The Best Stores for Affordable Home Furnishings
The only four stores you need to be able to furnish an entire home.
Over the past couple years, my husband and I have had the opportunity to furnish a number of homes. Not only do we have a couple homes that we have set up as short-term rentals, but he also manages a number of short-term and vacation rentals in Arizona. Part of the service he offers to his clients is to furnish the home, top to bottom. While I typically try and keep my nose out of his business, this is something that I really enjoy helping him with.
We have gotten our process down to a science in the Phoenix area. We stick to certain stores because they consistently offer the best prices on quality furniture that lasts. By using the stores I’m going to tell you about today, we have been able to furnish three bedroom homes for around $12,000, including all the dishes, linens, and décor. If you’re in the market to make a change in your home’s furnishings, these are the stores I would highly recommend checking out first if they are in your area. (Oh and just to be clear, none of these stores paid me to recommend them; they’re just the ones I’ve found over time to have the best prices and offerings!)
American Furniture Warehouse
American Furniture Warehouse is hands-down the easiest place to buy a house full of affordable furniture. While they carry luxury furnishings as well, we have been thoroughly impressed with the quality of their lower priced furniture. For example, their sofas start at under $300 and entire bedroom sets for under $700. The last home we furnished we even found a leather King-size bed frame on clearance for $150.
As soon as you step foot in to an American Furniture Warehouse, you’ll start to understand why we love it for getting all the larger furniture pieces for the homes we work with. The furniture is set up in vignettes so you can see how pieces can work together. They also have an area with individual accent pieces so you can mix and match the smaller pieces in to your room’s need.
The only challenge with AFW is they have a limited number of locations. They started in Colorado and that’s where the majority of their stores are currently located. Luckily we now have two stores in the Phoenix area, but they haven’t gotten outside these two states yet. Even if you aren’t in Colorado or Arizona, but you are within driving distance of one of their stores, you’ll likely end up saving money by renting a moving truck and filling it with the furnishings you find at AFW. Just make sure you have your room measurements with you to ensure you get the right size furniture on your home furnishing road trip.
At Home
Another store that we have found some great furniture deals at is called At Home. This store recently popped up in the Phoenix area, and from their website it looks like they are quickly spreading across the US, with stores currently in or coming to most states.
While At Home does have a few vignettes set up to highlight a furniture combinations, it is mostly set up like a warehouse with all the furniture displayed by like items. For the most part, all the headboards are in one area, all the coffee tables in another, and all the chairs in another area. While this means it may take a little more effort and imagination to put together an entire room, it also means you can get some fun inspiration and end up with a more creative setup than you would at other furniture stores.
Another benefit that At Home stores offer is that they carry pretty much anything and everything you can imagine to furnish your home. They have rugs of all sizes, decorative pillows, wall decorations, curtains, patio furniture, and cleaning tools in addition to the furniture. You could make this store a one-stop shop if you want, but not all their prices are as competitive as their furniture prices.
I do have to admit though, they do some great sales, so if you can pop in to an At Home when they are doing their clearance sales, you can probably find some very fun items at super low prices. You just have to keep your eyes peeled for the treasures.
Ross
The next store I rely on for furnishing homes on a budget is Ross. This discount store’s inventory is always changing, but there are a few items that I can almost always count on finding at a Ross.
The first are high quality bed linens. When we need to purchase six or eight sets of sheets at a time, purchasing $100 sets is out of the question. When I go to Ross, I can almost always find luxury linens for $30-$50 per set. They also have a great selection of blankets, quilts, and pillows that make any bedroom feel instantly cozy and complete, but at prices that beat almost every other store in the area.
Another aisle I depend on at Ross is the kitchen aisle. Their dish sets, silverware sets, and glassware sets are often half the price of even some of the other stores on this list. You might have to hunt to find two sets of matching items, but it’s worth it if you can get a complete set of dishes for under $30. On a good day you can also find amazing prices on high quality cookware and chef knife sets, and if you’re lucky, great single baking pans and food storage items. If you want to fill your kitchen with great items at a low price, it’s worth your time to walk through the aisles at Ross.
The last thing I always try to find at Ross is décor, specifically wall hangings. Most Ross stores have a huge selection of wall art and décor items that are in the trendy styles and colors for the year. I’ve even found things like small chairs that became the perfect accent piece for an otherwise basic looking room. Plus, if you hit the store on the right day, you can often find a number of pieces that have been marked down for clearance. I’ve found this will typically put a large wall painting in the $30-$50 range. If you have a lot of wall space to fill, or a number of flat surfaces that could use a little sprucing up, Ross is the store to hit first.
Target
The last store I head to when I’m furnishing a home is Target. The number one item I always get at Target is towels. Whether we are furnishing a budget home, or a luxury home, there is always an option at Target.
While the selection is part of the reason I prefer to buy towels at Target, the real reason is the consistency. I know that, if we need to replace a couple towels in six months or a year, we are almost certainly going to be able to find that towel again at Target. This can’t be said about most stores because they change their inventory or color schemes on a more frequent basis. Target seems to understand that if they keep their towel inventory relatively neutral and stable, their customers can come back and buy more of the same towels again and again.
I also am a Target clearance shelf junkie. Even if I am only going in to Target to buy shampoo, I will always walk through the store and scope out the clearance items. By being patient and keeping an eye on the clearance items, I’ve been able to keep my kitchen stocked with super cute dish towels, my living room cozy with comfy throws and pillows, and a few great accent furniture pieces that helped fill blank spaces in our home. The key to the clearance sections is to not buy simply because you see a great price; that just creates clutter. Know what you need or want before heading in to the clearance sections, and only buy if you find something that really fits your space.
Furnishing a home can be a daunting and expensive process, but with a little planning and the knowledge of where to find the best deals, you can make your home a warm and cozy place within almost any budget.
Until next time, I’m the Domestic CEO, helping you love your home.