We look at it, we spill stuff on it, we get 5 years interest free credit on it, we even sit on it. Yes, everybody loves furniture.
Tables, beds, sofas, pooffes, sideboards and dressers; wooden or fabric, glass or metal; traditional, edgy, modern and even post-modern - furniture is as varied and becoming as it is practical, with something for every taste.
So whatever your personal proclivities for furnishing be sure to browse through our list of London's finest furniture outlets...
Liberty is synonymous with luxury but a look at the furniture feels like the store takes things one step further. Selling exotic and exquisitely crafted sofas, desks, armchairs, rugs and tables from all over the world, it is the shop of choice for the wealthy. While most of us may only be able to look, if you come into some money or just enjoy ploughing all of your cash into statement furniture then this is the place to come for pure luxury.
Decoratum is all about the more obscure side of vintage. Its collection of wacky furniture is second to none. From glass dining tables made from light tubes to reclaimed wood and metal steam punk coffee tables, the furniture here will appeal to the customer on the hunt for the quirky and the unusual piece to finish a room.
Started by three Scandinavians the homeware and furniture store Skandium is the place to go for cutting edge, contemporary and classic Scandinavian design. Selling a range of armchairs, desk chairs and recliners by the likes of Vitra and Knoll, the furniture at Skandium is some of the most desirable around. And the prices prove it.
An independent in the heart of Angel, Folklore is something of a concept shop. The furniture here comes from small individual suppliers and artisans, which means you’re always likely to find something out of the ordinary. There is a particular focus on wooden kitchen chairs.
It’s a classic event in our world. You’re out for coffee in a hip, Shoreditch café-cum-shop and the next thing you know you’re buying yourself a new sofa. Everyone does it. At least everyone could do it at Pitfield. Because not only does this “hip Shoreditch café-cum-shop” sell great coffee and cake but it also sells Hessian sack armchairs and other smart pieces to furnish your house-cum-installation. But serious; it’s full of beautiful furniture.
Some people think that you have to spend a ton to get a desirable sofa these days. And those people would be right, unless they’re using ‘ton’ in its Cockney slang guise, in which case they’re wrong. No sofa costs £100. Confused? So are we. Let’s move on. B Southgate can get you a cheaper sofa than a lot of similar places and since the shop’s furniture is mostly reclaimed and reupholstered it will also include skilled man-hours in the price as well. Located in a courtyard on Columbia Road, the store only opens on Sundays when everything is dragged out into the open and on display.
The Old Cinema is a great place to search for one-of-a-kind furniture. Like Aria, it is a department store, only this Chiswick emporium deals almost solely in secondhand, vintage and antiques. Spread across multiple floors, you’ll find styles that represent every decade of the last sixty years – at least. Prices range and bartering is always an option.
Old trusted John Lewis was always going to make our list for the best places to buy furniture in London, simply because we trust it. Maybe we shouldn’t after all that cash it spent on <i>that</i> Christmas ad, but we do. Also, it’s convenient; you’ll find dining tables, chairs, sofas, beds, desks and wardrobes all under one roof. Simple.
The V&A shop is a famously hit and miss kind of place. On one hand it might provide you with an affordable exhibition tote bag but on the other it will infuriate you with its ridiculous prices for items like hot water bottles (£60?!). One thing that often goes unnoticed – not by us of course – is that it stocks the odd exquisite piece of furniture. Mainly dealing in chairs – you know, hand carved rocking chairs, patchwork armchairs, that sort of thing – it’s a good place to go for inspiration, even if you don’t make a purchase.