What if we told you that your favorite furniture and decor are being sold at multiple stores, all at different prices? While this may seem doubtful, it’s actually a very common practice called white labeling — and it’s helping both amateur and professional designers create the homes of their dreams.

In this tactical guide, we will unpack what white label furniture is, how you can recognize it, and how to use it to design your perfect living space. 

The role of white label furniture in interior design

White label furniture refers to any furniture that is produced and sold to multiple retailers and then resold under separate house brands. Consider DeepGreen, a wholesale furniture manufacturer. DeepGreen supplies retailers like Adairs and Nood with the same products that they market, package, and sell under their own name. By providing white label furniture to retailers across the globe, manufacturers like DeepGreen lock in large production quantities and benefit from economies of scale.

The good news for customers is they can find the best deals on new furniture without worrying about inconsistencies. The not-so-good news is that they also need to be wary of other types of furniture, such as private-label and dupes, which can vary significantly both in cost and quality.

White label furniture is accessible, private-label furniture is exclusive

Since white label furniture is sold to numerous retailers around the world, the pieces are relatively easy to find. Outside of packaging and branding, these pieces are nearly identical, meaning you can bargain hunt for the most affordable option without worrying about dips in quality.

Private-label furniture, on the other hand, refers to furniture manufactured by a 3rd party and sold exclusively by a single retailer. The retailer has complete control over the production process, packaging, marketing, and even the size and color of the product. Giving retailers this level of control means private-label furniture takes longer to design, which makes it (usually) more expensive than white label furniture.

White label furniture offers consistent quality — unlike dupes

Since white label items are produced by the same manufacturer, their quality remains consistent across different retailers. However, a retailer’s branding can greatly influence their pricing, with upscale retailers often charging much higher prices than lower-end stores. 

However, if you notice a seemingly high-end piece at a significantly lower price, you’ve likely come across a dupe. Typical for large department stores like Target and Wayfair, dupes are created by various manufacturers to imitate designer-label products and help homeowners embrace their style on a budget. While dupes are a great option to furnish your home with trendy pieces, the quality of these items pales in comparison to white label and private-label furniture. 

White label furniture is more common than you may think

Unlike selling dupes and private labeling, white labeling furniture has become a leading practice for all retailers, from large ecommerce chains to leading luxury labels. Here are some of the most popular brands that sell white label furniture: 

Pottery Barn 

An upscale home furnishing chain, Pottery Barn offers expertly crafted indoor and outdoor furniture, accessories, and decor.

Crate & Barrel 

Crate & Barrel is a modern furniture store that offers stylish and functional pieces for every room in your home.

Lulu and Georgia 

Lulu and Georgia is a home decor and furniture store offering special design collaborations and modern designer pieces with a vintage vibe.

McGee and Co.

McGee and Co. is a design-forward brand that specializes in thoughtfully designed pieces that adapt to the season and grow with your home. 

West Elm 

West Elm is the go-to furniture store for contemporary and mid-century pieces that can help designers create a sophisticated and comfortable living space.

Serena & Lily 

Based in California, Serena & Lily is a luxury furniture and home decor brand that combines a coastal and casual style with exquisite details and timeless silhouettes.

Perigold 

Perigold is an online retailer offering luxury products with meticulous craftsmanship for every room and style. Their products help customers create a space that effortlessly reflects their personality.

Wayfair 

Wayfair is an American ecommerce furniture and home goods company with 14M items from more than 11,000 global suppliers.

Home Depot 

Home Depot is the largest home improvement retailer in the United States, offering a diverse range of branded and proprietary home improvement items, building materials, lawn and garden products, and decor.

Restoration Hardware

Restoration Hardware (also known as RH) is a leading luxury home furnishings purveyor whose exquisite furniture, lighting, textiles, and outdoor products pay homage to refined design.

Retailers’ growing adoption of white label furniture is hardly a coincidence. With new trends emerging every year (and sometimes, every season), offering cost-effective furniture that entices customers can be a real challenge. White labeling makes it easy to offer a diverse selection of products with excellent margins, all without worrying about producing pieces in-house.

3 ways white label furniture enhances your interior design experience

Your go-to furniture retailer is not the only one benefitting from white labeling. Here’s how white label furniture can help you furnish your home with striking pieces for a fraction of the cost.

1. White label furniture can be very affordable

White labeling is more cost-effective than in-house production, which makes every piece more affordable. This allows customers to design their dream homes without overstepping their budget, especially when shopping at lower-end retailers or taking advantage of clearance sales.

2. White label pieces provide consistent styling and quality

Because white label furniture is all produced by the same manufacturer, you can shop with conviction, knowing styling and quality will be consistent across retailers. For instance, if a coffee table you like has run out of stock at your local retailer, you can be confident in purchasing the same product at a different furniture store.

3. Customers benefit from broad product selection

By sourcing furniture from numerous manufacturers, retailers ensure customers can shop a diverse selection of pieces for every area of their home. This means you can find living room essentials, nursery decor, and patio sets under one roof. Since most white label furniture is manufactured in large quantities, even items that are currently out-of-stock can be ordered and delivered in no time.

How to spot white label furniture (so you don’t accidentally buy a dupe) 

Despite different prices and branding, spotting white label furniture is easier than you think. Here are several tips that will help you differentiate between dupes and white label furniture.

Watch the price

While some luxury retailers mark up outsourced furniture, prices for white label items are pretty consistent. This means once you’ve found the perfect coffee table or chandelier, you can quickly compare prices across other large furniture retailers to see if it’s a white label product. If the prices are similar, you’ve picked a white label item. However, the options you see at much lower prices are often dupes.

Shop with higher-end retailers

Pieces sold at large department stores that don’t specialize in interior design (think Home Depot or Walmart) are most likely dupes. To ensure you’re focusing on white label items, opt for well-known names like Pottery Barn and West Elm. 

Always check product specifications

Most furniture retailers have limited influence over the features of white label products. As such, it’s easy to spot white label furniture by cross-checking materials and dimensions across different retailers. If they’re consistent, you can be confident that you’ve found a white label item.

Here’s an example of how to spot a dupe among white label furniture. Below we’ve compiled two table lamps which share similar styling and dimensions. However, our most expensive option is being sold for $239 whereas our cheapest option is going for $100.

While pricing alone would help any customer identify the dupe, when we take a look at the product details, we can see that the Owen Table Lamp is made from high-quality steel. The Family Furniture Table Lamp, on the other hand, is made mostly of resin and brass, materials that are far less durable and expensive.

Find the best deals on white label furniture with Onton 

Onton empowers you to easily find the white label furniture that will accentuate your dream home. Go hunting for white label pieces, explore AI-generated rooms with your favorite products, and browse user-generated images of living spaces – all on the same platform.

Onton Search

When you come across a piece of furniture you can’t live without, you can find the white label version using Onton Search. Simply upload an image of the product and watch as Onton sifts through millions of web results to load identical products — in less than 30 seconds. 

Once you have a list of white label products, you can compare the prices of other retailers, find the most affordable option, and click the product to instantly open the retailer’s website. 

Onton Imagine

Onton Imagine helps you visualize white label furniture in your home. Experiment with different placements and colors and instantly purchase once you’ve found your ideal products.

Onton Concierge

Not sure where to start? Onton Concierge provides you with personalized design advice and white label furniture recommendations so you can create a living space that truly reflects your style. 

Onton Discover

With Onton Discover, you can easily see how others have arranged their white label furniture in their homes. Ignite your creative spark with a collage of design spaces encompassing over 40 unique styles.

Sign up for free and find the white label furniture that suits your space and style with Onton!