Ashley Furniture is a go-to for affordable, family-friendly furniture with a massive selection of traditional and transitional styles available both online and in showrooms across the country. In contrast, Hom is an online-only retailer focused on a curated collection of sleek, modern, and minimalist designs tailored for urban living and design-conscious shoppers.
Let's compare everything you need to know to choose the right furniture brand for your home.
Ashley Furniture: The Affordable Family-Friendly Choice
As one of the largest furniture manufacturers in the world, Ashley Furniture is known for its vast selection and accessible price points. It's a popular choice for first-time homeowners, families, and anyone looking to furnish their space without a significant investment, offering everything from classic sofas to complete bedroom sets in physical stores and online.
- Product mix: A massive inventory of home furnishings, including living room sets, dining tables, bedroom furniture, home office pieces, outdoor furniture, mattresses, and decor accessories.
- Style/vibe: Primarily traditional, transitional, and casual contemporary. Expect to see plush sofas with rolled arms, warm wood finishes, tufted details, and familiar, comfortable silhouettes.
- Price point: Highly budget-friendly. Sofas often start around $399, dining sets can be found under $1,000, and complete queen bedroom sets (including bed, dresser, and nightstand) are often available for under $1,500.
- Quality: Construction typically features engineered wood, composite materials, and durable fabrics or faux leathers. While built for affordability and everyday use, pieces from lower-priced collections may show wear more quickly with heavy use.
- Shopping Experience: A major advantage is its network of physical showrooms, allowing you to see and feel products before committing. Their website is also robust, with frequent sales and financing offers.
- Delivery & Assembly: Offers various options, including in-store pickup, standard home delivery, and white-glove service that includes assembly for an additional fee.
Ashley Furniture excels at providing trendy and functional furniture at some of the most competitive prices on the market, making it an easy choice for furnishing a home on a budget.
Shop Ashley Furniture: ashleyfurniture.com
Hom: The Modern Minimalist Online Retailer
Hom is a modern e-commerce brand that caters to customers seeking a sleek, contemporary aesthetic. Its curated selection focuses on minimalist designs, clean lines, and neutral color palettes, making it a perfect match for urban apartments and modern homes. The brand emphasizes style, function, and a hassle-free online shopping process.
- Product mix: A focused selection of furniture and decor, including sofas, beds, dining tables, coffee tables, storage solutions, and lighting designed to work together cohesively.
- Style/vibe: Strictly modern, minimalist, and Scandinavian-inspired. Designs feature geometric shapes, sleek metal hardware, functional simplicity, and a palette of neutral colors.
- Price point: Mid-range. Sofas generally start around $600, beds are typically priced between $800–$2,000, and dining tables fall in a similar range. Free shipping is often included, adding to the value.
- Quality: Emphasizes higher-quality materials like engineered woods with refined finishes, metal accents, and performance fabrics designed for durability. The construction feels sturdy and well-suited for long-term use.
- Sustainability: The brand is transparent about its use of eco-friendly materials, responsible sourcing, and manufacturing practices, making it a good choice for environmentally aware consumers.
- Shopping Experience: Exclusively online. The website offers a clean, user-friendly experience with high-quality imagery, detailed specifications, and straightforward policies for delivery and returns.
Hom provides a streamlined way to achieve a stylish, modern look with pieces designed for today's smaller living spaces and a focus on quality and sustainability.
Shop Hom: hom.com
Ashley Furniture vs. Hom Comparison
Price Comparison
Price is one of the most significant differentiators. Ashley Furniture is the clear winner for budget shopping. With sofas starting as low as $399 and frequent promotions, they make furnishing a home extremely accessible. Their business model revolves around volume, allowing them to keep prices low across a huge range of products.
Hom operates in a mid-range price bracket. While a sofa might start at $600, the perceived value is higher due to the modern design, higher-quality materials, and often-included free shipping. Hom is for shoppers willing to invest a bit more for a specific aesthetic and better construction, whereas Ashley is for those prioritizing the lowest possible cost.
Style & Aesthetic
The style offerings from these two brands could not be more different. Ashley's catalog is a sea of traditional, transitional, and farmhouse designs. Think plush, overstuffed sectionals, dark wood dining sets, and pieces with ornate detailing. It’s a classic American home vibe that appeals to a broad audience who values comfort and timelessness.
Hom is dedicated to modern minimalism. Its entire aesthetic is built on clean lines, simple forms, neutral colors, and a lack of ornamentation. If you're looking for sleek, Scandinavian-inspired, or contemporary furniture to fit into an uncluttered, design-forward space, Hom is your brand. Ashley simply does not cater to this look in the same focused way.
Quality & Construction
When it comes to construction, you often get what you pay for. Ashley’s furniture is designed to be affordable, primarily using engineered wood, veneers, and standard fabrics. It’s functional and suitable for everyday family life but may not endure as a long-term investment piece, especially items from their entry-level collections.
Hom places a greater emphasis on material quality and finish. Their use of resilient performance fabrics, sturdy engineered wood, and solid metal legs results in furniture that feels more durable and refined. For shoppers concerned with longevity and a premium feel, Hom offers a notable step up from Ashley.
Product Selection & Sizing
Ashley Furniture’s selection is vast and varied. They offer countless options in every category, with sizes ranging from apartment-scale loveseats to enormous sectionals that can fill a suburban great room. This massive variety ensures you can almost always find something that fits your space and functional needs.
Hom offers a much more curated boutique experience. Their selection is intentionally limited to pieces that fit their modern aesthetic. Most of their furniture is designed with compact to medium-sized urban spaces in mind, meaning their pieces feature smart proportions and are less likely to overwhelm a room.
Shopping Experience
The ability to shop in a physical store is a huge advantage for Ashley Furniture. Many shoppers still want to sit on a sofa or open the drawers of a dresser before buying, and Ashley's nationwide network of showrooms makes that possible. Their online presence is also strong, mirroring their in-store inventory.
As an online-only brand, Hom focuses on creating a seamless digital experience. They invest in high-resolution photography, detailed product dimensions, and robust customer support via chat and email. Their model is built for the convenience of modern consumers who are comfortable making large purchases online.
Sustainability & Ethics
For the eco-conscious shopper, Hom holds a distinct advantage. The brand is transparent about its commitment to sustainability, from using responsibly sourced woods to eco-friendly packaging. This is a core part of their brand identity.
While a large company like Ashley has sustainability initiatives in place, such as recycling programs and sourcing efforts, they are less of a central marketing point. The brand's primary focus remains on affordability and volume, whereas Hom integrates sustainability directly into its value proposition.
Which One Should You Choose?
Both brands offer compelling reasons to shop, but they serve very different customers and priorities.
Choose Ashley Furniture if:
- Your number one priority is sticking to a tight budget.
- You prefer traditional, transitional, or farmhouse styles with a cozy, classic feel.
- You want to see, touch, and test out furniture in a physical showroom before you buy.
- You are furnishing a large home and need a wide variety of pieces and size options to choose from.
Choose Hom if:
- You have a strong preference for modern, minimalist, and Scandinavian-inspired design.
- You are furnishing a smaller, urban space like an apartment or townhouse.
- You value sustainability and prefer to buy from brands with transparent, eco-friendly practices.
- You prefer the ease and convenience of a streamlined, online-only shopping experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ashley Furniture or Hom cheaper?
Ashley Furniture is significantly cheaper across almost all categories. It is one of the most budget-friendly full-line furniture retailers available, making it the better choice for price-sensitive shoppers.
Which brand has better quality furniture?
Hom generally offers better quality. They use more premium materials like performance fabrics and refined engineered woods, and their furniture tends to feel sturdier and more durable, justifying its higher price point.
Which brand is better for small apartments?
Hom is better for small apartments. Its collection is specifically designed with the proportions of urban living in mind, offering sleek pieces that maximize style and function in compact spaces.
Can I see furniture from both brands in a store?
You can only see furniture in person at Ashley Furniture. They have a large network of physical showrooms, while Hom is an exclusively online brand.
What style of furniture does each brand sell?
Ashley specializes in traditional, transitional, modern farmhouse, and casual contemporary styles. Hom is tightly focused on modern, minimalist, and Scandinavian design aesthetics.
Which brand is better for families with kids?
This is a toss-up. Ashley is a great choice for families on a budget who need durable, inexpensive furniture that can handle wear and tear without worry. However, Hom’s use of performance fabrics (often stain-resistant) can also be a practical choice for families, albeit at a higher cost.
Does Hom or Ashley have more sustainable practices?
Hom has more transparent and robust sustainability practices. They actively market their use of eco-friendly materials and responsible sourcing, making it a key part of their brand identity.
What are the return policies like?
Both brands offer return policies, but specifics vary. With Ashley, you can often handle returns in-store, which can be easier for heavy items. Hom’s online returns process is streamlined but requires re-packaging and coordinating shipping.
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