Buying Home Furniture

Decorating a house is fun -- if you know where to buy home furniture. Otherwise you can spend weeks trolling online furniture sites and visiting furniture retailer after furniture retailer in vain. We want to help you shop smart, so we put together this helpful guide to where to buy furniture for your home. Since Walmart is the number one furniture retailer in the nation, we left that one off the list -- It's clear you've heard of it!

It's tempting to buy home furniture pieces online. Accent pieces, end tables and lamps are one thing, but if you're looking for home furniture basics, like a couch or bedroom set, it's best to examine the furniture in person.

Here's a breakdown of some of the nation's top furniture retailers, many on Furniture Today's Top 25 Furniture Retailers list, along with their price range and what you can expect to find at each store.

JCPenney
Price range: Moderate
Style: Classic, Traditional
Families have been buying furniture for their home at JCPenney for generations. The store offers a wide variety of traditional affordable pieces, everything from couches and sectionals to bedroom sets and dining room sets.

Pottery Barn
Price range: Expensive
Style: Upscale, Modern Country
Pottery Barn is a great place for anyone who wants their home to feel like it was designed by an interior designer. The retailer, which caters to an upscale yuppie audience, often puts a fresh spin on classic pieces. Think: A distressed farm table paired with chairs fit for a Parisian café.

Overstock
Price range: Inexpensive
Style: Something for everyone
Yes, this is an online only retailer, but this is one site worth exploring. Everyday Overstock.com sells new items that large and small retailers can't – and at deep discounts. Expect to find lots of cheap accent chairs and end tables, dining room tables and chandeliers.

IKEA
Price range: Inexpensive
Style: Swedish basics, some mid-century modern
IKEA is a mega-store with a wide selection of home furniture. You'll find deep discounts at this budget retailer, including couches for less than $200 and coffee tables for $25 or less. Still, discounts doesn't mean dull. IKEA's lively designs are a particularly popular with students and young professionals.

Thomasville Furniture
Price range: Moderate to Expensive
Style: Traditional, Classic
Founded in 1904, Thomasville Furniture features classic American furniture styles. You could furnish an entire home at Thomasville, since they sell furniture for bedrooms, living rooms, even kitchens (kitchen cabinets). Check it out if you tend to like colonial or country styles as well as durable wood pieces in a variety of finishes.

Crate & Barrel
Price range: Moderate to Expensive
Style: Modern
Expect to find lots of clean-lined mid-century modern and contemporary furnishings at this large national retailer. A favorite of newlyweds, Crate & Barrel is perfect for anyone who likes classic home furniture pieces -- with a twist.

Etsy
Price range: Inexpensive
Style: Something for everyone
Etsy, a site that features the handmade works of artisans around the nation, is a good place to search for home furniture accents, like unique lamps, end tables or accent chairs. If you value one-of-a-kind pieces, this site is for you.

Ethan Allen
Price range: Expensive
Style: Sophisticated Classics
Ethan Allen features upscale home furniture pieces with timeless appeal. While their pieces are constantly evolving to reflect home design trends, you can expect to find go-to home furniture pieces to fill your home.