Wayfair serves as a massive online marketplace, offering an almost limitless selection of home goods across every imaginable style and price point, while Living Spaces operates as a hybrid online and brick-and-mortar retailer with physical showrooms and a more curated collection focused on modern and contemporary aesthetics. The key difference is Wayfair’s sheer volume and variety versus Living Spaces’ emphasis on a consistent, quality-controlled selection that customers can see and touch in person.
Let's break down everything you need to know to choose the right home decor retailer for your space.
Wayfair: The Boundless Online Marketplace
Wayfair is one of the world's largest online destinations for home goods, acting as a massive marketplace for thousands of manufacturers and suppliers. Their business model is built on offering overwhelming choice and competitive pricing, making them a go-to for shoppers looking for everything from budget-friendly basics to unique statement pieces all in one place and without leaving their home.
- Product mix: From sofas, dining sets, and beds to lighting, rugs, decor, and even major appliances, Wayfair's catalog is exhaustive. You can furnish an entire home from their selection, which includes house-brand labels and products from countless outside vendors.
- Style/vibe: Every style is represented. Whether your taste is modern farmhouse, coastal, industrial, Scandinavian, or traditional, you can find thousands of items to match, thanks to the sheer volume of suppliers.
- Price point: Prices span a huge range, but Wayfair is best known for its affordable options. You can find sofas for as low as $300, area rugs under $100, and full bedroom sets for under $1,000. Frequent sales and "Open Box" deals offer even lower prices.
- Quality: Quality is highly variable because Wayfair is a marketplace. Inexpensive items often rely on engineered wood, particleboard, and basic polyester upholstery. However, they also carry higher-end pieces with solid wood and premium fabrics. Reading customer reviews and checking material specifications is essential.
- Sales: Wayfair runs promotions constantly, with major events like "Way Day" offering some of the year's deepest discounts. Category sales and holiday promotions are also very common.
- Return policy: Most items can be returned within 30 days for a refund or store credit, but return shipping costs are typically deducted from your refund. Large items may have more complex return processes.
- Delivery & Assembly: Shipping is often free on orders over $35. Most furniture arrives flat-packed and requires assembly, though some larger items offer in-home delivery options for an additional fee.
Wayfair is the ideal choice for budget-conscious online shoppers who prioritize selection and convenience and are comfortable navigating reviews to find the right product.
Shop Wayfair: wayfair.com
Living Spaces: The Curated Brick-and-Mortar Experience
Living Spaces combines the convenience of online shopping with the benefit of physical showrooms, offering a more curated and design-focused furniture experience. The brand is known for its stylish, contemporary collections that feel cohesive and well-made, appealing to shoppers who want a more guided approach to creating a modern home.
- Product mix: Their selection centers on home furniture, including sofas, sectionals, beds, dining tables, and outdoor pieces. While they also offer decor and rugs, their main focus is on creating coordinated furniture sets.
- Style/vibe: The overall aesthetic leans contemporary, modern, and transitional. You'll find clean lines, neutral color palettes, and stylish designs that fit well within polished, present-day homes.
- Price point: Living Spaces sits in the mid-range. Sofas typically start around $600, with bedroom sets often ranging from $1,000 to $3,000. Their prices reflect a higher baseline of quality and construction compared to Wayfair's cheapest options.
- Quality: Quality is much more consistent here. Living Spaces emphasizes durable materials like solid and engineered wood, high-density foam cushions, and stain-resistant performance fabrics. They have more control over their manufacturing, resulting in a more reliable product.
- Services: The ability to visit physical showrooms is a huge advantage, allowing customers to test sofas and see materials in person. They also offer free design consultations to help you plan your space.
- Sales: Living Spaces runs regular sales events around major holidays like President's Day, Memorial Day, and Black Friday, offering significant discounts on their collections.
- Return policy: Their policy is friendly, particularly for in-store and online purchases if you are near a store, allowing returns on most items. Customers can often avoid the shipping hassle associated with online-only retailers.
- Delivery & Assembly: They offer full-service delivery options, including room-of-choice placement and assembly, which removes a major pain point for furniture shoppers.
Living Spaces is built for those who appreciate seeing furniture in person, value consistent quality, and prefer a curated, contemporary aesthetic with helpful customer service.
Shop Living Spaces: livingspaces.com
Wayfair vs. Living Spaces Comparison
Price Comparison
Wayfair is the clear winner for shoppers on a strict budget. With sofas starting under $300 and constant sales, their entry-level price points are significantly lower. This is possible due to their vast marketplace model, which includes products made with more economical materials.
Living Spaces offers a higher starting price, with most items falling into the mid-range category. While you won't find $300 sofas, their pricing generally reflects a better value proposition in terms of quality and durability. You're paying for more consistent craftsmanship and better materials, which can be more cost-effective in the long run.
Style & Aesthetic
Wayfair's catalog is a sprawling encyclopedia of styles. If you can name a design trend - from grandmillennial to brutalist - you can probably find it. This variety is perfect for homeowners with eclectic tastes or those hunting for a very specific piece to complete a room. However, the lack of a cohesive aesthetic can make it challenging to create a coordinated look without extensive browsing.
In contrast, Living Spaces offers a curated point of view. Their collection is heavily focused on modern, contemporary, and transitional design. While a bit less diverse, this tight focus makes it incredibly easy to furnish a room or an entire home with pieces that naturally complement each other. It’s ideal for shoppers who want a polished, harmonious look without the guesswork.
Quality & Construction
This is one of the most significant differentiators. Wayfair's quality can be a gamble. Because they host products from so many different suppliers, an affordable accent chair might be surprisingly sturdy while a more expensive table could disappoint. Success on Wayfair depends heavily on reading customer reviews, scrutinizing product photos, and checking the material specifications list.
Living Spaces offers much greater consistency. They maintain a higher standard for materials and construction across their entire product line. Shoppers can generally expect solid wood elements, durable fabrics, and sturdy frames. Having showrooms where customers can physically inspect the furniture also adds a layer of quality assurance you don't get with an online-only marketplace.
Product Selection
If selection is measured simply by the number of items available, Wayfair is unmatched. With millions of products, the options are virtually endless. This is a huge pro for shoppers who love having infinite choices or are looking for something very specific that a traditional retailer might not carry.
Living Spaces has a much smaller, deliberately curated selection. Instead of overwhelming you with thousands of dining chairs, they present a few dozen that align with their contemporary aesthetic. This "less is more" approach appeals to shoppers who are easily paralyzed by too many choices and prefer a collection handpicked for style and quality.
Shopping Experience
The Wayfair experience is entirely digital. Their website and app are powerful tools with robust filtering options that help you sift through the massive inventory. Features like "View in Room" AR and photo-heavy customer reviews make online browsing more tangible. It's a system perfected for the self-sufficient online shopper.
Living Spaces offers a multi-channel experience. You can browse online and then head to a showroom to experience the furniture firsthand - something you can't do with Wayfair. They also offer free design services, providing personalized guidance that helps customers feel more confident in their decisions. This hands-on approach is a major advantage for anyone hesitant about buying large furniture items sight unseen.
Delivery & Assembly
Wayfair's model often relies on standard shipping, meaning boxes are left at your doorstep. The vast majority of their furniture requires self-assembly, which can range from a few minutes to several hours of work. While they offer assembly services through third-party partners for a fee, it isn't standard.
Living Spaces excels here. Their professional delivery service includes carrying furniture into your home, placing it in the room of your choice, and handling all assembly. This white-glove style service removes the biggest headache of buying new furniture and is a major value-add.
Which One Should You Choose?
The right choice comes down to your priorities. Both brands are strong contenders, but they serve very different shopping styles.
Choose Wayfair if:
- You are on a tight budget and looking for the lowest possible prices.
- You want the largest possible selection of styles, colors, and sizes.
- You are confident shopping exclusively online and enjoy browsing extensive catalogs.
- You don't mind assembling furniture yourself or are willing to pay a third party to do it.
Choose Living Spaces if:
- You want to see, touch, and test out furniture in a physical showroom before buying.
- You prefer a curated, cohesive aesthetic focused on modern and contemporary styles.
- Consistent quality and durability are more important to you than the lowest price.
- You value professional delivery and assembly services included with your purchase.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Wayfair or Living Spaces cheaper?
Overall, Wayfair is cheaper. Their business model as a marketplace allows for a much broader range of price points, including many budget-friendly options starting at just a few hundred dollars. Living Spaces operates in a mid-range price tier with a higher baseline for quality, so their starting prices are generally higher.
Which has better quality furniture?
Living Spaces has more consistent and reliable quality. Because they manage their own curated selection, they maintain a higher standard for materials and construction. Wayfair's quality varies widely from product to product, making it essential for shoppers to read reviews carefully before purchasing.
Can you return furniture to both stores?
Yes, both retailers accept furniture returns. Wayfair's policy allows returns within 30 days, but you will likely have to pay for return shipping. Living Spaces also has a customer-friendly return policy, and the process can be simpler if you live near a showroom where you can manage the return in person.
Does Wayfair have showrooms?
No, Wayfair is an online-only retailer and does not operate physical showrooms where you can view furniture. Their model relies on customer reviews and detailed online listings. Living Spaces, however, has numerous large showrooms primarily located in the western and southern United States.
Which is better for small spaces?
Wayfair may offer more options for small spaces simply due to the sheer size of its inventory. Their powerful search filters allow you to narrow down items by specific dimensions. However, Living Spaces often has dedicated apartment-friendly collections designed thoughtfully for smaller footprints.
Do I have to assemble furniture from these brands?
For Wayfair, the answer is almost always yes. The vast majority of their products arrive flat-packed and require self-assembly. Living Spaces includes professional assembly as part of their standard delivery service, a major convenience for customers.
Does either brand offer design help?
Living Spaces offers free design consultations with in-store experts who can help you choose pieces and lay out your room. Wayfair does not offer a comparable personalized design service, but they have online tools like room planners and inspirational photo galleries.
Which store has better sales?
Wayfair has more frequent sales, with promotions running almost constantly. Their annual "Way Day" event offers some of the best discounts available. Living Spaces also holds major sales events several times a year, particularly around holidays, which offer significant savings on their higher-quality 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.
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