Living in the information age everything seems to be a click of a button or a tap on your phone screen away, but just because there is a seemingly legitimate website, it doesn’t mean you’ve found your nearest luxury furniture store.
A good website is only the beginning of your search. Luxury furniture is a serious purchase and should be made carefully and thoughtfully, ensuring you get your money’s worth and won’t be left disappointed by your purchase. The reputation of the furniture shop that you get your furniture from can go a long way in reassuring you that your purchase is legitimate.
Although the internet could be better, a search engine is the easiest way to narrow your search. When you have the names of furniture stores and furniture designers you can search for reviews online and on social media and also find out what associations and other luxury furniture experts think of them. What others think of the store only comes second to how you feel when you walk into the furniture showrooms, what your experience is with the staff and the confidence you have in their knowledge.
A close working relationship with your furniture store (aided by the store's proximity to your home) makes accessing bespoke designer furniture much easier and makes you and your needs top of mind when something that is just your style is released.
There is no better test of quality than time, but when you’re looking to buy new furniture, waiting to see how it ages isn’t an option.
Instead, you can learn from the experiences of others through their reviews and comments on social media. Where possible visiting the store's showroom is an excellent way to see the quality of the furniture for yourself before buying anything. Being in the furniture store will allow you to explore and test the three main hallmarks of a quality furniture store.
The first sign will be the furniture itself, how it is made and what it is made of. The second sign will be how knowledgeable the staff are about the products on offer and luxury furniture brands in general. The last will be a variety of both brands and styles on offer showing the extent of the store's expertise and their ability to cater to different styles and tastes.
High-quality materials and impeccable craftsmanship are the non-negotiables for high-value furniture. While designer brands can claim luxury status, true luxury lies in the quality of the furniture and how it serves its practical and aesthetic function giving you a feeling of luxury rather than a claim to it based on the cost of the furniture or the reputation of its manufacturer.
Craftsmanship however is not a matter of taste or purpose. Check the underside of your furniture and hidden areas that may go unnoticed to see how they are finished to judge whether the furniture was built by a craftsman interested in appearing to do a good job or doing a job. Although not all furniture stores are involved in the manufacturing of the furniture they sell, the standard of quality the store will accept and offer to their clients is a barometer of what you can expect from them.
When you’re willing to pay for quality, it isn’t just about the furniture. How you are treated in the store and how much confidence you have in the employees of the store is all part of the luxury experience.
A knowledgeable salesperson should be a minimum requirement at a high-end furniture store. When working with clients looking to furnish bespoke homes from a collection of elegant and exclusive pieces, working with a designer and having someone who understands interior design on hand as you shop completes the experience.
Offering advice on customisation, and similar products and help you compare brands and designs crafting a personalised shopping experience that is more likely to end in a well-furnished home you love and appreciate without concerns over whether your money could have been better spent.
A worthy furniture store is loyal to its customers and not the brands it sells.
This means having a wide variety of brands to satisfy the varying tastes and requirements of your clients.
With expertise comes range, variety and the ability to discern quality across different styles, brands, and purposes.
A furniture store that offers variety allows you to explore style, trends and design so you leave not only sure of what you want but also understand your style better.
A store with a wide variety of trusted and respected brands and a range of styles makes for more confident shoppers, but on a practical level also increases the likelihood that you’ll be able to find just what you’re looking for.
London is a melting pot of culture and style combining the best the entire world has to offer, the standard of luxury furniture you can expect from a designer furniture store in London is just that. The best the world has to offer.
With access to the minds behind the latest interior trends and the design houses that make them, the best furniture stores in London are ahead of trends and offer a combination of fashionable furniture and timeless classic furniture. Along with high-end furniture, the complete luxury experience comes with professional interactions with the staff who are efficient, knowledgeable and offer a personalised service that leaves you feeling known, seen, heard and above all catered to. Customers can build relationships with furniture stores allowing them to gain easy access to curated furniture that feels like it was picked out just for them.
One of the most important differences between a high-end shopping experience and an ordinary shopping trip is the attention to detail put in by high-end stores.
At the best furniture stores, you can expect a comfortable consultation where the salesperson or on-the-floor designer will get to know and understand your style and intentions for your furniture. Through this conversation, they can give you valuable advice on the type of furniture you’re looking for and help you curate your furniture according to your tastes.
This tailored experience is you-centered and not sales-centered where you may feel like the salesperson is just trying to earn commission. A knowledgeable and professional salesperson should be able to win your trust through valuable advice on your plans and purchases.
Luxury is not limited to a specific style or sensibility. A worthwhile furniture store will have a combination of the latest trends and furniture with a timeless appeal that either has stood the test of time or holds the level of sophistication that will.
Offering a variety of styles, trends and brands varying from the latest fashions to traditional antique-inspired furniture shows the range of expertise and a willingness to cater to the needs of customers.
The range of knowledge and ability to source a wide variety of furniture goes to show the extent of understanding the store has of furniture style and interior design and their ability to offer you a personalised luxury experience with advice and selections of furniture that speak to your style.
Although most people visit furniture stores with their own ideas in mind, a well-curated showroom should be able to inspire amendments or diversions from the style you initially come in with.
Not just store rooms, showrooms are a display of the furniture best done by coordinating pieces to create looks and combinations that give prospective buyers an idea of how the piece could look in their homes.
A store's showroom communicates the brand message, values and personality. Showrooms with thoughtful displays that have been artfully put together show an interest in not just selling furniture, but the appreciation of the furniture and how it fits in to create a look. Customers who are inspired by a display in a showroom may also be more trusting of the expertise offered since the professionalism and understanding of the salespeople have been proven by the display.
Knowing what your clientele wants and offering it doesn’t just make good business sense, but shows that you have your finger on the pulse of your industry.
A good furniture store stocks an extensive range of popular styles offering variations of current and upcoming trends and showcasing inspirational combinations with ideas on how these styles can be personalised and applied in the homes of their prospective clients.
Interior design and decor trends in London are ever-evolving, with different variations of the trends showing up in various applications across the homes of people with different tastes.
A good furniture store shows an understanding of the core and basic principles of styles leaving room for personalisation.
Mid-century modern furniture was an artisan-lead trend popular between the 1950s all the way through to the 1980s. The style incorporated elements of different trends that came and went throughout the time including art deco and industrial chic.
Easily identified by the relatively long tapered legs and the use of durable, good-quality wood. Mid-century modern furniture has had to be adaptable over the years and continues to adapt to reflect the economic and social thinking of the time including current environmental concerns.
Judging the quality of Mid-Century Modern furniture has everything to do with the quality of the craftsmanship and the ability of the artisans who make the furniture. Luxury furniture salespeople should be able to take you through the unique features of the furniture, and the value of its finishes with a particular focus on the joinery, materials and the attention to detail given to aspects that make for more.
The term art deco is derived from the French arts decoratifs after a 1920s parisian art exhibition which inspired the interior design and architectural movement that is still a living part of the design and art world all over the world.
Art deco is characterised by clean lines, sleek and simple sophistication and the unexpected use of bright and bold colours.
Identifying quality art decor furniture requires you to be able to recognise the quality of the materials used. Art deco often combines materials to achieve contrast which is a distinctive feature of art deco.
In a luxury furniture store, art deco furniture is defined by the choice of materials used and the combination of traditional art decor with the application for more modern trends and materials.
Contemporary minimalism is focused on catering to a need without unnecessary visual noise. Although this might initially seem to preclude luxury, this is not necessarily true.
The zenith of luxury minimalist design is the ability to include the feeling of luxury and allow buyers to experience comfort and quality with the decorative tassels.
Opulence in the minimalist sense is defined by quality materials that bring comfort and contribute to a better and easier lifestyle. When judging the standard of a furniture store based on their minimalist furniture the goal is to find furniture pieces that meet all your practical requirements without compromising on your preference for simple design.
An exposed stripped-back look is rarely synonymous with luxury brands, however, industrial chic combines comfort style and the appearance of being unfinished. The main catch for luxury furniture stores here is that the appearance of being unfinished should only be by design and not actually because the furniture is not well made.
Luxury furniture stores are tasked with showing their clientele how the furniture was thoughtfully built and designed with their comfort and easy way of life in mind.
Industrial chic furniture may look worn, but it is known for being durable and incredibly resistant to wear and tear.
Although variety and range are desirable in a furniture store, specialisation is key for the development of a luxury brand.
There are many legacy brands boasting a generational wealth of experience and expertise as well as the global reputation of Italian furniture makers. Products from brands like Cattelan are tipped to hold their value for many years to come.
In combination with furniture brands with reputations that span centuries, luxury furniture stores worth considering can also get a sense of brands that have the potential to build such reputations across styles and trends.
Relatively young brands like Naos whose reputation for quality spans 30 years have the potential to define Italian quality for future generations.
FCI London is a luxury furniture shop in London with one of the largest showrooms. FCI has been recognised with numerous awards for our excellence in both the services we deliver to our discerning customers and the value we bring with our well-curated selection of brands.
Recognised by both customers and peers for our excellence we offer the full luxury experience from inspiration and variety to customisation and professional guidance and advice.
From picking out functional modular units to layouts and customisation options, the FCI team is on hand to give you the best advice. Schedule an appointment to visit our spectacular 30,000 sq. ft showroom and we’ll gift you a free one-time sofa design consultation.
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