Canada Filter: Buying furniture online
August 17, 2022 8:50 AM Subscribe
Where should I shop for my new furniture? Online, delivery to Vancouver, BC suburbs in Canada.
I just bought a house (well, half a house, this is Vancouver-area real estate after all), I am treating this as a new start, and am attempting to purge clutter and crap from my life. This included tossing all the crappy cheap furniture I had, but now I need to replace it.
My entire life I've always just bought the cheapest thing at Ikea I could handle looking at every day, and called it done. Over time, I end up hating it with a passion. or it's been destroyed by the cats, or it just.. disintegrates . Cheap MDF tends to do that.
I don't want to break the bank, but I'm willing to spend a little bit for decent quality stuff. But where, and how? Is the "more expensive" stuff at IKEA any better? I'm not super picky - I just want simple, functional, minimalist type stuff that generally matches and makes a room look like a grown up lives there. Low maintenance is a must, pet friendly if applicable is a must.
I have no time, some money but not excessive amounts, will happily procrastinate spending hours online browsing (but really shouldn't!), but I do not want to waste a weekend or worse schlepping to furniture stores. I would prefer things magically appear at my door after handing over a CC number, but I do have 2 seperate IKEAs I can pick up from and a decent-sized SUV to cram things into. If I have to talk to a person on the phone I'm out.
I've already decided my couch and related pieces are coming from Cozey.ca. Rugs will probably come from Ruggable (b/c pets!). My new mattress will come from one of those bed-in-a-box places. I still need all new bedroom furniture, some living room furniture, and a desk and shelves for the office. Also something like IKEA's PAX storage system. Oh, and outdoor furniture too, there's a great patio that needs stuff too. Lots to buy...
Is Wayfair worth the risk? Where else should I look? I feel like I should do more than just google "online furniture stores". Delivery to Canada is a must, ideally without additional fees and custom headaches.
Grown ups of Mefi, help me fill my home with furniture I won't hate! What would you do if you were in my situation?
I just bought a house (well, half a house, this is Vancouver-area real estate after all), I am treating this as a new start, and am attempting to purge clutter and crap from my life. This included tossing all the crappy cheap furniture I had, but now I need to replace it.
My entire life I've always just bought the cheapest thing at Ikea I could handle looking at every day, and called it done. Over time, I end up hating it with a passion. or it's been destroyed by the cats, or it just.. disintegrates . Cheap MDF tends to do that.
I don't want to break the bank, but I'm willing to spend a little bit for decent quality stuff. But where, and how? Is the "more expensive" stuff at IKEA any better? I'm not super picky - I just want simple, functional, minimalist type stuff that generally matches and makes a room look like a grown up lives there. Low maintenance is a must, pet friendly if applicable is a must.
I have no time, some money but not excessive amounts, will happily procrastinate spending hours online browsing (but really shouldn't!), but I do not want to waste a weekend or worse schlepping to furniture stores. I would prefer things magically appear at my door after handing over a CC number, but I do have 2 seperate IKEAs I can pick up from and a decent-sized SUV to cram things into. If I have to talk to a person on the phone I'm out.
I've already decided my couch and related pieces are coming from Cozey.ca. Rugs will probably come from Ruggable (b/c pets!). My new mattress will come from one of those bed-in-a-box places. I still need all new bedroom furniture, some living room furniture, and a desk and shelves for the office. Also something like IKEA's PAX storage system. Oh, and outdoor furniture too, there's a great patio that needs stuff too. Lots to buy...
Is Wayfair worth the risk? Where else should I look? I feel like I should do more than just google "online furniture stores". Delivery to Canada is a must, ideally without additional fees and custom headaches.
Grown ups of Mefi, help me fill my home with furniture I won't hate! What would you do if you were in my situation?
When we were first time homeowners a few years back we got a few household things (futon, dining chairs and ... something else I'm blanking on right now) from Scan Designs that we're still using to this day. Decent quality for the price.
posted by mannequito at 9:02 AM on August 17, 2022
posted by mannequito at 9:02 AM on August 17, 2022
I'm in Delta and bought some stuff from Wayfair. Looks great but dodgy quality. Drawers in particular tend to stick and the finishes aren't durable.
Outdoor furniture? Costco all the way. They deliver and the quality is great. They have indoor furniture as well but I can't vouch for it.
posted by Zedcaster at 9:05 AM on August 17, 2022
Outdoor furniture? Costco all the way. They deliver and the quality is great. They have indoor furniture as well but I can't vouch for it.
posted by Zedcaster at 9:05 AM on August 17, 2022
I've had really good experiences with Simons and they definitely have efficient Canada-wide delivery.
posted by thebots at 9:10 AM on August 17, 2022
posted by thebots at 9:10 AM on August 17, 2022
Wayfair is a real crapshoot. Some of the stuff they sell is great and high quality and some of it is crap. You need to go off Wayfair and research the actual brand you're looking at to know if an item is likely to be good or not.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:12 AM on August 17, 2022
posted by jacquilynne at 9:12 AM on August 17, 2022
Oh, another one is Article which is delivery-only (with a warehouse in Vancouver if I'm not mistaken?) Their stuff is more expensive but the sale items can be marked down pretty heavily!
posted by thebots at 9:13 AM on August 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by thebots at 9:13 AM on August 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
For your storage needs, hacking something together out of Ikea's *kitchen* cabinetry has worked out really well for me in the past. Wardrobes, consoles, shelving, etc. Way higher quality than Besta, e.g. Can't speak to whether it's better than Pax, but I wouldn't be surprised (and a quick googling seems to think so).
posted by supercres at 9:15 AM on August 17, 2022
posted by supercres at 9:15 AM on August 17, 2022
Seconding Article. I have a shelving unit and dining room set from them that I'm quite happy with.
posted by HillbillyInBC at 9:17 AM on August 17, 2022
posted by HillbillyInBC at 9:17 AM on August 17, 2022
Structube is based in Montreal but has stores in Vancouver.
posted by tinydancer at 9:42 AM on August 17, 2022
posted by tinydancer at 9:42 AM on August 17, 2022
Honestly we’re in the same boat and buying a lot of used stuff from FB marketplace. It’s a little scuffed but way better value for the money (wood) and the pictures are really “what you see is what you get” vs wayfair which always looks amazing in photos.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 9:50 AM on August 17, 2022
posted by St. Peepsburg at 9:50 AM on August 17, 2022
I've ordered online from Structube to deliver to my place in Vancouver. I got a reasonably priced table that I'm still liking a lot four years later. They have a store on Granville also.
The higher quality IKEA stuff is pretty good.
posted by lookoutbelow at 10:00 AM on August 17, 2022
The higher quality IKEA stuff is pretty good.
posted by lookoutbelow at 10:00 AM on August 17, 2022
I’m quite happy with Article tables and chairs, not cheap but good value. I’ve heard less good things about their couches.
posted by ripley_ at 11:11 AM on August 17, 2022
posted by ripley_ at 11:11 AM on August 17, 2022
I've been pleasantly surprised with 'West Coast Furniture Liquidators' on King Edward St. in Coquitlam. Mid-high tier furniture at mid-tier prices. Some really unique pieces.
They have a facebook but no online. I'm sure that they can arrange for delivery.
posted by porpoise at 12:31 PM on August 17, 2022
They have a facebook but no online. I'm sure that they can arrange for delivery.
posted by porpoise at 12:31 PM on August 17, 2022
We’re also in a Vancouver suburb. +1 to EQ3 (we have a very comfy couch and some ottomans from them), Article (some outdoor furniture and dining chairs), Crate & Barrel (some light fixtures and a *great* folding dining table, perfect for smaller homes), and West Elm (a handsome coffee table with hidden storage). I’ve also liked stuff I’ve seen at CB2. All have pretty robust shopping sites.
And of course the rest of our stuff is either hand-me-downs or IKEA. +1 to the idea that IKEA’s mid-range stuff is worthwhile. When I was looking for a media bench, they were the only place that had something the right size, *with ventilation and cable-hiding space* for a decent price. Sometimes they just nail it, and new models come and go, so it pays to check in occasionally.
posted by TangoCharlie at 10:47 PM on August 17, 2022
And of course the rest of our stuff is either hand-me-downs or IKEA. +1 to the idea that IKEA’s mid-range stuff is worthwhile. When I was looking for a media bench, they were the only place that had something the right size, *with ventilation and cable-hiding space* for a decent price. Sometimes they just nail it, and new models come and go, so it pays to check in occasionally.
posted by TangoCharlie at 10:47 PM on August 17, 2022
(I know you said you don’t have time or inclination to go to a store, but if you wanted to try couches on for comfort, in one afternoon you could hit up West Elm, EQ3, Structube, and Scandesigns in the South Granville area, and Crate & Barrel (at Oakridge) on your way in or out.) (I also dislike spending time at these stores but not as much as I dislike purchasing things to put beneath my butt without first putting them beneath my butt.)
posted by TangoCharlie at 10:51 PM on August 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by TangoCharlie at 10:51 PM on August 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
Mid-range Ikea does wear better than the cheapest Ikea options. Usually if it has an option for a wood veneer finish instead of only being available in white or pine, you’re on the “right” side of that divide. Powder coated steel furniture will also wear well (for shelves and storage pieces). There’s a reason certain things reappear on all the blogs - Kallax storage, the one black and white patterned low pile rug, Malm beds, Billy bookshelves, glass topped dining tables.
posted by A Blue Moon at 9:01 AM on August 17, 2022 [3 favorites]