Furniture by Design
Furniture by Design is a Wellington, New Zealand-based retailer of design-led furniture and homewares, operating a Shopify e-commerce store, a Wellington showroom, and a network of over 45 nationwide stockists serving residential and trade customers across New Zealand.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1987
- HeadquartersWellington, New Zealand
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Furniture by Design does
Furniture by Design is a Wellington, New Zealand-based specialty retailer of design-led furniture and homewares, founded in 1987 and operating as a privately held family business with approximately 5 employees. The company sells across four core furniture categories — dining, living, bedroom, and office — alongside an extended homewares assortment covering art, bedding, towels, cushions, candles, rugs, décor, and books, with prices ranging from entry-level pieces such as the Bari Dining Chair at NZD 219 up to premium items such as the Carson Slipcover Sofa at NZD 3,495. Its technology stack is a Shopify-powered e-commerce platform (furniturebydesign.nz), supplemented by a complimentary custom room rendering service that helps customers visualize shortlisted pieces in context.
The business runs a hybrid distribution model: a direct-to-consumer online store, a physical Wellington showroom at 12 Kaiwharawhara Road, a nationwide Click & Collect network of more than 45 retail stockists, and two B2B channels — the Trade+ program for interior designers and architects, and a wholesale partnership via salamander.co.nz for commercial and retail buyers. Shipping is tiered by region (free on furniture orders over NZD 2,000; NZD 100–300 below that threshold depending on island), and the company runs a House Points loyalty program to drive repeat consumer engagement.
Revenue is generated almost entirely through one-time product sales to a fragmented base of NZ residential homeowners, with smaller contributions from the trade and wholesale channels. The company emphasizes honest pricing without fake sales, NZ-based stock for fast dispatch, and curation around good proportions, useful materials, and solid construction. No external funding, acquisitions, or international expansion are disclosed in the available data.
Furniture by Design firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Furniture by Design
- Legal name
- Furniture by Design
- Website
- https://furniturebydesign.nz
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1987
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Furniture by Design is a Wellington, New Zealand-based retailer of design-led furniture and homewares, operating a Shopify e-commerce store, a Wellington showroom, and a network of over 45 nationwide stockists serving residential and trade customers across New Zealand.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Furniture by Design industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Furniture Retail
- NAICS
- Furniture Retailers (449110), Furniture and Home Furnishings Retailers (4491)
- SIC
- Retail-Furniture Stores (5712), Retail-Home Furniture, Furnishings & Equipment Stores (5700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Dining Room Furniture Retail (Dining Tables, Chairs, Bar Stools, Buffets/Sideboards) (CRAIAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Living Room Furniture Retail (Sofas, Sectionals, Recliners, Coffee/Side Tables, TV Consoles) (CRAIAAAA), Bedroom Furniture Retail (Beds, Dressers, Nightstands, Armoires) (CRAIAAAC), Home Office Furniture Retail (Desks, Office Chairs, Bookcases, Filing/Storage) (CRAIAAAD)
Keywords
Where Furniture by Design is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wellington
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
Furniture by Design business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Direct Furniture and Homeware Sales: One-time product sales of design-led furniture and homewares to consumers through online store and Wellington showroom. Products include dining furniture, living room furniture, bedroom furniture, office furniture, and home accessories.
- Trade and Wholesale B2B Sales: B2B sales through Trade+ program for interior designers and architects, and wholesale program for commercial and retail buyers via salamander.co.nz.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Entry-level furniture (chairs, stools) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Mid-range furniture (tables, storage) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Premium furniture (sofas, collections) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Shipping - Free Tier |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Shipping - Wellington Region |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Shipping - North and South Island |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels3 records
Furniture by Design product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Furniture by Design curates and retails design-led furniture and homewares for New Zealand homes, operating a Shopify e-commerce store (furniturebydesign.nz) and a Wellington showroom with nationwide delivery. The assortment spans Dining, Living, Bedroom, and Office furniture collections, alongside homeware categories such as art, bedding, rugs, candles, lamps, and decor, supported by a complimentary room rendering service and a House Points loyalty program.
Product overview
Furniture by Design is a Wellington, New Zealand-based furniture and homewares retailer operating online and from a physical store. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of furniture products organized into core categories: Dining (tables, chairs, bar stools, benches, sideboards), Living (sofas, sofa beds, armchairs, ottomans, coffee tables, side tables, entertainment units), Bedroom (beds, bedside tables, dressers, tallboys), and Office (desks, storage). Alongside furniture, the company retails homewares including art, bedding, towels, cushions, candles, room sprays, vases, lamps, mirrors, rugs, and books. The product portfolio includes sub-brands such as Hommey (bold linen products) and Weave Rugs (NZ-made classic rugs), along with numerous named collections like Nordik, Palliser, Flow, Oslo, Irish Coast, and Woodenforge. Products range from entry-level items like the Bari Dining Chair at $219 to premium pieces like the Carson Slipcover Sofa at $3,495. The company differentiates through design-led selection, honest pricing without fake sales, NZ-based stock, and services including complimentary room rendering and a House Points loyalty program.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Dining Furniture
- Living Room Furniture
- Bedroom Furniture
- Office Furniture
- Homeware and Decor
- Hommey Linen Products
- Weave Rugs
- Trade+ Program for Designers
- Wholesale Program
Companies that use Furniture by Design
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Furniture by Design technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Furniture by Design partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- 45+ NZ Retail StockistscoreNationwide network of 45+ retail partners offering Click & Collect for Furniture by Design products. Includes major NZ furniture retailers such as Wards, Van Dyks, Thompsons, Superprice, Smartbuy, Robb's, Redmond's, QFG, Payer & Andrews, Pollet's, Paula's, Nirvana, Miliken's, Lounge & Living, Fenns, Lynfords, King Country, Java, Homeward, Harding's, Greenslades, Furniture Plus, Faber's, Foster's, Furniture Central, Dimock's, Country Carpet, Clegg's, Best's, Alex's, Bryan's, and Beds R Us.
- HommeyminorSub-brand featuring bold, well-made linen products. Hommey collection includes bedding and home textiles offered through Furniture by Design store.
- Weave Rugs (NZ)minorNZ's own classic rug brand featured prominently with 40% off promotion when purchased with $2,000+ furniture. Flat rate NZ-wide shipping at $50.
- Salamander (Wholesale)coreWholesale partner for commercial and retail buyers through salamander.co.nz, enabling B2B sales of Furniture by Design products.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Furniture by Design competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Mocka: New Zealand-based design-led furniture and homeware retailer selling primarily direct-to-consumer online. Closely comparable to FbD in product range (dining, living, bedroom, office), target customer (design-conscious NZ homeowners), and curated DTC brand positioning.
- Provincial Home Living: Australia-based design-led furniture and homeware retailer with a similar curated, style-forward positioning. Comparable product mix across dining, living, and bedroom furniture targeted at design-conscious consumers.
- Citta Design: NZ design-led furniture and homeware brand with a similar aesthetic-led, honest-pricing positioning. Overlaps with FbD in dining, living, and bedroom furniture plus textiles, serving a comparable customer looking for curated residential pieces.
- Danske Mobler: New Zealand furniture retailer specialising in Scandinavian-style dining, living, and bedroom furniture. Direct overlap with FbD's Nordic-inspired collections (Nordik, Oslo, Oslo series) and similar mid-market price positioning.
Emerging players
- Nood: New Zealand design-led furniture brand focused on sustainable materials and contemporary residential pieces. Overlaps with FbD on dining tables, chairs, and homewares targeted at design-conscious NZ homeowners.
Broad incumbents
- Adairs: ANZ specialty retailer of homewares, bedding, and furniture. Overlaps with FbD's homeware category (bedding, cushions, décor, rugs) and increasingly competes on furniture, though at much larger scale.
- Harvey Norman: Large ANZ multi-category retailer carrying furniture alongside electronics and appliances. Competes with FbD in sofas, dining, and bedroom furniture but as part of a much broader assortment with stronger pricing power and marketing reach.
- Freedom Furniture: Pan-ANZ furniture and homewares retailer with extensive showroom network. Competes with FbD across dining, living, and bedroom categories but at much larger scale and broader price band, including upholstery and mattresses.
- IKEA: Global furniture giant with a New Zealand presence. Competes with FbD across dining, living, bedroom, and office furniture, but at a very different price point and scale, anchoring the value end of the market that pressures FbD's mid-tier lines.
Regional players
- Temple & Webster: Australia's largest online-only furniture and homewares retailer. Comparable to FbD in DTC-first model, broad furniture range, and designer-led curation, though operating primarily in the Australian market.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Furniture by Design social profiles
Digital presenceFurniture by Design financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Furniture by Design leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Furniture by Design funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Furniture by Design M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Furniture by Design
What does Furniture by Design do?
Furniture by Design curates and retails design-led furniture and homewares for New Zealand homes, operating a Shopify e-commerce store (furniturebydesign.nz) and a Wellington showroom with nationwide delivery. The assortment spans Dining, Living, Bedroom, and Office furniture collections, alongside homeware categories such as art, bedding, rugs, candles, lamps, and decor, supported by a complimentary room rendering service and a House Points loyalty program.
Is Furniture by Design a public or private company?
Furniture by Design is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Furniture by Design founded?
Furniture by Design was founded in 1987. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Furniture by Design based?
Furniture by Design is headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does Furniture by Design make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Direct Furniture and Homeware Sales are the primary driver. The others are trade and Wholesale B2B Sales.
Who are Furniture by Design's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Mocka, Provincial Home Living, Citta Design and Danske Mobler. Nood is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Adairs, Harvey Norman, Freedom Furniture and IKEA. Temple & Webster is listed as a regional player.
Does Furniture by Design have an API?
No public API is recorded for Furniture by Design.
What industry is Furniture by Design in?
Furniture by Design's product category is Furniture Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAIAAAB, Dining Room Furniture Retail (Dining Tables, Chairs, Bar Stools, Buffets/Sideboards), with a secondary code of CRAIAAAA, Living Room Furniture Retail (Sofas, Sectionals, Recliners, Coffee/Side Tables, TV Consoles). Its NAICS code is 449110 and its SIC code is 5712.