Furniture Shopping
As we settle into the new house, we’ve primarily “shopped” our own furniture pieces to decorate the space, but because each new house is different, I’ve been on the hunt for a few new pieces of furniture to fill out some spaces. I’ve been exploring all sorts of shops, looking for the perfect items to make this house a home. Here are my success stories.
Furniture
I love, love, love Mood in Ponsonby. They can custom make some seriously cool sofas and have so many fabrics to choose from. We lucked out, and the perfect sectional sofa was one of their display pieces and we were able to have it delivered with a few days. Mood also carries made-in-New-Zealand wooden furniture of excellent quality. These pieces can range from moderately priced to downright expensive, but this is furniture made to last.
At Early Settler in Ponsonby (though they have two other locations in Botany Downs and Wairau Park) I found the perfect bedside tables for the kids. They have more diverse styles here than I’ve seen in other furniture shops around town, which meant I could find both a shabby chic table for my daughter and a more midcentury mod one for my son. The prices weren’t extravagant, which is good when buying furniture for kids. They also had the most over the top dog bed I’ve ever seen. I want it, but it doesn’t go with our decor. What do you think?
I’ve also been pleasantly surprised by Republic Home, with storefronts in Ponsonby and Newmarket. While I haven’t pulled the trigger on any furniture from them, there are funky, unique pieces that are delightfully different from the typical stuff found in big chain stores. On several occasions, we were offered substantial, unadvertised discounts on piece of furniture when we went into the physical stores. They also promised quick delivery.
I hesitate to put this next store on the list because a lot of their furniture is cheap crap (I’m talking thin particle board, no drawer rails on the dressers crap) but I managed to find a perfect marble topped desk for my cloffice (closet + office combo) at Freedom Furniture. There are some treasures to be found in this chain with spots all around Auckland.
Outdoor furniture
Outdoor furniture is a pretty big deal here. Indoor/outdoor living with open houses is just how things are done, so we’ve found ourselves in need of a lot more outdoor furniture than in Texas. There’s the added complication of very intense sun and rainstorms, so outdoor furniture needs to be able to withstand both. There were two outdoor furniture stores that made good impressions. My favorite by far was Design Warehouse in Parnell which had a huge warehouse full of options. The primary focus was on wood furniture, though we did find some rattan sets in the back. This was higher-end furniture that I have confidence will stand up to the harsh elements in New Zealand. I loved how many options were available to try out. In stock items can be delivered within days of purchasing, too.
A store focusing on rattan furniture that made an impression was Premium Rattan Furniture. There was a decent selection of outdoor items, and the saleslady was very helpful. The price points are below that of Design Warehouse, though DW’s rattan pieces were on sale for quite a discount.
A bonus outdoor store is BBQs & More in Mt. Wellington. If you are in need of a new grill, this is the place to geek out. You can learn more than you ever thought imaginable from their staff and pick out the perfect grill for you. And make no mistake, Kiwis take their BBQs very seriously.
Slipcovers and Upholstery
This is a bonus recommendation, but I think slipcovers can fit into the furniture category, right? We decided to get slipcovers made for our dark purple velvet dining room chairs as they will likely fade in the intense New Zealand sun. We found Siba Designs, in St. Johns, which is a one-stop-shop for all things upholstery related. They have a ton of fabric to choose from and can handle any project - including fixing our one dining room chair that has always been annoyingly wobbly.
If you’re got more than a few pieces to purchase and are on a budget, definitely check out Neighbourly, Facebook Marketplace, and TradeMe. There are also a number of consignment shops around, like Consignment Furniture that have good pre-loved pieces and great prices.
There are also a number of stores around that have - for lack of a better term - disposable furniture. Places like The Warehouse. There are quite a few options for book-shelves-in-a-box, but they are all made out of particle board and look dinged up within minutes of assembly. One option you will recognize? Target. Yes, the big red bullseye is here in New Zealand, but only in furniture form. It is not filled with clothes, toys, bikes, groceries, and home goods. Just furniture. There also isn’t an IKEA store in New Zealand (yet - one is supposed to open in Auckland within the next few years) but there are plenty of resellers who provide IKEA furniture at reasonable prices. Take this Billy bookcase. In the US, it retails for US$69 + tax. In Texas, that is US$74.69. At Urban Sales, you can purchase the same bookcase for NZ$109, or about US$74.12.
I’ve heard lots of horror stories about furniture being expensive and of poor quality in New Zealand. Don’t believe the hype. Making a house into a home in New Zealand takes some time and patience. Like all shopping endeavours, it is extremely beneficial to wait for one of the (frequent) sales to start to get a reasonable price on many goods. However, if you’re willing to do a little research and wait, you can find some amazing pieces of furniture to love.
