories.
You’ll find dressers with large drawers at the bottom and smaller ones on top, which are ideal for storing underwear and socks.
The flat dresser top is the perfect place for a vanity mirror which helps when you’re getting dressed. Or it’s a place to store personal items such as jewelry, perfume, or framed photos.
Mirrors
Add accent furniture to your bedroom with a full-size standing mirror, making it the focal point of any spare space you need to fill.
Or you could consider a dresser mirror. You can stand it on your dresser or hang it on the wall above. It will brighten up your bedroom and enable you to check that you are presentable before leaving home.
Benches
There are many practical benefits of bedroom benches. When placed at the foot of your bed, you’ll have somewhere to sit while getting dressed. And as many of them include hidden storage space, you can store extra blankets or even throw pillows when they’re not in use.
But apart from this, it can be a decorative element that will add character to your bedroom. You’ll find that it ties the decor together in a great way.
Home Office
Working from home is becoming increasingly popular these days. But you’ll need the right kind of furniture for your home office if you want to avoid health issues.
Desks
When choosing a desk, be sure it is the right height, so you can achieve the right posture and avoid back prpoblems. Your arms will be at a right angle so your wrists can rest on the desk.
If it’s too high, you could suffer discomfort in your shoulders, elbows, wrists, or arms. And a desk that’s too low will cause you to lean forward and affect your posture.
The right height should also allow enough space for your legs to avoid them becoming cramped.
Chairs
Sitting the entire day on a poorly designed chair can cause severe back problems.
So when working from home, it’s vital to have the right chair to remain healthy and to make you more productive.
An ergonomic high-back swivel chair will give you built-in lumbar support that will help you maintain a healthy posture. But when purchasing one, first check that you can adjust the height and that it has an adjustable backrest.
Armrests are another important factor as they provide support for your arms and hands, thus easing muscle tension.
Outdoor Furniture
Outdoor furniture is the perfect addition to any home if you like entertaining guests or relaxing outside.
Tables
There’s an amazing assortment of tables for entertaining guests or relaxing with your family.
To complement your outdoor decor, you’ll find dining tables in various shapes, sizes, and heights.
But for something less formal, consider a chat or an end table where you can place food and drinks. A stylish one could even be a great conversation starter, especially if your guests are not familiar with each other.
Chairs
The designs available for outdoor chairs are incredible. There are dining chairs with or without arms to complement your outdoor dining table.
Or swivel chairs are perfect if you want to follow various group conversations when sitting outdoors. You can swivel around instead of twisting awkwardly to do so.
And you can expect to find them in all design styles.
Sofas
There’s no better way to relax in the fresh air than on a sofa. It will allow you to spend more time with friends or family without having the distraction of a TV as you would in your indoor living space.
You’ll find a great choice of wood or wicker outdoor furniture suitable for your patio, balcony, or garden that will be a great addition to your outdoor area.
Loveseats
Loveseats are more suitable for smaller outdoor areas as they’re not as bulky as sofas. Wicker loveseats even come in a variety of amazing wicker weave designs.
But the advantage of teak wood ones is that teak produces natural oils, so the seats are easier to maintain.
Loveseats are a great accent piece and perfect for spending a romantic evening outdoors with your partner.
Chaises
Chaise lounges are a must for relaxing on a patio or garden. You can recline on them, with your legs straight and your feet up, while reading a good book.
But they’re also practical and completely versatile. A couple of chaises next to your pool will give you a chance to sunbathe or relax while keeping an eye on the kids in the pool.
Storage And Carts
It’s not always practical to carry everything you need outdoors when you spend time there. So consider investing in a storage unit to leave outside.
But the best solution is a bar cart where you can place everything you need and wheel it out. It’s a great way to serve food and drinks in the most practical way
Shopping By Style
Before shopping for new furniture, whether you’re refurbishing a room or furnishing a new home, it’s vital to know more about the styles available.
Let’s look at the three main design groups.
Midcentury Modern Furniture
Mid-century modern furniture has been around since the mid 1900s when the modernist movement introduced it to get away from rooms overfilled with elaborate design furniture. People started looking for purely functional, comfortable, and aesthetically pleasing pieces.
And today, this minimalist design, with its clean lines, subtle curves, and geometric shapes, is still in demand.
As there is no intricate ornamentation, its uncluttered, clean appearance means that you can combine it with any existing design style in your home. This is one of the reasons why it remains so popular.
Its simple, minimalistic design provides the illusion of more space in a room.
With tapered legs and straight lines, it’s an elegant style that can be complemented with many colors. Both muted colors from a retro style palette and darker hues will add the finishing touches to whatever furniture you choose.
Classic Furniture
Classic furniture is the best option for comfort and elegance combined with symmetry and consistency. It’s a timeless decor that is rich in history. You’ll find elements of historical design styles, including Queen Anne and Chippendale furniture.
There are ornate carvings usually associated with 19th-century French furniture. And the exposed hardwood surfaces have intricate ornamentation.
As classic furniture combines elements of past design with modern style, it is elegant and will provide a feeling of luxury and splendor to any size living room.
Your living space will have a warm, rich, inviting, virtually antique appearance. So classic style is the perfect choice to complement any existing antique furniture in your home.
By adding some accent pieces in rich hues, you’ll give the room an additional warm atmosphere.
Classic style furniture has the advantage that it won’t need replacing as it never becomes dated, so you can expect it to last for many years.
Contemporary Furniture
Contemporary furniture is an excellent option if you’re planning for a clutter-free, sophisticated atmosphere in your modern home.
It is a mixture of modern style and classical design furniture that can be adapted to various artistic tastes.
It’s ideal for large open-plan areas but also the right choice to make a small room look bigger. The illusion of more space will give it a sleek, sophisticated look and provide it with a feeling of comfort.
It’s a unique design style as its subtle geometric shapes and clean lines are combined with some ornate carvings. Today’s trend leans towards curved lines that add softness to any living space.
And contemporary furniture has the advantage that it’s not bulky, so it is easy to move around when you feel like a change of layout.
So if you want your room to look elegant and stylish and have a light, minimalist appearance, you’ll need to look for contemporary furniture.
Shopping By Brand
We recommend you check out the following four best online furniture stores that produce high-quality, stylish furniture.
Braxton Culler
When Braxton Culler was founded in North Carolina almost 50 years ago, it only produced wicker furniture. It still makes its impressive selection of wicker furniture in High Point, North Carolina but has added custom upholstery furniture to its collection.
It employs highly talented professionals and sources top-quality materials to produce hand-crafted pieces at affordable prices that are the best products money can buy.
With more than 1,000 fabric choices and 15 different wood finishes, you’ll be spoilt for choice, but you can be sure that your custom furniture will be unique.
In Braxton Culler’s hand-crafted furniture collection, you’ll find statement pieces suitable for the entire home, patio, and outdoor areas.
They come in every design style, with a choice of upholstery options for the seating.
The incredible range of seating possibilities for the living room is impressive, with a choice of tables and accents to complement them. For the dining room, you can add a bar cart or buffet to your dining table and chairs.
And no bedroom is complete without a dresser or nightstand, and try adding a bedroom bench to round it off.
Then for spending time outdoors, you’ll find everything you need to provide ultimate comfort in your garden or patio area.
Classic Leather
Classic Leather is a family-owned business that has been producing high-quality leather furniture in the USA since the 1960s. It’s one of America’s oldest furniture companies and has its production center in Hickory, North Carolina.
Today it employs more than 280 highly-skilled craftspeople to hand-craft its custom-made furniture to perfection using time-honored techniques.
The company is proud of its 8-way hand-tied seating construction that ensures its customers are offered unbeatable comfort. And there’s the option of decorative or natural leathers so the furniture can be matched to any home decor.
Classic Leather offers a wide range of design styles suitable for villas, country cottages, or urban apartments, all at affordable prices.
There’s a huge selection of custom furniture suitable for living and dining rooms and home theaters.
Their occasional chairs are suitable for any small space and ideal as extra seating when needed. But for ultimate comfort, there are motorized recliner chairs, and as an accent piece, place an ottoman near it. You’ll also find motorized reclining sofas where you can choose from various arm styles.
And if you’re lucky enough to have a home theater, there are theater chairs you can customize with the components of your choice.
Comfort Design
As the name suggests, customers can expect durability and stylish design combined with comfort when purchasing Comfort Design furniture.
Its huge selection of hand-crafted furniture has been designed and produced by the most skilled craftspeople in North Carolina for almost half a decade. You’ll soon become aware of the feel of the upholstery and the quality of the foam cushions, which is due to the emphasis the company puts on comfort and style.
Apart from sustainably sourced materials, Comfort Design has implemented processes whereby all leftover materials are recycled. Moreover, it only sources steel springs made from recycled metal.
The Comfort Design Collection has a wide range of furniture suitable for the living room, dining room, bedroom, and home office. And whether you want a minimalist design or something ornate, you’ll find it here.
The living room seating collection offers maximum comfort and ergonomic support with its tufted leather and swivel chairs. There are also loveseats, recliners, 2-seater sofas, or more oversized sofas to suit the entire family.
You’ll find stylish modern dining tables and chairs to enhance your dining room.
Comfort Design only offers high-quality furniture, so you can be sure that the upholstery, frame, and springs will last for decades.
Leathercraft Furniture
The Leathercraft Furniture company has more than 50 years of experience producing superior quality leather custom furniture at its production center in North Carolina.
Leathercraft only hires highly-skilled craftspeople to work with top-quality materials sourced in America. So you can expect unmatched craftsmanship from the products as each piece is crafted with pride.
And its team repeatedly produces innovative seating options to provide customers with comfort, durability, and aesthetics.
Add to this the many customization options available for colors, features, and design, and each customer can expect a unique piece of furniture.
Whether looking for traditional, contemporary, classic or modern style, you’ll be spoilt for choice with the impressive selection of Leathercraft furniture.
It caters to all needs with its living room seating ranging from chairs to recliners, sofas, sectionals, and loveseats. And the home cinema series in its collection will enhance any entertainment room.
But if you’re looking for extra seating to match your interior design, there are some amazing ottomans and benches that can be easily moved to suitable places when needed.
And, for a home office or board room, there are swivel executive chairs that offer ultimate comfort and lumbar support.
Setting The Right Quality Expectations
You’ll come across so much attractive cheap furniture when you shop online, but don’t be misled. You’ll need to pay more if you expect quality furniture that will last for decades.
So before making a purchase check out that individual parts are of the following quality.
Solid Hardwood Frames
When buying furniture, if you want it to last for decades, one of the essential features to check is whether it has a solid wood frame made from kiln-dried hardwood.
The frames of cheap furniture are usually made from plywood or pine, as the raw material is more affordable than hardwood. But they are inferior materials. Within a short time, they’ll start to sag and become uncomfortable. They’re definitely not a long-term investment, as they’ll need replacing within a couple of years, even with minimum wear and tear.
All the furniture our chosen manufacturers produce has solid hardwood frames made from superior wood such as maple, ash, and oak. And it’s all sourced locally.
Every wood frame is hand-crafted and highly durable, so you won’t need to worry about it sagging. It will provide all the support you need for decades.
Highest Quality Leather
Knowing what leather upholstery options are available is essential to avoid making a bad purchase. Lower-priced leather may look good initially, but it isn’t a long-term investment.
The manufacturers we recommend only work with high-quality full-grain and top-grain leather.
Full-grain is the most durable of these leathers as the tough outer layer of the hide is left intact during the preparation process. Any natural imperfections, such as bites or scratches caused during the animal’s lifetime, are visible, providing the leather with a completely natural look.
On the other hand, top-grain leather is much softer as the manufacturing process requires sanding down the outer layer of the hide. The hide can then be protected with a stain-resistant coating which is a perfect choice for families with young children.
Both types of leather can be treated with a water-soluble aniline dye to bring out the natural grain of the hide.
Durable Fabric Upholstery
The recommended manufacturers offer a great selection of prime fabric options. And to ensure that the fabric upholstery of your furniture will stand up to the daily wear and tear of family life, they solely source materials from top American mills.
These fabrics are superior natural materials with a greater weave intricacy. The type of fiber, construction of the fabric, and thread count also play a significant role in its durability.
The fabrics are stain-resistant, making them the perfect choice for families with young kids. But they’re also perfect for singles, as there’s no need to worry about a spill ruining the upholstery.
This premium-rate fabric is of such high quality that you can expect it to last a lifetime.
And with the customization options available, you can change your upholstery to match your home decor perfectly.
Customization Options
Product customization is the perfect way of reflecting your personality and style through your furniture. And you’ll be amazed at the number of customization options available for your furniture to be one-of-a-kind.
As you want it to last, you’ll want to configure it to meet your needs.
The first thing to consider is the dimensions. If your favorite item isn’t the right size, check whether it can be made smaller or larger to fit your room.
Depending on the style you’ve chosen, you’ll find a good choice of wood finishes. And for those who want traditional nailhead trim, there’s a great variety of nailheads to choose from.
You’ll also find the option of leather or fabric upholstery.
You can choose the leather quality and color, whereas fabric upholstery is available in various designs ranging from conservative to modern patterns. And there’s an unbeatable color palette ranging from subtle hues to bright colors.
Handcrafted Manufacturing Techniques
You won’t find any machine-made furniture that can beat handcrafted furniture for quality, durability, and uniqueness. This is due to the commitment of the craftspeople, and the techniques involved in producing hand-made products create a far superior quality standard.
Knowing that masters in the profession will skillfully make your furniture by hand is a good feeling.
Although manufacturing techniques have evolved over time, one has remained constant. And that is the 8-way hand-tied seating construction.
This unique construction is a method of hand securing the springs and frames in place by tying the springs eight ways, from front to back, side to side, and diagonally. And the way they are attached together is vitally important if you expect durability from your seating.
This process is not possible by machine, and with machine-processed constructions, there’s no guarantee of how secure they are.
Made In America
The companies we’ve mentioned are among the best online furniture stores in America and have all been producing quality hand-crafted furniture for many decades.
They only employ highly skilled craftspeople to produce their furniture from materials sourced in America. So they’re able to supply customers with high-quality, durable furniture at affordable prices that will last for decades.
And considering their approach to American creativity, you can expect the customized furniture to be unique.
As they are all based in North Carolina, they can take advantage of the abundant supply of superior quality hardwood found nearby in the Appalachian hardwood forests.
By purchasing furniture from these companies, you’ll not only be proud of what you’ve created but also of supporting local companies, jobs, and the American economy.
Let Our Team Help You Make The Right Choices
Browse our one-stop furniture shop to find exclusive collections of superior quality furniture at reasonable prices. All furniture pieces are hand-produced by top artisans in America and are available in various design styles.
The wide range of customization options allows customers to create unique furniture from companies renowned for reliability.
Should you need inspiration or help making the right choice, our customer care team members will be happy to assist.
We look forward to helping you create a unique piece of furniture you’ll be proud to own.
