As New Yorkers, we all spend quite the pretty penny on our rent. As such, the small boxes we call home come with an innate sense of pride (though maybe not an in-unit washer and dryer). It makes sense, then, that we’d want to furnish and decorate them to reflect that sentiment — as well as our individual tastes and lifestyles. Luckily, NYC is replete with unique home shops that will keep you from the temptation of shopping from the big box options that are available just anywhere.
From gold mine vintage stores lovingly curated with the best furniture pieces of yesteryear to cool kid shops stocking handmade ceramics and unique textiles, or kitchen items that are just as beautiful as they are functional, the homeware options available at your fingertips are more than any New Yorker needs to handsomely appoint their own abode. This list of some of our favorite shops is by no means exhaustive, which speaks to just how many incredible retailers are to be found in New York.
Home Shopping Hubs
Hit multiple birds with one stone by shopping around these two design hubs, both found in Brooklyn. Here, the shops are varied, independently-owned and aplenty.
Atlantic Avenue in Boerum Hill
The charming portion of Atlantic Ave. that stretches from Hicks to Nevins in Boerum Hill is lined with some of the city’s best home shops, with some other great ones to be found in the neighborhood just a block or two off the main strip. Besides the ones already listed within superlatives on this list, some of the Atlantic Avenue shops not to be missed include Porta, which stocks unique decor items, including handmade ceramics that look like you found them somewhere in Italy. Salter House is also a must-visit, stocking everything from the fanciest looking scrub brushes and brooms to breezy linens and more covetable home items. Collyer’s Mansion, kitchen supplies shop Whisk and Collier West are just a few others.
The Meeting Point of Williamsburg & Greenpoint
A sunny afternoon spent strolling through the homewares shops in the sweet spot between Williamsburg and Greenpoint, above McCarren Park, is one of the best ways to spend a Sunday, and will yield unique pieces that you won’t be able to walk away from. Vintage furniture galore can be found at Dobbin St. Vintage Co-op, Renewfinds and Copper + Plaid. Upstate Stock has a great selection of home goods and pantry finds, and you’ll be more than tempted to snap up some plants from Tula House.
The Ultimate Guide to Shopping in NYC’s SoHo Neighborhood
From fashion flagships to homeware to luxury fragrances, here are 18 stores we recommendBest for Vintage Furniture (Classic): Somerset House
A venture to Long Island City is worth it to shop one of the most impeccably curated vintage furniture showrooms in the city, Somerset House. There, find everything from pristine sofa and chair sets by Pierre Jeanneret and rare sculptural floor lamps to items designed in-house by the Somerset team. Everything in their catalogue is also available to rent. If you plan on visiting on the weekend, they’re open to the public, while an appointment is necessary to shop Monday through Thursday.
Best for Vintage Furniture (Funky): Dream Fishing Tackle
Don’t be fooled by the facade of this vintage furniture lover’s haven in Greenpoint. It may look like an old-fashioned tackle shop from the outside (and they even have actual fishing gear in the back), but step inside and you’ll be greeted immediately by floor-to-ceiling selections of everything from Art Deco-style side tables and spinning statement armchairs to lucite candlesticks, rotary phones and kitschy ceramic mugs. Since everything is vintage and constantly rotating as it sells, you never know what you’re going to find inside, leading to never-ending design surprises.
Best for Affordable Finds: Fishs Eddy
This feel-good, local-favorite shop in Gramercy is like a warm hug to walk into. Everything here is also incredibly affordable, like their cheeky ceramic plates, bowls, mugs and more, themed around anything from New York pigeons and the Statue of Liberty to different breeds of cats. Come here for NYC-themed prints to frame and hang on your walls, or even a bespoke pet portrait that can be painted at the back of the shop.
Best One-Stop Shop: Beam
If you’re the kind of person who used to go bonkers inside IKEA, or still does but is finally ready for a design upgrade, Beam in Williamsburg is going to be your new favorite shop. Located on Kent by Domino Park, Beam is enormous by New York standards, and one visit can yield everything from the candles you place on your dining table to the table itself — all created by the coolest must-know brands.
Best for Ceramics and Stoneware: Michele Varian
Much like Beam, Michele Varian in Boerum Hill has a little bit of everything, and each piece is immaculately curated. Besides bespoke linen light shades, colorful textiles and organic-shaped mirrors, the shop has several displays of stoneware and ceramics. Mugs, plates, bowls and espresso cups with saucers are a given, but Michele Varian also carries unique ceramic sculptures, taper candle holders, vases and more.
Best for Glassware: Mociun Fine Jewelry & Home Goods
Those who know about Mociun are obsessed for a reason: it’s potentially one of the most uniquely curated shops in the city. The treasures at Mociun, from the coupe glasses by Danish designer Helle Mardahl to the handmade rings, are far from cheap. Instead, they’re the kind of items that you collect slowly and keep for life, like colorful blown-glass tumblers and wavy-handled glass pitchers.
Best for Unique Decor: Coming Soon
Coming Soon in the Lower East Side has (rightfully) had a lot of hype surrounding it since they first opened their doors, with loyal shoppers following them from their first, smaller location several blocks over. Proprietors of kitsch, Coming Soon is a kooky destination for conversation-starting items to place on shelves, consoles and coffee tables, from resin vases that look like melting ice cream to footed platters rimmed with tiny glass shrimp.
Best for Rugs: ABC Carpet & Home
A design lover’s paradise, ABC Carpet & Home in Gramercy is like homeware Disneyland. The front display of the enormous, multi-floor shop changes with the seasons, whether gussied up as a wintertime forest or reflecting monochrome design vignettes. Inside you can find a huge selection of furniture and decor, but it’s the top floor where they stock a legendary rug collection, from modern designs to one-of-a-kind vintage Turkish, Moroccan, Scandinavian and Persian rugs.
Best for Kitchenware: The Primary Essentials
This small-but-mighty shop in Boerum Hill is a highly curated gem full of kitchenware and tabletop items that will actually make you want to cook and clean at home. Fill your kitchen counter with their salt and pepper mills, oil cruets and stoneware kitchen bowls, or set your table for dinner with Hasami porcelain plates, linen tablecloths and bistro flatware.
Best for Wall Art: Philip Williams Posters
Also known as the Poster Museum, this institution in Tribeca is packed with thousands of original vintage posters from every decade and country you could imagine. Prices here vary wildly, and you can find anything from a New Yorker cover from the day you were born for around $25 to a Steve McQueen Le Mans film poster for $3,000.
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