Last Updated on March 30, 2024 by Jamie Marshall
For the large number of expats who call Dubai home, for either short or extended periods of stay, retailers of furniture in Dubai offer an ample range from budget to designer furniture and everything in between! If you are looking to move to Dubai, there is no need to bring any large items of furniture from your home country unless these are items you absolutely cannot do without. Dubai offers its residents a huge selection of every type of furniture from household to office to outdoor furniture in a wide range of prices to suit your budget.
Here, we take a look at some of the options available to you when shopping for furniture.
Used or second hand furniture items
For many visitors who plan on staying here for a short period of time, buying used or second hand makes sense and can save big bucks as opposed to buying new furniture. There are several options for buying good quality used furniture. Many expats who are leaving Dubai often sell their furniture at reduced rates on forums such as ExpatWoman. The ExpatWoman classifieds section has a large and continually updated selection of furniture and household appliances for sale by other expats who are planning on exiting the country. These items are often in great condition and can be bought at bargain prices. You can also check used furniture stores such as Cash Converters who buy and sell used furniture and household items. Websites such as Dubizzle and Souq.com are also great resources for used items, although it is recommended that you do not just rely on photos posted on these websites but actually view the items for sale prior to purchasing them. Alternatively, local newspapers such as Gulf News and Khaleej Times also have a classified section where you might find used furniture on sale.
New furniture – budget
If the idea of buying used does not sit well with you, but you don’t want to spend a lot of your hard earned cash on expensive designer furniture, there are several budget furniture shops that offer god quality furniture at reasonable rates. One of the most popular stores for a large selection of reasonably priced furniture is the Swedish chain – IKEA – which is particularly great for shelves and bookcases etc. IKEA furniture requires assembly, which you can opt to do yourself or have done by the store staff for an additional cost. There are a host of other stores that offer competitively priced furniture in the same range as IKEA including Home Center, Homes r Us and Pan Emirates. The One and Dwell, which are pricier than the IKEA range, also provide better quality furniture, which is still less costly than some of the higher priced boutique stores in Dubai. DragonMart, which is a huge complex near International City in Dubai, also has a range of furniture manufactured in China, although much of this is of dubious quality and even though you do save money, your house can end up looking like a one-star hotel! Alternatively, for bargain prices you can also try some of the smaller stores in the Karama area, although these prices are probably not much lower than those at the above mentioned bargain stores.
New furniture – specialty or designer
If you are planning on calling Dubai home for an extended period of time and have the finances to invest in top quality furniture, or if you just love the thought of owning hand-crafted furniture that is unique to your home, there are many boutique designer stores that offer the highest quality furniture, but at a steep price. Featuring collections from premium European brands such as B&B Italia, TRECA de Paris and Anna Torfs, Baituti showcases primarily modern, contemporary furniture in earthy tones for a wonderfully restrained style. Carpe Diem is another luxury furniture store that offers both classic as well as contemporary furniture as well as an interior consultancy service for those looking to give their interiors an elegant finish.
Listed below is also a ball park range of what you can expect to pay for large furniture items (refers to regular, not designer or specialty) in local currency – UAE Dirhams (AED).
- Three piece lounger for living room AED 4000-8000
- Coffee table AED 200-1000
- TV Stand AED 400-2000
- 6 person dining room table and chairs AED 1500-2500
- King sized bedroom set (4 pieces) AED 4000
- Children’s bedroom set (4 pieces) AED 2000
- Office Table AED 800-1500
- Desk AED 200-800
- Book shelf AED 200-800
- Leather office chair AED 500-1000