Forget IKEA And Costco: The Best Places To Buy Furniture, Per Consumer Reports

When your couch is looking a little worse for wear or it's time to upgrade your dining table, where do you turn? Maybe to IKEA, with its affordable, Scandinavian-style furnishings — or to Costco, for its furniture deals and sales. When it comes to quality, customer service, and other important factors, however, Consumer Reports suggests that two other brands might be more worth your time.

The independent, nonprofit organization surveyed its members, asking them to rate both online and walk-in furniture stores. Room & Board came in at the top of the list for online stores, and it was tied first with Stickley for walk-in stores. Consumer Reports calculated its rankings using 28,665 ratings for walk-in stores and 9,276 ratings for online stores. Stickley and Room & Board both earned top marks for quality and customer service as walk-in stores, while Room & Board scored highly for quality and delivery quality as an online shop.

Costco, meanwhile, was ranked second for online furniture stores, and it tied with independent retailers for the third spot on the list of walk-in stores. IKEA came in much lower in both survey results, tying with a diverse mix of stores like Staples, Restoration Hardware, and HomeGoods for walk-in stores; it landed near the bottom of the list of online stores. Of course, one thing Costco and IKEA have that Room & Board and Stickley lack is affordable furniture – as premium furniture brands, the latter two charge premium furniture prices.

Simply put, arts and crafts and mission-style furniture wouldn't exist without Stickley — specifically, Gustav Stickley, an American furniture designer from the early 1900s. Gustav Stickley's brother, Leopold Stickley, was a highly regarded cabinetmaker who founded L. & J.G. Stickley, which later became the company known as Stickley. The company reissued its mission-style furniture in 1989, the same year that Gustav Stickley's Craftsman Farms became a National Historic Landmark.

The majority of Stickley furniture continues to be made in the U.S., in either upstate New York or North Carolina. The brand's commitment to quality is reflected in its high Consumer Reports ranking. Stickley has factory outlets and stores across the country and is also sold at authorized dealers. Although it wasn't ranked at all in Consumer Reports' list of online stores, it is possible to order from the brand directly from its website.

Remember, though, IKEA this is not — Stickley's commitment to high-quality and made-in-America furniture is reflected in its prices. A 48-inch round dining table will set you back over $2,500, and a mission-style sofa comes in at $5,699. Of course, since this is furniture that's built to last and meant to be handed down, it could be well worth the price.

Although it's a much younger company, founded in 1980, Room & Board shares Stickley's commitment to quality and providing built-to-last furniture pieces. More than 90% of its products are made in the U.S. by craftspeople working in 30 states. Consumer Reports members ranked the store highly for both online and walk-in shopping, giving its online division particularly high marks for quality of delivery and delivery overall. The walk-in store also ranked well for its policies, which include a six-month price guarantee and 90-day free return policy (although there wasn't enough data to rank the online store's policies).

What type of furniture are you likely to find at Room & Board? The brand describes itself as a modern furniture company, noting that it blends modernity with timeless details to create pieces that last beyond seasonal trends. Many pieces fit perfectly into small spaces, although it also offers larger, statement tables and sectionals. Just like Stickley, Consumer Reports members gave Room & Board high marks for quality and customer service while dinging it for its prices. A 48-inch round table costs nearly $2,400 here, while a cushy leather sofa comes in at $3,799.