Compare Furniture Before You Buy
Put pieces from different shops side by side, with price, real dimensions and footprint on the same rows, then check the winner in your own room.
To compare furniture properly, line up the pieces from different shops on the same facts: price, width, depth and height, and how much floor each takes up. Then check the one you like best in your own room at real scale, because the cheapest or best-looking piece is not always the one that fits.
Why Comparing in Browser Tabs Falls Apart
Every shop shows size in a different place, in a different order and sometimes in a different unit. One lists width and depth, another height, width and seat depth. You end up with five tabs and a notes app, and still no idea which one takes the least floor.
What to Compare
- Price. Including the difference to the cheapest, so you can see what the extra cost buys.
- Size. Width, depth and height in the same order, so a 20 cm (8 in) difference is easy to spot.
- Footprint. The shape of the piece drawn to scale. A corner sofa and a straight one can have the same width and very different floor space.
- Fit. Whether each piece works in your room, not in general.
- Style. How the pieces look together, which a table of numbers will not tell you.
A Photo of a Sofa Is Not a Sofa
Product photos are staged, in a room that is not yours. Studio sets run large, which makes furniture look compact. Two sofas photographed by two shops can look the same size and differ by 40 cm (16 in).
Comparing photos compares staging. Comparing dimensions drawn at the same scale compares furniture, and once both are in your room outline, one is often obviously wrong.
What to Write Down for Each Piece
- Width, depth and height, and seat height for anything you sit on
- Price, plus delivery and assembly if they are extra
- Lead time, and whether it is actually in stock
- The return window, and who pays for the return
- Material and finish in words: "oak" and "oak effect" are not the same shortlist
From Shortlist to Moodboard to Real Scale
Save pieces from any shop as you browse. In Nooked each one comes in with its photo, price and size read from the page. Pick up to four and the compare view puts them side by side with the facts in fixed rows, so the same fact is always in the same place.
Add what you already own as a reference, to measure the new pieces against it. When one stands out, put it on the moodboard with the rest of the room to see whether it works with the colors and shapes, then place it on the floor plan to check the fit.
Check the Winner at Real Scale
The last step is the one most people skip. Put the winner on the floor plan, next to the furniture that is already there, and look at the gaps. If the walkway behind it is 50 cm (20 in), you will know before the delivery date.
Common questions
- How do I compare furniture from different stores?
- Collect the same facts for each piece: price, width, depth, height and the floor space it takes. A compare view that shows them on fixed rows makes the differences easy to see, and Nooked builds one from the product links or pieces you save.
- How many pieces can I compare in Nooked?
- Up to four at a time. You can also add something you own as a reference to measure the others against.
- Does Nooked tell me which piece fits my room?
- Yes. Each piece in the compare view is checked against the room you are working on, and you can show it in the room at real scale.
- Where does the size and price come from?
- From the product page when you paste a link or save the piece with the extension. If a shop does not list a size, you can type it in, and a guessed size is marked as a guess.
- How many pieces should be on a shortlist?
- Three to five for each spot in the room. Fewer than three and you have not really looked; more than five and you are putting the decision off.
- Does the cheapest option usually win?
- Only once delivery, assembly and the cost of sending it back are in the price. A cheaper piece with paid returns and a short return window is not cheaper if it turns out to be wrong.
Compare your furniture in Nooked
Nooked is a furniture fit checker and decision tool that lets shoppers place real furniture at real scale before buying. Compare finds from different stores and build a moodboard of pieces that fit together in size and style.