We love IKEA and West Elm as much as the next home decor shopper, but there are plenty of smaller furniture companies that may not be on your radar, but which you should definitely be shopping. These innovative sites offer pieces specifically designed to work in small spaces, as well as customized options in colors and patterns you can pick out yourself. Even better: they skip the showroom and ship directly to you, making furniture shopping as easy as possible. If you’re looking for a unique statement piece no one else will have or want a sofa that coordinates perfectly with the rest of your decor, check out the five groundbreaking companies disrupting the furniture industry, below.
Interior Define
Searching for a customized sofa that fits your space flawlessly? Interior Define is the answer. To make sofa shopping easier, this company lets you do the shopping online and delivers to your door, so you never have to step foot in a store. Start by selecting your style (from the elegant Rose to the easygoing Jasper), then customize the piece with a specific size and shape that matches your home and your family. From there, choose a color and fabric, then add on pillows, ottomans, and legs. Something truly novel: You can even select softer or firmer seats to match your desired level of cushioning.
One of the first companies to change the sofa-shopping game, Interior Define has since expanded to beds, chairs, and dining sets as well, so you can customize the furniture throughout your home.
Prices: Sofas start at $1,200, with many options in the $2,000-3,000 range.
Article
Article was created with the goal of making furniture shopping as easy and efficient as possible. Eliminating the need for showrooms, retail stores, and salespeople, the company cuts costs. Instead, each sofa, bed, coffee table, or side chair is shipped directly to you for a flat rate of $49. Compared to other disrupters in the furniture industry that are focused on a specific product (sofas take the lead) or category, Article currently offers a wide range of pieces to furnish your entire home. Here, you’ll find everything from an upholstered dining chair to floor lamps to bookcases.
Prices: With a huge range of products, prices vary but are very reasonable. You can find everything from a $59 pillow to a $5,000 sectional.
Maiden Home
For those who want the convenience of a direct-to-consumer shopping experience, yet are looking for a sofa with Restoration Hardware-level elegance, Maiden Home should be your go-to. We can’t stop swooning over the clean lines of the Irving sofa and the beach-house charm of the Dune sofa. If buying a couch without sitting on it makes you nervous, don’t worry, Maiden Home has a 30-day return policy. If you don’t love your purchase, they’ll come pick it up.
Prices: Most of the sofas start around $2,000.
Inside Weather
Chairs in customized colors, sideboards with funky patterns, mini sofas (called sofettes!) designed with small spaces in mind—Inside Weather has them all. Ideal for first homes, apartments, and those who are looking to upgrade from their IKEA basics, Inside Weather ships directly to you, and each piece can be assembled in minutes. By manufacturing their furniture in the San Francisco Bay area and shipping within the country, the company cuts down on shipping costs and passes the discounts on to their customers.
Prices: Sofettes start at $648, while credenzas start at $518.
Burrow
For a sofa that’s durable, American-made, and comes with clever, modern details like a built-in USB charger, look no further than Burrow. Because Burrow doesn’t have traditional retail stores (except for a showroom in NYC), the company is able to avoid retail markups and standard shipping costs, saving you over $600 per sofa. By selecting the fabric color, legs, shape, and arm height of your couch, you can tailor it to your specifications.
Prices: From $1,195 for a sofa without chaise or ottoman.
Katie Holdefehr, REALSIMPLE