Whether you have just bought a house and are standing in the middle of an empty room with your wish list, or it’s simply time for a more modern sofa, doing the rounds at furniture stores in Sydney can be equal parts confusing and frustrating.
More than showcasing the latest trends in furniture for your home, a good furniture retailer offers great customer service, plenty of ideas and options to suit your style and tops it all off with added extras in service.
To make buying furniture for your home easier and help you pick out quality pieces that will last a lifetime, we’ve got a breakdown of which furniture styles are popular in Sydney and where you should go to meet all of your needs.
How to choose a furniture store to suit you
From Mosman to Merrylands and everywhere in between, depending on where you live in Sydney can influence popular furniture choices in your area. What you buy will depend on where you’re at in life and whether you’re shopping with convenience, style or budget as your top priority – or perhaps it’s a mix of all three?
Functional and beautiful furniture can range from cheap flat pack storage to high end investment pieces, such as beautiful designer lounges, to last a lifetime.
Our pick of the 12 best furniture stores in Sydney
01
IconByDesign
Kensington
Launched in 2015, IconByDesign is a furniture store owned by a family of designers and furniture-makers. Their ethos is to produce high-quality furniture that looks good and is built to last. They are well-known for furniture with Scandinavian lines and a mid-century modern influence.
IconByDesign believes in making furniture from solid wood, which is durable and timeless. Their pieces are often constructed from #1 grade wood, including American white oak and American walnut.
Price range estimate: Mid to high end.
Pros: Icon by Design offer an end-to-end service and plenty of shopping options including click and collect, warehouse pick up and a premium home delivery service.
02
Koala
Alexandria, Campbelltown (Koala Second Home)
Koala have come a long way since their early mattress-in-a-box days. Yes, they still stock affordable mattresses but they also have a range of stunning (and easy to assemble) furniture ranging from bed frames to sofa beds and even outdoor lounge settings.
Price range estimate: Affordable to high end
Pros: Koala offer unrivalled online service with 120-day free returns, fast and flexible delivery and world-class warranty. They’re also BCorp Certified – another bonus.
03
BoConcept
Kensington, Crows Nest, Silverwater
As the world’s most global furniture retailer (with over 300 stores across 65 countries), BoConcept brings stunning Danish designed furniture, accessories, and lighting into our homes Down Under.
The Denmark-based brand has just released a luxurious designer sofa, ‘Bergamo’, that blends beauty and functionality. Crafted by leading Danish designer Morten Georgsen, the elegant and modern sofa features organic shapes, minimalistic lines, and soft seating made with a foam core. Need we say more?
Price range estimate: Mid to high end.
Pros: BoConcept offer an interior design service for every customer, either at home, virtually or in store, to help craft a unique style for your home.
04
Fantastic Furniture
Alexandria, Artarmon, Chullora, Auburn & more
Australian owned and operated, Fantastic Furniture began at the Parklea Markets and has been filling our rooms with affordable, Australian made furniture and bedding for over 30 years. Super-affordable furniture for the home and plenty of package deals to choose from – great for setting up a home or making over an entire room.
The are 14 Fantastic Furniture stores in the greater Sydney region.
Price range estimate: Affordable and cheap furniture package deals.
Pros: Low price guarantee (will beat cheaper price by 20%), 60 day Change-of-mind policy, over 75 stores around Australia so stock always available and the ability to search up a code on your device in store to find more information about a furniture piece.
Cons: Cheap furniture price tags and pay later options can result in over-buying from the one store instead of taking time to choose your own style, collecting considered pieces over time.
05
Trit House
Redfern
With a global view on furniture design trends, Trit works with designers all over the world to design and develop unique furniture products that reflect contemporary shapes and styles as they hit the interiors scene.
Price range estimate: Mid to high price range.
Pros: Always on trend with interesting new arrivals, great designs and an affordable high end look. Home staging and styling services, Trees for Trees sustainably produced furniture program.
Cons: Only one showroom in Sydney
06
Freedom Furniture
Alexandria, Auburn and more
Freedom stores are only in Sydney so they have a unique view of how Sydneysiders live. Furniture hits trends whilst remaining classic and range from modern country style furniture with generous, overstuffed armchairs and winged armchairs to reclaimed timber sideboards and bookshelves and more sleek, contemporary minimalist shapes and finishes.
There are 10 Freedom stores across the greater Sydney region.
Price range estimate: Entry level affordable to mid range
Pros: Interior design service available. Most stores are conveniently located within shopping centres, My Freedom rewards connects to Velocity frequent flyer program.
Cons: Big sponsor of The Block TV series. Great for inspiration but your friends may have the same furniture as you.
07
Amart
Casula, Auburn, Bankstown and more
If you’re looking for affordable, on-trend furniture, it’s hard to beat Amart. The store has been around for over 50 years and they stock an incredible range of 2000+ pieces of furniture and home accessories. They offer friendly customer service, convenient home delivery across Australia and can even offer advice on how to style and transform your home on a budget.
There are multiple Amart stores across the greater Sydney region.
Price range estimate: Affordable.
Pros: Trendy furniture at an affordable price.
Cons: Affordable furniture isn’t always the best quality and you may find you have to replace key items more frequently.
08
IKEA
Rhodes, Tempe and Marsden Park
With over 300 stores worldwide, retail giant IKEA furniture is consistently produced with a world view of design and liveability, together with environmental responsibility and unique functionality. It’s beautiful too. Extensive research, planning and design goes into the manufacture, packaging and distribution of furniture and homewares.
Price range estimate: Affordable to mid range.
Pros: Hundreds of room settings to spark inspiration and try before you buy. Most items come in flat-packs. Self-serve setup in-store saves time.
Cons: Not all flatpacks last for life
09
Koskela
Rosebery
Putting their own twist on furniture, since 2000 Koskela has been combining contemporary Australian design with quality craftsmanship and a strong social conscience, with all furniture made in Australia and built for life.
Price range estimate: High-end.
Pros: Opportunity to create an original, curated home.
Cons: Made locally, so costs are higher.
10
La Maison
Lilyfield and Randwick
Your one-stop shop for quality French provincial style furniture, Hamptons style furniture or contemporary country style furniture, La Maison curates considered collections of high quality pieces with an interior designer’s aesthetic. They stock furniture for the entire house, including designer sofas, bedroom furniture, dining, entertaining, home office, storage and outdoor furniture.
Price range estimate: Mid to high end.
Pros: Showrooms have a beautiful ‘lived in’ look, which helps to easily imagine furniture in your own home. Pieces go together beautifully without looking like it all came from the same place.
11
Fanuli
Cremorne
Pared back minimalism addresses our current battle with over-consumption and Fanuli answers this with a contemporary offering of Australian and Italian designer furniture. Three generations of great design in Australia continues to inspire contemporary living.
Price range estimate: Mid to high end.
Pros: Tap into cutting edge Italian design or discover style innovations closer to home.
Cons: Higher prices tag, though Fanuli furniture is an investment for life.
12
King Living
Annandale, Bondi Junction and more
Building furniture in Australia for Australians since 1977, King Living produces timeless, high quality, beautifully designed furniture for the entire house, including modern sofas, beds, dining, home office, rugs and outdoor furniture. They stock furniture for the entire house, including sofas, bedroom furniture, dining, entertaining, home office, mattresses, storage, rugs and outdoor furniture.
Price range estimate: Mid to high end.
Pros: Once you purchase and become part of the ‘King Family’, reupholstery, fabric by the metre and comprehensive after sales service set the industry standard..
Cons: Higher prices tag, though furniture is an investment for life.
Top furniture styles
Sydney boasts mountains, rivers, beaches and the big smoke so homeowners are spoiled for decorating choices to suit their environment. A home by the beach may inspire a Hamptons decorating style, whilst a cottage in the mountains or southern highlands may lend itself to a cosier, more classic style of décor.
Whilst it’s wise to invest in furniture to suit your own personal taste, there are a handful of furniture styles to consider, understand and keep in mind (as you slide down a rabbit hole in a Gumtree search!) to help you curate a selection of furniture that will be perfectly arranged together in your home.
It’s easy to get sidetracked once you’re inside a furniture showroom or get seduced by furniture sales flashing up on your screen. Any research you do ahead of hitting the high streets and supercentres will help you stick to your budget and overall decorating plan.
Making decisions and creating a shortlist before you head out or online is important to keep you on track. Setting out with a clear list of what you’re looking for and how much you mean to spend will also help you decide on where to buy the furniture you’re looking for.
Online furniture stores or in person?
While shopping online is becoming more and more popular, with brands even releasing exclusive online ranges, nothing beats first-hand experience of a product.
When shopping for a sofa bed, fabric sofas or designer lounges in Sydney, you won’t know how comfortable it is until you give it a go in person, plus the advice from professionals found at furniture retailers can be invaluable in helping your decision making too.
Retail assistants know the product range inside out and can answer any questions you may have along the lines of build, materials, sizing options and potential wear and tear of a piece of furniture in your home.
A look at the number and variety of furniture stores Sydney has to offer quickly becomes overwhelming, so where do your start?
What should you look for in a good furniture store:
- Actual products on display
- Room setups to reflect use of the furniture in home
- Multiple size options
- Availability of clear product specifications
- Friendly, helpful, well-informed sales staff
- A range of fabric samples and options
- Clear pricing and terms of sale