Furniture in San Francisco (Berkeley, Madera: apartment, house, price)

[Queenofthehw]

Hi, just moved to San Francisco and am looking for places to get good affordable contemporary furniture in the city. Any ideas where I should go??

[gizmo980]

IKEA? It's right across the Bay in Emeryville, and has tons of affordable & contemporary stuff - IKEA | IKEA Emeryville
The quality of their furniture isn't the greatest, but you get what you pay for... you also might try Urban Outfitters near Union Square, Pottery Barn, or the various shops on Fillmore St. (which are mostly expensive, though). I'll let you know if I think of any others!

[ImRandy]

If you're not in a hurry (really not in a hurry) you can get some really good furniture at one of the Zocalo Furniture Warehouse sales. They only happen a couple times a year and they are packed but you get better than IKEA furniture at pretty much IKEA prices. If you're looking for a lot of furniture it could be worth it. If you're just looking for a couple of things it's probably better to go to another retailer.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by Queenofthehw

Hi, just moved to San Francisco and am looking for places to get good affordable contemporary furniture in the city. Any ideas where I should go??

Absolutely tons of places, including Craigslist, consignment stores and Salvation Army -- I just picked up a way cool 1950's blonde wood Broyhill dresser straight out of the 50's (and the Jetsons!) at my local Sally Ann for under a hundred bucks.

But it depends on what your idea of affordable is. For some, 2K for a sofa IS affordable, for others the thrill of the chase and the find cheap... Check out Design Within Reach -- which is at 4th street in Berkeley, and a few places in SF, and West Elm, which is at Corte Madera. But literally -- modern and Victorian is WAY easy to find here.

[Gr33nArcher]

I just bought a ton of furniture from the Zocalo Warehouse sale last November. The prices are similar to Ikea but quality and built is Room & Board like. Like what ImRandy said, it only happens a couple of times a year. They may have a sale again next June. The only downside to the Zocalo Warehouse sale is they don't deliver and their furniture is VERY heavy and the LINES are LONNNNGGGGG. Think day-after-thanksgiving long. Also, get your muscles ready for a lot of heavy lifting. If you don't mind the hassle, Zocalo offers great values.

Otherwise, there are plenty of contemporary stores in the city. I personally like Room & Board (very expensive), EQ3 (quality is in between R&B and Ikea, imo), Ikea, and Crate & Barrel

Originally Posted by ImRandy

If you're not in a hurry (really not in a hurry) you can get some really good furniture at one of the Zocalo Furniture Warehouse sales. They only happen a couple times a year and they are packed but you get better than IKEA furniture at pretty much IKEA prices. If you're looking for a lot of furniture it could be worth it. If you're just looking for a couple of things it's probably better to go to another retailer.

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by Gr33nArcher

Otherwise, there are plenty of contemporary stores in the city. I personally like Room & Board (very expensive), EQ3 (quality is in between R&B and Ikea, imo), Ikea, and Crate & Barrel

OMG, I absolutely LOVE the furniture at Room & Board!! I viewed an apartment in Pacifica before moving here, which had their model-unit furnished with R&B... I asked where the stuff came from, because I thought it was so incredibly cool. Unfortunately, one look at their prices online canceled that option for me. Btw, I'm glad you (the OP) started this thread, because I too am looking for some new furniture - can't spend a fortune, but also don't want total crap. So I'm taking notes from these posts!

[Queenofthehw]

It's great to have some options. It's great living in the city but I still haven't got myself a car so it's great to have some options that I can easily get to.

[Powersails]

Don't forget about ebay! San Francisco area is one of the best places to shop for used furniture on ebay. Sure theres the expensive stuff, but I've seen good quality furniture go for obscenely cheap prices. You just have to take the time to scroll through all the pages. Worth a shot.