As a design capital, New York City boasts design inspiration everywhere you turn. So much so, you might get excited at the thought of furnishing your NYC apartment, no matter how compact your new abode may be. Decorating is the fun part of moving (certainly more amusing than negotiating a lease or contract), so you’ll need to know where to search for furniture and all those required items to set up your new nest. Your shopping well won’t run dry with the plethora of NYC home décor spots, furniture stores, and Manhattan storage solutions you’ll come across in the Big Apple.
Here are the 12 best home décor stores in NYC where you can find furniture and design inspiration for your NYC apartment.
1. Gracious Home
New Yorkers flock to this classic home decor store in NYC. You’ll find plumbing fixtures, lighting, fine bedding, not to mention products designed specifically for small-space living when you peruse one of the company’s three Manhattan locations. Gracious Home is also a fantastic resource for practical items such as vacuums, luggage, and electronics.
2. ABC Carpet & Home
Wander through six floors of new, vintage, and antique furnishings in this Flatiron superstore. Choose from upholstery, case goods, accessories, and more, all showcased flawlessly in a lofty warehouse building with tall ceilings and oversized windows. Prices are mid-range to high-end in this decorating hub, which sells area rugs from another storefront across the street.
3. Housing Works Thrift Shop
With NYC apartment décor and used furnishings for the thrifty shopper, Housing Works is a NYC furniture store that offers used furniture items and great deals in its dozen locations around town. Check out inventory by store and bid in its online auctions featuring everything from sterling candlesticks to Tiffany & Co. champagne flutes.
4. Marimekko
One of the best stores for NYC apartment design inspiration is Marimekko. Here you can shop bright and bold patterned bedding, towels, dinnerware, and more at the Lower Fifth Avenue flagship store. You can also purchase Marimekko’s well-known prints by the yard, perfect for adding a dose of color to an otherwise neutral apartment.
5. Artists & Fleas
Williamsburg’s behemoth marketplace is the perfect spot if you’re looking for one-of-a-kind handmade home décor pieces. It’s here where the city’s creative souls come together each weekend to sell their handmade goods. Expect to find vendors like Spade Studio, a maker of lamps and mirrors, and Ciaran Tully Photography, which captures the painterly side of New York City street scenes on film.
6. IKEA Brooklyn
Known the world over for smart, affordable Scandinavian design, IKEA’s Red Hook store houses all that we love about the modern design retailer. Even better, this cheap NYC furniture store offers a free ferry on weekends, making the Manhattan commute a snap.
7. Jonathan Adler
One of the top furniture stores in NYC, Jonathan Adler has three Manhattan locations that sell the famed interior designer’s vibrant home collection. Colorful and hip, the household items and “objets d’art” at this modern NYC furniture store have wide appeal to younger New Yorkers, particularly the design savvy, as well as city slickers willing to splurge when decorating their apartment.
8. West Elm
This chain store near Lincoln Center has stepped up its home decorating game. The shop is meticulously colorized and staged, giving a reason for serious décor envy. Great for accent pieces and tchotchkes, West Elm has an outpost in Chelsea as well as a market in Brooklyn.
9. Safavieh
Also calling the Flatiron District home, Safavieh offers a wide selection of home décor in both traditional and modern styles. The shop features more than 40 quality home furnishings brands with prices varying from mid-range to luxury.
10. John Derian
With its decoupage plates and platters, unusual drawings, fine prints, floor coverings, and furniture, John Derian will provide all the NYC apartment design inspiration you need. With its array of unique home décor items, you’ll discover everything you want and more at this vintage home furnishings store.
11. Furnish Green
There are many furniture stores in NYC but none quite like Furnish Green. This unique vintage store meticulously selects beautiful antique and vintage pieces for all of your interior design needs and gives shoppers a reason to not leave empty-handed. Need NYC apartment décor? Look no further than this Manhattan gem.
12. Annex Markets – Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen
Bargain hunters adore these year-round outdoor flea markets where they can haggle for furniture, collectibles, and other fab finds. The Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market operates from 39th Street and Ninth Avenue, and Chelsea is set up on West 25th between Broadway and Sixth.