11 stores like West Elm for modern furniture and decor
Looking for stores like West Elm? The popular retailer is arguably the best known furniture store for modern, contemporary and midcentury decor. Whether you’re looking for a new sectional sofa or some on-trend home decor for your bookcases, you’ll find beautiful options at West Elm.
But, that doesn’t mean you’ll want to shop there exclusively, less you run the risk of your home looking like a West Elm store (boring!). It’s also possible that you’re in search of stores like West Elm, but cheaper, since West Elm prices tend to be mid-range, or even upper mid-range, depending on the item you’re shopping for.
Whatever the reason you’re looking for stores like West Elm, I’ve rounded up all of the ones I could think of, below! Some are better for furniture, some better for decor, and the styles might skew a little more minimal or traditional – I’ve noted all that, too!
What style is West Elm?
Before I dive into the stores like West Elm, I thought it would be helpful to share a little more about West Elm style, so you can identify the type of furniture you’re looking for.
As a retailer, West Elm leans towards an aesthetic that’s midcentury, contemporary, and trendy. Many of West Elm’s designs are rooted in the clean lines of midcentury style, but they’re tailored towards today’s trends. Furniture tends to be more seasonless, while decor is very trend and season-driven.
West Elm also offers a range of color palettes and prints, from subdued neutrals and striped, to bold brights and loud absract patterns, so you can customize the West Elm look to your own style preferences.
Overall, it’s a great design style for smaller apartments or spaces, midcentury ranch homes, or new construction homes that lend themselves to a contemporary aesthetic.
11 Stores like West Elm for modern furniture and decor
1. Room & Board
If you’re looking for modern furniture that’s aesthetically similar to what you’ll find at West Elm, Room & Board is the best bet. Room & Board is like West Elm, but a bit more traditional and masculine, if that makes sense. Sort of like if West Elm and Pottery Barn had baby. Room & Board has a large selection of customizable furniture that’s high quality and timeless, as well as trendier decorative pieces.
2. cb2
cb2 is one of the best known stores like West Elm. The furniture at cb2 tends to be trendier and more glam than at West Elm, where West Elm furniture is more midcentury. For example, cb2 does more marble tables and brass tones, West Elm does more wood and concrete, but even so, the selections are pretty similar. cb2 is a great resource for coffee tables, dining chairs, lighting, cabinet knobs, and decorative accents.
3. Article
Article is a direct-to-consumer furniture retailer that primarily sells sofas, dining tables, coffee tables, and beds. Each piece is typically available in only a handful of upholstery or finish options (unlike West Elm where most upholstery items are fully customizable). Still, the aesthetic is very similar to West Elm, and I find that the furniture is cheaper than West Elm, too, but still good quality.
4. Joybird
Joybird specialized primarily in furniture that’s midcentury-inspired and handmade. Their known especially for the sofas and upholstery, which can be custom ordered in a wide range of fabrics and colors, but they also make dining room, bedroom and home office furniture. Joybird is primarily an online retailer, but they do have a handful of stores in major cities.
5. LuLu & Georgia
Lulu & Georgia is quickly becoming a go-to store for all things on-trend in home decor, and it’s one of my top online furniture stores. Their boho-cool assortment of furniture is high-quality and hip, and feels like it was personally curated by Erin Gates or Sarah Sherman Samuel … which is probably because they’ve done incredible designer collaborations with both, not to mention Bobby Berk, Clare V., and Ellen (yes, that Ellen). Lulu & Georgia also offers a mix of their own original collections and brands like Arteriors, Chilewich, Ollie Ella, and more.
6. Crate & Barrel
Crate & Barrel is a trustworthy source for quality furnishings at mid-range prices. The style tends to be more neutral, slightly more transitional than West Elm but you’ll find lots of products that are complementary to the selections at West Elm.
7. Urban Outfitters
If you’re drawn to stores like West Elm for their trendier pieces, check out Urban Outfitters. UO is an unexpectedly awesome (not to mention affordable) spot for modern & on-trend decor like throw pillows, wall art, and accent furniture. They’ve also got a good selection of smaller-scale apartment furniture.
8. BluDot
Blu Dot designs all of its furniture in a contemporary, sleek style that’s a bit more minimalist than what you’ll find at West Elm. Everything is very clean and simple, but thoughtfully designed. It’s perfect for furnishing a city apartment, or if you’re looking for sleek pieces to balance out more traditional forms.
9. Rejuvenation
Rejuvenation is a mix of vintage, modern, and traditional pieces and is a slightly more ‘handsome’ version of West Elm. It’s like if West Elm moved to the Pacific Northwest and liked strong coffee. Rejuvenation is an awesome place to shop for lighting, hardware and plumbing fixtures (think cabinet pulls, bathroom towel bars, shelving brackets, stair hardware, sinks, faucets, etc. etc.), and furniture. They also have a great selection of vintage items and antiques.
10. Arhaus
If you like West Elm but are looking for something a bit more organic or rustic, try Arhaus. A lot of Arhaus furniture has the clean lines that you’ll find at West Elm but the style overall is more transitional, where West Elm tends to skew more midcentury.
11. Home Goods
Home Goods isn’t exactly like West Elm because it has decor and furniture in all kinds of styles: modern, contemporary, traditional, farmhouse, boho, you name it. But, some of the home accessories, lighting, and accent furniture they do have overlaps with West Elm in particular from an aesthetic standpoint. The price point at HomeGoods tends to be less expensive than West Elm.
Stores like West Elm but Cheaper
If you’re looking for stores like West Elm, but cheaper, try Urban Outfitters, Article, TOV, and IKEA. All offer modern, minimalist furnishings and decor is styles that overlap with West Elm and cb2, but generally, the prices are cheaper. You’ll also find select decor in similar styles at stores like Homegoods and Target.
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