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Mail-Order Furnishings Can Be Fun, Fashionable and Surprisingly Varied

Furniture catalogs let you select from an outstanding array of products at every price point--withough leaving home. Furniture catalogs are especially useful for consumers who are short on time and don't want to drive all over town looking for just the right piece, or for people who may not have access to a wide variety of furniture stores. And sometimes you'll find things you'll never see at any retailer.

Of course, there are downsides to furniture catalogs. You can't test the comfort of a chair or sofa, get a sense of a piece's proportions, examine the construction or run your hand over the fabric or finish. Given this risk, it's a good idea to study the return policy before you buy, and decide whether the potential for finding the perfect item outweighs the inherest risks. And don't overlook shipping costs: they can sometimes spell the difference between a bargain and a rip-off.

Here are 10 of my favorite furniture catalogs. I haven't included any of the hundreds of specialty catalogs, preferring to focus on companies that sell a broad range of general merchandise. Each catalog I've chosen offers a good selection, fair prices, an excellent reputation, and the chance to score a piece that is stylish and well made.

Pottery Barn Sure, you can scoff at the way it has saturated America with a steady stream of "safe" good taste, but it's hard to refute the fact that Pottery Barn has made good design accessible and affordable for millions of people. Their products are almost always well designed, their prices are reasonable, the service is generally good, and the furniture catalog is fun to flip through--which is a good thing, because sometimes it feels like there's a new one every week. I have heard criticisms about the quality of their upholstered pieces, but have never had a problem with the (non-upholstered) items I've purchased from them.

West Elm Pottery Barn's little brother, West Elm is designed to appeal to a younger, hipper and less affluent audience, with affordable modern design that--to paraphrase Henry Ford--comes in any color you want, as long as it's brown. Actually, they offer other colors, too ... but not a lot. (I've always considered West Elm's ubiquitous brown wood the furniture world's equivalent of "mystery meat"--you don't quite know what it's made of, but the taste is good.) This isn't heirloom-quality stuff you'll be handing down to your grandchildren, but it's fun, it's fast, and it should tide you over until you're ready to graduate to Pottery Barn or the company's upscale brand, Williams Sonoma Home.

Crate and Barrel Comparable to Pottery Barn in its selection, styling and ubiquity, Crate and Barrel has a slight edge on quality, and the prices reflect that. Crate and Barrel's furniture catalog is a bit more fashion forward, too. The company has been around for more than 40 years, so when you purchase a product from them, you can be assured that it will be well-made and smartly designed, with a clean, contemporary look and nice choices of materials. I purchased a pair of armchairs from them a decade ago, and they look great and sit comfortably.

CB2 Crate and Barrel also has a little brother, called CB2. The vibe is youthful, contemporary and fairly monochromatic--full of good foundation pieces awaiting your personal touches. The prices are higher than its Pottery Barn counterpart, West Elm, but the aesthetic is a little more sophisticated, too.

Room and Board With the demise of Storehouse, Room and Board has the middle-American field to itself. I don't mean that disparagingly; this is a great source for attractive, well-made furnishings at moderate prices. There's nothing here to scare Great Aunt Esther, but nothing dowdy or dated, either. It's a good place to shop when you want to build a foundation of classic, timeless pieces.

Ballard Designs I've always liked this furniture catalog, despite the fact that some of their merchandise is a bit on the twee side. (Anyone for decorative lighthouses or bunny sculptures?) The catalogs are attractive and the merchandise is fun, with a decidedly feminine slant. (This is the furniture catalog equivalent of a chick flick.) And some of the prices are so good you might find yourself doing a doubletake. Definitely not for modernists, but a good choice for homes with a traditional, country or cottagey flair.