6 furniture stores to start your new home in Germany
That expat life is full of ups and downs, most of us already know it. That’s what inspired me to share this post with you, sharing my research about one of the first steps of an expatriate family: setting up the house and with that, where to buy furniture and decor items for your new home in Germany.
Of course, we brought a lot of things from our home in Canada with us and we didn’t have to buy everything from scratch, but still, as some “big” furniture pieces were sold separately or as part of the home sale in Canada and I had to research here in Germany where to buy the thing that were missing.
Honestly I only really knew about IKEA and did not have time to research stores in Germany. So my research started from scratch on furniture and decoration stores, trying to find similar stores to the ones I liked and trusted in Canada.
Today I share my findings with you, so you can already do your research with a head start:
My favorite furniture and decor stores in Germany
HOME24
Home24 is a for furniture, decoration and accessories store that I like the style and the price, most of the time. Of course, not everything is affordable, but there are several promotions and items that are a good alternative to IKEA.
Home24 reminds me of Structube in Canada, which I used to like for myself and my clients.
DEPOT
DEPOT is similar to the previous store, but I would say that it focuses a little more on decoration than furniture. Still, it has a lot of interesting items and it is worth considering when researching to set up your home.
MAISONS DU MONDE
This is a French franchise that has branches in several countries. I just love their selection of products, but expect a little higher prices and overall value.
This store reminds me of Mobilia in Canada.
MÖMAX
Mömax is a store very similar to IKEA, or at least that’s the feeling I got when visiting them, with an immense amount of options. The only physical store I visited here in the Frankfurt area was packed with things, many of them with inviting prices, and arranged in a very similar way to IKEA as well.
XXXLUTZ
This is the most impressive store I have ever been to. In addition to a super extensive online catalog, the physical store is simply huge! I walked the various floors and it took me a while to see the end of the showrooms. I spent more than an hour inside, walking the whole time and I don’t even know if I could saw everything.
They have a little bit of everything, from furniture, rugs, semi-planned furniture. It also has lamps, chandeliers, decoration, accessories, baby items, children items, bed, table and bath and small household appliances.
It goes without saying that there are many options and it is worth visiting the physical store, not only to be inspired and focus on your style, but also to help you to make decisions. Prices are medium to high, with a lot of “high-end” and unique stuff.
IKEA
The super popular furniture store, present in a total of 37 countries around the world. I’m a big fan.
The Swedish chain has affordable prices and an interesting way to interact with its consumers. To keep prices down, you get your hands dirty and assemble your own furniture.
But anyways, most expats already know (and love) IKEA and I am no different. See the IKEA shopping guide for your first home here (in Portuguese). I think it is totally possible to build a beautiful and functional home just using their products.
However, as an architect, I always end up mixing with pieces from other stores, due to room design and composition.
I conclude by saying that these stores were my sources, but depending on your style and other factors, there are many other options. So I recommend doing your research and narrowing down your preferences so the choosing part does not take too long.
See you back in the next post!
