Bassett Furniture is known for its highly customizable, classic American furniture with an emphasis on quality craftsmanship, while Havertys offers stylish, durable furniture at a slightly more accessible price point with a focus on modern and transitional styles that are often ready to ship. The core difference is Bassett's "made-for-you" approach versus Havertys' value-driven, curated selection.
Let's compare everything you need to know to choose the right furniture retailer for your home.
Bassett: The Custom Classic Furniture Brand
With a history spanning over 100 years, Bassett has built its reputation on quality American craftsmanship and remarkable personalization. The brand is a go-to for homeowners who want to invest in timeless, tailored pieces for their specific space and style, offering extensive options for fabrics, finishes, and configurations without a luxury price tag.
- Product mix: A complete range of home furnishings, including custom sofas and sectionals, bedroom collections, dining sets, accent chairs, and home office furniture.
- Style/vibe: Rooted in traditional and transitional designs with some contemporary collections. The aesthetic is classic, versatile, and built to outlast fleeting trends.
- Price point: Mid-range. Sofas generally start around $999, with dining tables beginning at $699. Customization choices will influence the final cost.
- Quality: Known for solid wood frames and high-density foam cushions. Many pieces are assembled in the USA and backed by warranties on frames and cushions, signaling a commitment to longevity.
- Customization: This is Bassett's key strength. They offer hundreds of fabric options (including performance fabrics), multiple wood finishes, hardware choices, and configurable sectional pieces to create a truly personalized item.
- Sustainability: The brand is focused on responsible practices, including using FSC-certified wood in many products to ensure it comes from responsibly managed forests.
- Shopping Experience: A blend of in-store and online, with company-owned stores and franchise locations that encourage hands-on design help. Virtual consultations are also available for planning custom pieces.
- Delivery & Assembly: White-glove delivery is standard for most large items. Lead times can be longer than average due to the custom-made nature of many of their products.
Bassett is ideal for those who value personalization and enduring quality over the lowest price and want to create a tailored look for their home.
Shop Bassett Furniture: bassettfurniture.com
Havertys: The Accessible Modern Home Staple
Founded in 1885, Havertys serves the middle market with a curated selection of stylish and functional furniture that doesn't break the bank. The brand excels at delivering value, blending quality construction with transitional and modern designs that are often in-stock and ready for quick delivery, making it a popular choice for families and first-time homeowners.
- Product mix: Full home furnishings, from living room sectionals and bedroom sets to dining furniture, mattresses, and home accessories.
- Style/vibe: Leans toward transitional and modern aesthetics with an emphasis on clean lines, comfortable forms, and neutral palettes. Their collections are designed to be fashionable yet easy to integrate into many homes.
- Price point: Mid-range, with an emphasis on value. Sofas typically start around $899 and dining tables from $599. They frequently run sales and promotional events.
- Quality: Uses durable materials like hardwood frames and stain-resistant performance fabrics. While delivering solid quality, the focus is on providing excellent value for money.
- Customization: Offers some customization options, such as fabric choices on best-selling sofas, but the selection is far more limited compared to Bassett.
- Sustainability: Committed to environmentally conscious practices, including responsible material sourcing and holding certifications like FSC and GREENGUARD for low chemical emissions.
- Shopping Experience: A straightforward and customer-friendly experience with an extensive network of retail stores and a user-friendly website. They also offer financing plans to make purchases more manageable.
- Delivery & Assembly: Offers flexible and top-rated delivery options. Because much of their inventory is in-stock, lead times are often significantly shorter than custom-focused retailers.
Havertys provides a reliable, stylish, and budget-friendly furniture solution for shoppers prioritizing convenience and modern design.
Shop Havertys: havertys.com
Bassett vs. Havertys Comparison
Price Comparison
Both Bassett and Havertys operate in the mid-range furniture market, but their pricing models reflect their core values. Havertys typically offers a lower entry price point, with sofas starting around $899 compared to Bassett's starting price of nearly $1,000. Havertys’ frequent sales and focus on in-stock items make it a strong contender for budget-conscious shoppers.
While Bassett's starting prices are competitive, the final cost often increases with customization. A shopper who chooses premium performance fabric and a custom finish will pay more than someone buying a standard, ready-to-ship piece from Havertys. For a straightforward purchase, Havertys often provides more value upfront. For a tailored, long-term investment, Bassett's quality may justify the higher potential price.
Style & Aesthetic
The two brands cater to different aesthetic preferences. Bassett leans more towards timeless designs, with strong roots in classic, traditional, and transitional styles. Their furniture's primary appeal is its ability to be personalized, allowing customers to create pieces that perfectly match an existing traditional home or blend into a versatile family space.
Havertys, on the other hand, embraces a more modern and transitional look. Their collections feature cleaner lines, more neutral color palettes, and contemporary forms that align with current design trends. If you're looking for an updated, streamlined aesthetic that feels current, Havertys' curated catalog is a better fit. Bassett is the choice for anyone seeking a more classic or custom-tailored look.
Quality & Construction
Both brands produce durable furniture designed for everyday family life. They utilize hardwood frames and performance fabrics that stand up to wear and tear. However, there's a slight difference in their approach. Bassett places a heavy emphasis on craftsmanship, with many pieces assembled in the USA and backed by comprehensive warranties. Their commitment to solid wood and high-density foam is a hallmark of their quality narrative.
Havertys also produces quality furniture but is more focused on delivering a great product for the price. They use a mix of hardwood frames and durable engineered woods to achieve a balance of longevity and cost-effectiveness. Shoppers will find quality furniture at both stores, but those who prioritize the finest materials and long-term warranties might find Bassett's construction gives them slightly more peace of mind.
Customization Options
This category has a clear winner. Bassett's entire business model is built around customization. Customers can choose from hundreds of fabrics and leathers, dozens of finishes, and different hardware options, and even design the configuration of their sectional. This allows for a level of personalization that is rare outside of high-end custom furniture shops.
Havertys offers some basic customization, like a choice of fabrics on certain popular sofas or chairs. However, their model is primarily focused on a curated selection of in-stock items. This means buyers trade deep personalization for quicker delivery and a simpler decision-making process. If you want a specific shade, texture, or wood tone, Bassett is the undeniable choice.
Shopping Experience & Delivery
Both Bassett and Havertys offer excellent shopping experiences with friendly in-store staff and functional websites. Bassett's showrooms and virtual design services are geared towards guiding you through the customization process, which is more time-intensive and collaborative.
Havertys provides a more traditional retail experience focused on exploration and quick decisions. Their primary competitive advantage is delivery speed. Since much of their collection is stocked, they can often deliver furniture in a fraction of the time it takes for a custom piece from Bassett to be built and shipped. If you need furniture fast, Havertys is the superior option.
Which One Should You Choose?
The right choice depends on your style preferences, timeline, and how much you value personalization. Both retailers offer quality furniture that serves the mid-market well.
Choose Bassett if:
- You want to completely customize your furniture's fabric, finish, and configuration.
- Your home has a traditional, classic, or personalized transitional style.
- You are investing in a "forever piece" and prioritize craftsmanship and longevity.
- You have a specific design vision and are willing to wait for a custom-made item.
Choose Havertys if:
- You prefer contemporary or modern-transitional styles that are ready to go.
- Getting great value and finding a good deal is your top priority.
- You need your new furniture delivered within a few weeks, not a few months.
- You enjoy a straightforward shopping process without overwhelming options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bassett or Havertys more expensive?
Havertys is generally more budget-friendly, with slightly lower starting prices for comparable items like sofas and dining tables. Bassett's prices start in a similar mid-range zone but can increase significantly with custom fabrics, finishes, and configurations.
Which has better quality furniture?
Both offer good quality for the price. Bassett often has a slight edge in terms of materials and craftsmanship, emphasizing solid wood frames and U.S. assembly. Bassett's pieces are built with longevity as a primary goal. Havertys provides very durable, reliable furniture that's considered great quality for its price point.
Which brand is better for customization?
Bassett is the clear winner here. Their business is built on offering extensive customization, with hundreds of fabrics, finishes, and configurations available. Havertys provides some limited options on best-sellers but focuses more on ready-to-ship curated collections.
How long does delivery take for each brand?
Havertys typically offers much faster delivery times, as many of their items are in-stock and ready to ship. Delivery can often happen within a few weeks. Bassett's custom-ordered furniture requires a longer lead time for manufacturing, which can range from several weeks to a few months.
What interior design style is each brand best for?
Bassett is ideal for traditional, classic, and transitional homes where timeless design and personalization are key. Havertys fits well in modern, contemporary, and transitional spaces where clean lines and current trends are more important.
Which brand is better for families with kids or pets?
Both brands are strong choices for families, as they offer durable performance fabrics designed to resist stains and wear. Bassett's reputation for highly durable frame construction might give it a slight long-term advantage, but Havertys' value-oriented pricing makes it an excellent choice for family homes where furniture needs to be stylish but also replaceable.
Are Havertys and Bassett considered high-end furniture?
Neither brand is considered high-end or luxury, like RH or Ethan Allen. They both occupy the mid-range to upper-mid-range segment of the furniture market, known for offering a step up in quality and durability from entry-level brands without the luxury price tag.
Do both Bassett and Havertys offer design services?
Yes, both retailers offer complimentary design services. Bassett's designers specialize in helping customers navigate their vast customization options to create tailored pieces, available in-store or virtually. Havertys' design consultants help customers choose from their curated collections to furnish a room or entire home.
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