As a kid I couldn’t wait for the Sears Christmas catalog. My siblings and I would pore over that thing for hours. It was our go-to source for compiling our Christmas list my parents allegedly mailed to the North Pole.
Since then, my love for catalogs hasn’t diminished. Same with my wife. We have stacks of catalogs from a variety of furniture retailers at home for furniture (and clothing). Yes, we sit in the living room paging through together.
While we like most furniture catalogs, some are better than others.
Why order a catalog when you can visit their website?
There are several reasons to order a physical catalog. Here they are:
Curated collection: Many furniture stores have so many options it’s nearly impossible to choose. The catalog curates items by season or theme which can make choosing a lot easier.
Special deals: Some furniture stores stash some excellent deals in the catalog.
Fun to flip through: I prefer reading physical books. I’ve read loads of Kindle books, but I prefer physical books. For the same reason, I enjoy physical catalogs. I find it relaxing to flip through the pages.
Nice to de-screen once in a while and go old-school with a physical catalog.
Convinced?
Of course you are.
Here are my favorite 18 furniture catalogs.
Related: Top Online Furniture Stores | Frontgate Catalog | Ethan Allen Catalog | Plow & Hearth Catalog | Mail Order Furniture Catalog | Lakeside Collection Catalog | Williams-Sonoma Catalog | Pottery Barn Catalog | Crate & Barrel Furniture Catalog | west elm Furniture Catalog | Jonathan Adler Catalog
1. Restoration Hardware Catalog
This thing is a tome and it’s beautiful. I imaginarily spend $10K before I’m on page 10. They do it right. Large, professional photos of RH’s stunning furniture decked out in amazing rooms.
This isn’t product on white background photos. These are full sets showcasing amazing furniture. It’s an absolute hoot to page through (although kind of dejecting since there’s no way we can afford most of it).
Don’t believe me? Go here and check them out (do yourself a favor and request one because these are spectacular) and read more about getting the Restoration Hardware Catalog here.
2. IKEA
On the opposite end of the spectrum from Restoration Hardware falls the IKEA catalog. Not in catalog quality, mind you, but in product pricing. The catalog itself is high-quality and thick. It’s loaded with IKEA’s latest offerings which is fun to check out.
IKEA skyrocketed to wealth and riches via showcasing product in realistic home settings. While I’m not a big fan of visiting IKEA stores, I do enjoy checking out the rooms the stores create to showcase furniture and everything else.
I don’t care for going to IKEA because it’s so crowded and you’re forced to walk through a maze.
Check out the IKEA catalog here (and request a physical one). Learn more about requesting the IKEA catalog here.
3. Ballard Designs
Ballard Designs, which sells furniture for every room, focuses on European styling. It’s Old World meets contemporary. In other words, the store curates European styles done in a contemporary style. It’s very effective and wildly popular.
While their catalog offers the opportunity to buy furniture, it’s also something to inspire your home with many ideas.
Click here for the Ballard Designs catalog. Learn more about the Ballard Designs catalog here.
4. Pier 1 Imports
While you can flip through digital versions of the Pier 1 Imports mail order catalog, the physical version is great to have at home. It’s so nice, you can put it on a Pier 1 coffee table as a coffee table book. That’s no joke.
A new catalog is issued monthly. It’s a great publication for seasonal inspiration for your home – from furniture to decor to decorating. It’s one of the must-get industry catalogs given how timely each edition is.
Click here to see what I mean (and request your own). Read more about requesting a Pier 1 Imports catalog here.
5. Wayfair
Wayfair got its start online and has grown to one of, if not the biggest online furniture retailers. With such growth and a massive loyal customer base, it only makes sense to also offer a mail order catalog.
Living in Canada it took a while for me to have the opportunity to order from Wayfair, but not too long ago the company made their journey northbound and so I could finally click my way to a fabulous black office filing cabinet from Wayfair.
While I can order furniture from Wayfair, I can’t get their physical catalog which is restricted to the US.
The Wayfair website is mammoth. The catalog offers some great deals and curates options for you to help make your search easier.
Click here for the Wayfair mail order catalog (if you live in the US). Learn about getting the Wayfair catalog here.
6. Frontgate Furniture
Frontgate is a brick and mortar home furnishings store with a huge online presence. It’s not often that a regional furniture retailer establishes itself as a global online powerhouse… but Frontgate managed to achieve this, in part due to it’s popular mail order catalog.
The catalogs are seasonal with an emphasis on photos (designs) but of course sets out the furnishing options that make up the inspirational designs.
Click here for the Frontgate catalog. Read our detailed guide on how to request the Frontgate catalog here.
7. Laura Ashley
What I love about the Laura Ashley catalog is how they showcase individual interior designs. For example, they’ll showcase an entire living with furniture etc. and then the following pages will showcase more of each item in the room.
Not only does it present great furniture and home decor items, but you get some fun and helpful interior design ideas for rooms as well.
Click here for the Laura Ashley Catalog
8. Pottery Barn Catalog
The Pottery Barn catalog is issued monthly with some bonus editions for various seasons (Christmas, new seasons, etc.).
While their catalogs showcase furniture, they offer so much more such as table settings, bathroom decor, bedding, linens – pretty much anything and everything for the home. Pottery Barn is synonymous with careful and selective curation of furnishings for the home.
Click here for the Pottery Barn Catalog. Read how to request the Pottery Barn Furniture Catalog here.
9. Design Within Reach (DWR)
DWR is up there in quality and price with Restoration Hardware, but is a totally different style. A while back I binge-watched the TV show Nip Tuck which was about two plastic surgeons in Florida.
One of them, Christian Troy, has a penchant for Design Within Reach furniture. Definitely effective product placement because his home looked amazing.
Anyone with a healthy budget and penchant for stylish modern furniture needs to request DWR’s catalog.
You can browse DWRs catalogs here and request it here. Read our extensive article on how to request the Design Within Reach catalog here.
10. Ashley Furniture Catalog
Ashley Furniture was founded in 1945… way before the internet. Over the decades, the company introduced more and more furnishings for the home to become what it is today which is THE largest furniture manufacturer in the world.
While they retail, they also manufacture. Many retailers curate, Ashley designs and makes. Being the largest furniture manufacturer means they have a huge selection of their own furniture, some of which you can browse conveniently and comfortably on your own couch.
With tablet or phone in hand, you can purchase with a few clicks… and soon be sitting on a new couch.
Click here for the Ashley Furniture catalog
11. Lakeside Collection Catalog
The Lakeside Collection is well-known for their Christmas catalogs. Who doesn’t love to page through lovely Christmas settings? We go all out decorating for the season. Our boys love it. We enjoy getting inspired from Christmas catalogs.
But Lakeside Collection offers more than just Christmas decor. They sell home decor items for every room of the home. If you wish to spruce up your decor, request the Lakeside Collection catalog.
Click here for the Lakeside Collection catalog.
Learn more about ordering the Lakeside Collection Catalog here.
12. Plow & Hearth Catalog
Plow & Hearth started in 1980 as a small country store in Madison, Virginia. Now it’s a large and well recognized retailer for home, hearth, yard and garden.
If you like Country style for your home and outdoor areas, the Plow & Hearth catalog is a must-get.
Click here to request the Plow & Hearth Catalog. Or learn more about how to request the Plow & Hearth Catalog here.
13. Jonathan Adler Furniture
Jonathan Adler is a potter who founded a leading home design brand that includes stylish art, lighting, bedding, rugs, pillows and furniture for the home. His styles lean toward “modern glamor” for the home.
If you like your home to stand out with some chic styles, you definitely want to check out the Jonathan Adler lines and a great way to do so is requesting the catalog.
Click here for the catalog. Learn more about requesting the Jonathan Adler catalog here.
14. Country Door Catalog
Country Door likens itself as a lifestyle brand. As the name suggests, it focuses on designs with a country flair to it. Not a bad niche to jump into given how popular the country style is. Any country-style homeowner should request this popular catalog.
Click here for the Country Door catalog
15. west elm
west elm is part of the Williams Sonoma (see below) suite of home brands. west elm was started in 2002 and has grown into a wildly popular and recognizable brand.
The company designs 90% of its products in-house so that what you get is unique (as in not sold elsewhere). The company places huge importance designing and manufacturing Fair Trade Certified products.
Click here for the West Elm catalog. Learn more about requesting the west elm catalog here.
16. Williams Sonoma
Williams Sonoma is a mega brand for the home with many products for the kitchen as well as an entire fleet of furniture for the home. While it has a huge online presence, there are also 230 stores across the US you can visit as well.
While it seems to be a relatively recent success story, the company has been around for many decades. It was founded in 1956 by Chuck Williams whose first store sold high-quality kitchen cookware for French cuisine.
As the company expanded, Chuck continued cooking plenty and traveling throughout Europe for ideas for his stores.
Click here to request the catalog (US only)
17. Ethan Allen
Ethan Allen is the interior designers interior designer. The popular catalog is issued monthly showcasing select furnishings set in beautiful rooms and interiors. The company designs and manufactures its offerings.
Click here for the Ethan Allen catalog and learn more about how to request the Ethan Allen catalogs here.
18. Crate & Barrel
Crate&Barrel is a global brand with 100 stores in 9 countries. The design style is contemporary and modern furniture. Like many big brands, its been around for many decades.
It was founded in 1962 by Gordon and Carole Segal. Unlike many furniture brands, they have a large and popular line dedicated to kids (which is more popular than you’d think).
Click here for the Crate & Barrel Catalog
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