Bassett Furniture is known for its classic American craftsmanship and extensive customization, allowing you to tailor timeless pieces to your exact style. In contrast, Crate & Barrel offers a curated selection of modern and contemporary furniture with a sleek, minimalist aesthetic and a broader range of home goods, including kitchenware and decor.
Let's compare everything you need to know to choose the right home furnishing brand for your space.
Bassett: The Customizable American Classic
With roots reaching back over 100 years, Bassett is an established American brand built on quality construction and personalization. It caters to customers who want timeless, versatile furniture that can be customized to fit their unique tastes, making it a go-to for homeowners creating a long-lasting and personal interior.
- Product mix: Extensive collection of home furniture, including sofas, sectionals, beds, dining sets, and storage solutions. Their primary focus is on customizable, made-to-order furniture.
- Style/vibe: Leans toward traditional, transitional, and classic contemporary styles. The look is versatile and built to endure shifting trends.
- Price point: Mid-range. Sofas typically start around $1,200, and bedroom sets can range from $2,000–$4,000.
- Quality: Known for durable, bench-made craftsmanship, with an emphasis on hardwood frames and high-quality cushions. Many furniture items are backed by solid warranties.
- Customization: This is Bassett's signature strength. Customers can choose from hundreds of fabrics, finishes, hardware options, and configurations for many pieces.
- Shopping Experience: A very personalized process centered around a network of showrooms and free in-home design consultations. Their designers help you customize pieces for your exact space.
- Delivery & Assembly: White-glove delivery service is standard for most furniture purchases, so items arrive assembled and placed in your room.
- Sustainability: The company promotes eco-friendly manufacturing practices and responsible wood sourcing, with a strong focus on American-made products.
With a foundation in lasting quality and deep personalization, Bassett is ideal for those who want to invest in pieces tailored specifically for their home.
Shop Bassett: bassettfurniture.com
Crate & Barrel: The Modern Home Destination
Founded in 1962, Crate & Barrel is a global brand celebrated for its modern furniture, decor, and housewares. Their collections appeal to design-conscious consumers looking for clean lines, high-quality materials, and a sophisticated, contemporary aesthetic for the entire home, from the living room to the kitchen.
- Product mix: A comprehensive offering of furniture, outdoor pieces, kitchenware, bedding, bath, and decor. They are a one-stop-shop for furnishing a modern home and are also famous for their wedding registry.
- Style/vibe: Modern, contemporary, and minimalist, with touches of Scandinavian and industrial influence. Expect clean lines, functional design, and a neutral color palette.
- Price point: Mid to upper-mid-range. Sofas often start around $1,300, and dining tables are typically in the $800–$2,500 range.
- Quality: Strong emphasis on premium materials, such as solid hardwoods, high-density foam, and performance fabrics. The construction feels refined, with excellent attention to hardware and finishes.
- Customization: Many upholstered items offer a selection of fabrics and leg finishes, but the options are more curated and less expansive than what Bassett offers.
- Shopping Experience: A seamless online store complemented by beautiful flagship showrooms in major cities. Their website features virtual design tools and detailed product information.
- Delivery & Assembly: Offers multiple delivery options, including white-glove service for larger furniture items. Many smaller decor items can be shipped directly.
- Sustainability: Committed to responsible practices, offering furniture made with FSC-certified wood and low-VOC finishes.
For shoppers who value a sleek, modern aesthetic and a seamless retail experience, Crate & Barrel provides a stylish, high-quality selection for the entire home.
Shop Crate & Barrel: crateandbarrel.com
Bassett vs. Crate & Barrel Comparison
Price Comparison
Both brands operate comfortably in the mid-range furniture market, but with slight differences. Bassett's starting prices for categories like sofas can be a bit lower, often beginning around $1,200. However, the final price depends heavily on the chosen customizations, which can increase the cost significantly.
Crate & Barrel's sofas generally start closer to $1,300, with many popular models sitting in the $2,000–$3,500 range. While potentially more expensive feature-for-feature, their pricing is more fixed and reflects trendy designs and premium imported materials. Both retailers run frequent sales during major holidays, which can be an excellent time to buy.
Style & Aesthetic
The visual distinction between these brands is their greatest differentiator. Bassett excels at creating livable, timeless interiors with its focus on traditional, transitional, and classic designs. Their pieces are designed to be versatile and adaptable, making them a safe long-term investment that won't fall out of style next year.
Crate & Barrel, on the other hand, is distinctly modern and minimalist. Their collections are perfect for contemporary urban apartments, airy suburban homes, or anyone seeking a clean, uncluttered aesthetic. The look is more trend-forward, defined by sleek lines, neutral colors, and subtle industrial or Scandinavian details.
Quality & Construction
Both brands are known for producing quality, lasting furniture. Bassett's reputation is built on traditional American craftsmanship. They often use durable hardwood frames and high-resilience foam, building sturdy pieces meant for years of family life. Manufacturing many of their products in the U.S. is a key part of their quality story.
Crate & Barrel also uses excellent materials like solid hardwoods and performance fabrics but focuses on streamlined, contemporary production techniques to achieve their sleek finish. Their attention to detail in areas like wood finishes, joinery, and hardware is notable and contributes to the perception of a more refined, design-centered product.
Product Selection
While both sell home furniture, their overall product catalogs cater to different needs. Bassett is primarily a furniture company. Their core business is sofas, beds, tables, and case goods. They offer some decor, but the focus is clearly on the larger anchor pieces of a room.
Crate & Barrel is a full home and lifestyle brand. Beyond furniture, they have a massive and highly regarded selection of dinnerware, glassware, kitchen appliances from brands like Le Creuset, bedding, and seasonal decor. This makes them a destination for shoppers looking to furnish and decorate an entire home, not just purchase a single piece of furniture.
Customization Options
This category is a clear win for Bassett. Their entire business model is built around giving customers the power to co-create their furniture. With hundreds of fabric choices, dozens of wood finishes, and various hardware and sizing options, you can design a piece that is truly unique to your home.
Crate & Barrel offers some customization on its upholstered furniture, allowing you to choose from a curated list of fabrics and finishes. However, the options are more limited - intended to provide some flexibility within their specific design vision rather than allowing total personalization.
Shopping Experience
Bassett offers a hands-on, highly personalized shopping journey. The experience is centered on their physical showrooms, where you can work directly with a design consultant, see fabric swatches, and test furniture comfortably. Their free in-home design service is a standout offering for anyone needing expert guidance.
Crate & Barrel provides a world-class omnichannel experience. Their website is sleek, intuitive, and packed with high-quality imagery and room planning tools. Their showrooms are aspirational and inspiring, but the digital shopping experience is equally strong, making it easy to buy with confidence from your couch.
Which One Should You Choose?
The right choice depends on your design goals, shopping style, and priorities. Both brands offer fantastic quality, but they serve different homeowners.
Choose Bassett if:
- You want to fully customize your furniture's fabric, finish, and configuration.
- You prefer timeless, classic, or transitional styles that last for decades.
- Supporting American-made furniture is important to you.
- You value a personal, one-on-one shopping experience with a design consultant.
Choose Crate & Barrel if:
- You love a clean, modern, and minimalist design aesthetic.
- You want to shop for furniture, high-end kitchenware, and decor all in one place.
- You are furnishing a contemporary urban apartment or open-concept home.
- You prefer a streamlined online shopping experience with robust digital tools.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bassett or Crate & Barrel cheaper?
Their prices are fairly comparable. Bassett's starting prices can sometimes be slightly lower, but extensive customizations can bring the cost up. Ultimately, both brands are in the mid-range to upper-mid-range price bracket, representing a significant step up from entry-level brands.
Which brand has better quality furniture?
Both offer high-quality, durable furniture. Your preference will depend on what you value. Is it durable American craftsmanship focused on sturdiness (Bassett), or is it refined design with a focus on premium materials and sleek finishes (Crate & Barrel)? Neither is demonstrably better, they're just different.
What styles does Bassett Furniture offer?
Bassett’s collections largely fall into traditional, transitional, and classic contemporary categories. Their designs are intended to be versatile and adaptable, easily fitting into a variety of home decor styles without appearing dated.
Is Crate & Barrel furniture good for families?
Yes, many of Crate & Barrel's furniture pieces are well-suited for family life. They feature solidly built frames and offer a wide selection of durable performance fabrics that are designed to resist stains and wear over time.
Can I get design help from these brands?
Absolutely. Bassett is well-known for offering free in-home and in-store design consultations with their professional designers. Crate & Barrel also provides free design services through their Design Desk program, available both online and in their stores.
Do both brands manufacture in the USA?
Bassett takes great pride in its American manufacturing heritage, with a significant amount of its upholstered and wood furniture still made in workshops in Virginia and North Carolina. Crate & Barrel sources its products from artisans and manufacturers around the world to achieve its modern designs.
Which brand is better for small spaces?
Crate & Barrel generally has a stronger assortment for small spaces. Their collections often include apartment-sized sofas, modular designs, and smart multi-functional pieces that cater directly to urban living and smaller rooms.
Can you return furniture to both stores?
Yes, but with conditions. Crate & Barrel generally accepts returns of non-furniture items within 30 days. However, new upholstered furniture is subject to restocking fees if it's a custom item. Bassett accepts new cancellation requests but also has restocking fees for custom orders.
At Interior Insider, we're dedicated to curating the best in home decor, interior design, and home essentials to help you discover brands we think you'll love. Every brand we feature is independently selected by our editorial team based on quality, design, and craftsmanship. When you make a purchase through our links, Interior Insider may earn a commission - which helps support our small team and allows us to continue bringing you inspiration and expert advice for creating your perfect space.
Looking for more inspiration? Explore our curated design guides to find your next favorite piece.
