Big Lots is a discount retailer that focuses on offering deeply discounted home furnishings and essentials in a wide range of styles, prioritizing affordability above all else. In contrast, Ikea provides budget-friendly furniture centered around a cohesive Scandinavian modern aesthetic, known for its flat-pack design and functional, space-saving solutions.
Let's compare these two budget-friendly giants to help you decide which is right for your home and wallet.
Big Lots: The Deep Discount Home Retailer
Big Lots is a household name for bargain hunters seeking a wide variety of products under one roof. Its furniture department operates on a model of providing functional, trend-adjacent pieces at extremely competitive prices. Shoppers go to Big Lots for the thrill of the deal, finding everything from living room sets to patio furniture and seasonal decor, often pre-assembled or requiring minimal setup.
- Product mix: Offers a broad range of products including sofas, beds, dining sets, outdoor furniture, mattresses, home decor, seasonal items, and even groceries and small appliances.
- Style/vibe: Eclectic and transitional. Styles can range from classic to vaguely rustic or modern, but the focus is on broad appeal and value rather than a specific, curated design perspective.
- Price point: Extremely budget-friendly. Full sofas can often be found for $300-$600, bed frames start around $200, and accent decor is typically under $50.
- Quality: Quality is variable and aligns with the low price point. Materials often include composite woods, veneers, and basic upholstery fabrics. It's designed for affordability rather than long-term, heirloom use.
- Shopping Experience: A traditional retail experience with furniture displayed in-store for immediate purchase. It’s a straightforward, no-frills environment focused on browsing deals.
- Delivery & Assembly: Many items are available to take home the same day. Furniture is often pre-assembled or requires very simple assembly compared to its competitors.
- Sales: Known for frequent sales, weekly deals, and major clearance events, especially at the end of a season.
Big Lots is the destination for shoppers who need functional furniture immediately and whose primary decision-making factor is the lowest possible price.
Shop Big Lots: biglots.com
Ikea: The Scandinavian Flat-Pack Giant
Ikea is a global phenomenon that democratized modern design, making style accessible and affordable for the masses. The brand is built around a distinct Scandinavian minimalist aesthetic, offering a comprehensive and cohesive range of home goods. Its signature flat-pack, self-assembly model is a core part of its value proposition, reducing shipping costs and passing those savings on to the customer.
- Product mix: A complete home furnishing solution, including furniture for every room, kitchen cabinetry, lighting, textiles, kitchenware, and organization products.
- Style/vibe: Consistently Scandinavian, modern, and minimalist. Known for clean lines, neutral color palettes, light wood tones, and hyper-functional design.
- Price point: Affordable and transparent. Sofas like the popular KIVIK start around $699, the iconic MALM bed frame is under $300, and shelving units like KALLAX are under $100.
- Quality: Known for consistency. While primarily using particleboard and engineered wood, Ikea's construction is reliable and designed for everyday use, making it feel durable for the price.
- Shopping Experience: A unique experience characterized by massive showrooms with staged room displays, a self-serve warehouse, and an on-site cafe. It encourages exploration and inspiration.
- Delivery & Assembly: This is a key differentiator. Nearly all Ikea furniture requires self-assembly. Instructions are visual, but the process can be time-consuming. Delivery is available for a fee.
- Sustainability: The company publicly focuses on sustainability, with commitments to using recycled or renewable materials and responsible wood sourcing.
Ikea provides a complete, stylish design system for those who want a coordinated, modern look and are willing to put in the assembly work to achieve it on a budget.
Shop Ikea: ikea.com
Big Lots vs. Ikea Comparison
Price Comparison
Both brands are titans of budget-friendly furniture, but they approach value differently. Big Lots often wins on the absolute lowest sticker price, especially during its frequent clearance sales. You might find a sofa or dining set for less than anywhere else. It’s the undisputed champion of the deep discount.
Ikea, while affordable, offers value through design and longevity for the price. Its pieces might be slightly more expensive than a similar item on sale at Big Lots, but the cost reflects a consistent quality standard, a deliberate design, and a system of products that work together. An Ikea bed frame for $250 is an investment in a known quantity, while a Big Lots deal might be more of a surprise find.
Style & Aesthetic
The visual difference between the two is striking. Ikea has a world-famous, consistent brand aesthetic: Scandinavian modern. Its entire catalog shares a language of clean lines, functional simplicity, and clever design. This makes it easy to furnish an entire room or home with a cohesive, intentionally designed feel.
Big Lots is far more eclectic. Its inventory is a mix of styles that could be described as traditional, casual, or transitional. Because they buy overstock and opportunistic deals, there is no single unifying style. While this offers variety, creating a coordinated look requires a more discerning eye from the shopper.
Quality & Construction
Ikea has mastered the art of creating durable furniture from affordable materials like particleboard, fiberboard, and laminates. Its engineering is typically solid, and with proper assembly, its furniture can last for years of everyday use. Ikea is transparent about its materials and often offers limited warranties on products like mattresses and kitchen systems.
The quality at Big Lots can be more inconsistent. Pieces are typically made from composite materials, veneers, and lower-grade fabrics to keep costs at a minimum. While perfectly functional for guest rooms or temporary solutions, Big Lots furniture generally isn't built with the same expectation of durability as Ikea's core product lines.
Shopping Experience
The shopping experiences couldn't be more different. Shopping at Big Lots is a classic "treasure hunt." You browse aisles of assorted goods to find a great deal, and if you see a piece of furniture you like, you can often take it home that day, sometimes fully assembled.
An Ikea trip is a planned event. You walk a mapped-out path through inspirational room displays, take notes, and then navigate a massive self-serve warehouse to pick up your flat-packed boxes. It’s an immersive, but sometimes overwhelming, experience that feels more like a project than a quick shopping trip.
Sustainability & Ethics
For environmentally conscious shoppers, Ikea is the clear leader. The brand has made extensive public commitments to sustainability, aiming to use only renewable or recycled materials, sourcing wood from FSC-certified forests, and investing in renewable energy. Their goals and progress are published in annual reports.
Big Lots places its focus squarely on affordability and value. The company does not market itself as a leader in sustainability, and there is less transparency regarding its supply chain and material sourcing compared to its Swedish counterpart.
Which One Should You Choose?
Both retailers offer compelling value, but they serve fundamentally different needs and priorities.
Choose Big Lots if:
- Your number one priority is finding the absolute lowest price possible.
- You need pre-assembled or very-easy-to-assemble furniture immediately.
- You enjoy hunting for deals and don't mind a mix-and-match aesthetic.
- You're furnishing a temporary space, a kid's room, or looking for seasonal outdoor items.
Choose Ikea if:
- You want a cohesive, modern, and minimalist style throughout your home.
- You are furnishing a small apartment or need clever, space-saving solutions.
- You don't mind (or even enjoy) the DIY process of assembling furniture.
- Sustainability and responsible material sourcing are important factors in your decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Big Lots or Ikea cheaper?
Generally, Big Lots will have lower absolute prices on individual items, especially during one of their many sales or clearance events. Ikea, however, may offer better long-term value due to more consistent quality and timeless design for a still very affordable price.
Which brand has better quality furniture?
Ikea is generally considered to have better and more consistent quality. Its pieces are engineered to last through regular use with reliable construction, whereas the quality at Big Lots can be more variable from item to item.
Do I have to assemble furniture from both stores?
This is a major difference. Almost all Ikea furniture requires extensive self-assembly with its iconic Allen keys. Many pieces at Big Lots come pre-assembled or require only minimal, simple steps to put together.
Which is better for small apartments?
Ikea is unbeatable for small-space living. Their entire design philosophy is built around multi-functional furniture, modular systems, smart storage, and compact dimensions perfect for urban apartments and smaller homes.
Can you return furniture to Big Lots and Ikea?
Yes, both retailers have return policies. Big Lots typically accepts returns within 30 days with a receipt. Ikea also offers a return window (typically 365 days for unopened items, see their site for current policy), but returning assembled furniture can be more complicated.
Is the style similar at both stores?
Not at all. Ikea has a very specific and consistent Scandinavian modern aesthetic. Big Lots offers an eclectic variety of styles, from traditional to rustic, with less of a unifying design vision.
Which brand is better for outdoor furniture?
Both offer good budget options. Big Lots is great for impulse-buying a seasonal patio set at a deep discount. Ikea offers more design-forward, modular outdoor collections that can be coordinated with their indoor furniture styles.
Where are Big Lots and Ikea furniture made?
Ikea sources its products from various countries, including China, Poland, and Vietnam, with a transparent global supply chain detailed on its website. Big Lots also sources globally, often through closeout deals and liquidation purchases, providing less visibility into the specific origins of its varied inventory.
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.
