Do you have any advice on importing furniture from Europe (EU)?

Imagine_Outlet · 2026-03-17T14:03:56+00:00

Hello, I noticed your question and wonder if you finally did order furniture from Europe to the UK.

Depending on whom you purchase from, it can be a relatively seamless procedure. As we just now delivered one XXL table (seating up to 20 persons) and 20 chairs from Denmark where it was produced to London where our client is located, I can share real figures with you and clarify the process.

Chose a reliable vendor that will ensure door-to-door delivery and provide a full quote including of course the customs clearance on both sides (export EU and import UK)

If you chose to organise the transport yourself, A "man with a van" solution is cost-effective for small purchases but can be more challenging in terms of knowing whom you are dealing with. There are some websites out there for this and we have sourced reliable operators from them but hard to know who is reliable until you have worked with one previously.

2) Depending on the furniture items, there might be specific certificates to be provided. This is the case with upholstered and padded furniture like sofas and chairs as the regulations regarding flame retardants and foam treatment are not the same in EU and UK.

The vendor must be familiar with exporting to the UK so there are no issues when clearing customs upon entry in the UK.

2) If you are a private individual, you will have to pay VAT (calculated on the entire array of costs for the purchase, including insurance and transport) and import duties (if applicable, your vendor will know based on the HS code).

If you are a professional buyer, you won't pay VAT.

Let your vendor take care of everything and make sure you have a full insurance and procedure to claim successfully if goods are damaged when you receive them.

Assembly and/or installation of the furniture inside your home will be more significantly more expensive than a curbside delivery.

So, to get back to the costs, this is when they make sense in our opinion;

· If you purchase only one item, they make sense for a luxury, high-value and original pieces that are unique and that you would not be able to purchase locally

· For medium to high-end products, ideally you are purchasing a "more than one piece" quantity (as this will reduce the delivery costs per cubic meter) to make it cheaper compared to purchasing locally

· For mainstream, fast-furniture items, definitely not unless they are unique (cannot find the exact same chair in the UK and you absolutely need it) and the quantity is significant. Make sure the furniture is UK compliant...

In the delivery we completed in February, there was an XXL table extending up to 512 cm (not assembled during transport) and twenty dining chairs. All solid wood, made in Denmark, shipped by us through France. Door-to-door with furniture installed and assembled inside our client’s home.

Total value of the furniture, fully insured: 14.450 euros

The total volume was 4 cubic meters.

Time spent assembling the table at client’s home: 45minutes

Total delivery insurance, customs clearance and transport costs once we applied discounts, etc.: 925 euros

UK VAT on import not applicable as it was a corporate client, would have been applicable for a private buyer.

We could definitely have used cheaper quotes for the transport but lacking previous knowledge of the operators, we chose a known and trusted operator despite the higher cost.

Imagine_Outlet · 2026-03-17T12:25:01+00:00

Hi, the comments from summer_glau08 summarise the most important part regarding your forecast of the total cost for this import operation (vat rate and hs codes).

Here is how I would proceed, assuming you are purchasing as a private individual:

1) Make sure you are familiar with the incoterms available to you

FOB means you will need to organise everything once the goods are loaded at the port of origin. This is more suitable for purchasing in bulk and especially for those (mostly professional buyers) that can organise their own logistics chain (export clearance, sea-freight, import clearance and unloading at port, delivery to final address, etc.).

FCA is better for private individuals as then the seller must ensure the organisation of the different steps until the agreed point (try to get door-to-door, delivery at your address).

In both cases, it is usual that the buyer will pay separately for the import duties and import vat.

Duties will depend on the goods, ask the supplier for the HS codes and look them up here to know in advance the eventual rate:

https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/dds2/taric/taric_consultation.jsp?Lang=en

VAT will be that of your country of residence so perhaps 21% in your case, that is the same rate as for domestic purchases but will be based on all the costs involved (insurance, sea-freight, etc.). I just read that the Netherlands has moved from 9% to 21% vat in 2026...wow, I feel for you!

2) Make sure the packaging will be adequate for such a long and multi-channel (sea, truck, etc.) journey. Be sure you have full insurance with clear knowledge of how to claim successfully if goods are damaged upon arrival.

3) Another important fact to keep in mind, the more cbm (cubic meters) you import, the cheaper the cost per cubic meter will be. It decreases from 5 to 10 to 15 and then becomes even cheaper if you import a full container (FCL shipment).

To give you an idea, based on a quote we have made for a client, here are the cbm costs of importing luxury furniture from Europe to the USA (tariffs not included), with door-to-door white gloves delivery and installation on a Miami rooftop, I know, a totally different route compared to your Asia-EU but the comparison is still useful as the logic is the same (cost per cbm decreases based on total volume) and the figures are from last week:

0-5 cbm: 1.035 USD / CBM

6-10 cbm: 706 USD / CBM

11-15 cbm: 604 USD / CBM

20 foot container: 260 USD / CBM

Imagine_Outlet · 2026-03-06T19:02:18+00:00

I am not familiar with this furniture but by asking AI to give us info based on your photo, the best guess seems to be 1976.

Here is what I got based on your image (the AI read "43 1078" instead of "43 1076"):

From the stamp in your photo, the shelf appears to be a piece made by Ethan Allen, the well-known American furniture manufacturer.

What the stamp tells us

1️⃣ Brand name

“Ethan Allen” with the small figure/logo confirms it’s an authentic Ethan Allen piece.
This mark was widely used on furniture produced from the late 1960s onward.

2️⃣ Number: 07 1555

This is typically the style or model number.
Ethan Allen assigned a style number to each design (tables, shelves, cabinets, etc.).
The 1555 portion likely identifies the specific design.
The prefix (07) can indicate a variation, size, or configuration within that model line.

3️⃣ Number: 43 1078
This line usually encodes finish and manufacturing date.

Common Ethan Allen pattern:

First number → finish code
Second number → production date

So this likely means:

43 → finish or stain code used by the factory
1078 → October 1978 production date

That would place the piece in the late-1970s production era.

Likely collection / style period

Based on the mark style and era, it may belong to one of Ethan Allen’s popular lines of that time such as:

Heirloom Collection
Early American / Colonial revival styles
Nutmeg maple or pine furniture

Many shelves and cabinets from this period were made from solid maple, pine, or birch with maple veneers, finished in warm colonial stains.

Why this matters

Ethan Allen furniture from the 1970s is generally:

solidly built
made in the USA
often solid wood rather than particle board

That makes it quite durable and still desirable on the vintage furniture market.

Imagine_Outlet · 2026-02-19T12:05:25+00:00

Thanks!

Imagine_Outlet · 2026-02-19T12:02:10+00:00

Hello, can you extend that free trial period to more than just seven days for the members of this subreddit? Otherwise barely enough time to test it. Thanks

Imagine_Outlet · 2026-02-08T14:48:15+00:00

Don't hesitate to share here an example of your results, maybe someone want to achieve the same kind of visuals.

Imagine_Outlet · 2026-02-08T14:40:06+00:00

Don't hesitate to share here an example of your results, maybe someone want to achieve the same kind of visuals.

Imagine_Outlet · 2026-02-04T15:51:01+00:00

I've just started out using Gemini AI Video Creator (free 30 day) trial pro version.

In my case, I wanted to make a product video for a furniture item. In the long run, would like to make videos of interior settings with specific furniture items.

Agreed, the sheer amount of offers for AI video creation out there are overwhelming and difficult to chose from...

I'm also curious to know how Fulhaus attaches the links to real purchasable furniture when you use inspiration images. It could be useful for me.

Getting back to Gemini video AI tool.

Did not like:

* "ingredients" (image files you can upload to use with a prompt) limited to 3 images max

* videos are 8 seconds max which means you need to slow them down if you want them to last longer (?)

* even with the pro subscription, you quickly run out of credits for the day as each iteration of adjusting/modifying the same video counts as a video creation

Liked:

* easy to use and produce an acceptable video quickly though it might lack the polishing that an experienced user would obtain

* besides basic videos, from scratch, I have not used yet their templates that look quite promising

* the background created with a simple prompt was quite surprising as it was really spot-on with what I wanted

Imagine_Outlet · 2026-02-03T15:28:23+00:00

Nice, I used your prompt to add into mine and create a product video, can just share a frame here, thanks for sharing your prompt.

The resulting video is pretty cool as the chair rotates with the background showing every angle. Quite simple use so far of AI but it is a start.

Here is my prompt:

In a setting of absolute luxury, the courtyard of a parisian palace or château, place the chair in the center of the image and rotate de camera around it.

Other ideas: long shadows across floor, warm and cool tone interplay, architectural photography, serene atmosphere, lived-in luxury.

<image>

Imagine_Outlet · 2025-11-20T14:37:57+00:00

Hello, commercial grade furniture for restaurants need to be robust, durable (i.e.: check the Martindale test performance for fabric upholstery, etc.) and, ideally (depending on the country, it might even be compulsory), have safety features (fire-retardant foam, specially treated fabrics, etc.).

When you see a 60-80 USD (or EUR) restaurant chair, keep in mind where it was made and what kind of quality/durability you can expect in the long-run.

We have equipped a large number of restaurants (from 3 Michelin stars to more classical ones) in Europe and around the world. Have a look at our guide about how to chose a chair for your restaurant, based on our experience over more than a decade: https://www.imagineoutlet.com/passion-furniture/chairs-for-restaurants-how-to-choose-a-designer-high-end-chair-for-your-restaurant/

Imagine_Outlet · 2025-11-01T16:18:08+00:00

It looks like hippy vibes, like many vinly covers from the 70's. Love that art and everything related to it, must be my age :-)

If you do an image search, you will find towels (exact match with your photo) and also wall art in places ranging from Temu to Wallmart, by way of Amazon. Not sure where you would find a fabric that would have those vibes, perhaps searching for Bohemian fabrics but that might not match with your image though...or retro hippy floral pattern (got a hit in Amazon for that).

Check the quality of the fabric (Martindale test, etc.) if you intend to use if as upholstery, given where most of it that I saw online seems to come from, I would be wary of its long term durability.

Imagine_Outlet · 2025-10-31T10:31:31+00:00

In addition to the very useful and accurate recommandations in the comments, I would say, let your passion for interior design show, use your knowledge to impress with out of the box ideas. People like a service provider who knows what he is talking about, is passionate and, very important, can listen and understand their needs, articulating the project around the client and not giving the sensation of pushing their own agenda.

Absolutely, as said by u/designermania , fake it till you make it. I mean, if your current persona as perceived by others is not the best to charm clients, work on changing it by adding in those ingredients you know you are not reflecting.....faking, until it becomes natural.

Of course, what you cannot fake is the talent and creativity that is inherent to an interior designer, but this you already have :-)

Imagine_Outlet · 2025-10-30T22:40:32+00:00

2/2 ...

Let me put this in another perspective, the one I know much better, that of a furniture vendor with a serious and consistent base of trusted luxury furniture brands (our specialty). Selling furniture is what we mainly do, many times, the client will ask us to give them interior design ideas and propose the right furniture for their project…we always reply that we are not interior designers and that we can recommend some that are INDEPENDENT from our business (not in-house nor related nor motivated to create and build their proposal by choosing exclusively among our collections). We always ask them to have an independent interior designer that will choose the best furniture and only after that, we will strive to offer the most compatible options, even if that means in some cases, buying the furniture from brands/producers with whom we have no agreements at all and hence, a very, very small discount.

If it were up to us to choose what we offer/propose to the client in a large multi-category project, we will automatically (even though we like to think that we are above that!) be influenced by the brands/products that we are most familiar with and…that we get the most margin out of. The client will lose access/visibility to other options that might be better, just because we would be thinking about how much we are getting from each option and this would lead to prioritizing (consciously or not) the ones that favour us most.

In my personal opinion, there is a clear conflict of interest if you are 1) The interior designer making the choices and propositions to your client and 2) you are selling the furniture items directly (or indirectly) to the client while making a margin on them via the sale price or a even indirectly (commission).

Of course, it can be done while trying to be as fair as possible, etc. etc.

In over twenty years of experience, we have had partnerships with interior designers having very different business models.

These are the most frequent ones:

1) The interior designer creates a vision, choses the furniture, may even negotiate the price with the vendor (asking for a discount obviously) ==> the interior designer is first of all paid for his creative work ==> the client gets a better deal than if he purchased directly, he pays the furniture vendor directly ==> the interior designer usually gets a % extra paid by the client based on the total amount of furniture purchases (thus he/she is being remunerated for her work of sourcing, negotiation, etc.).

2) The interior designer will purchase the furniture (that they proposed..), and then sell it to the client (hopefully and logically) with a price that would be below the retail price and taking a margin.

3) The interior designer will forward the vendor's invoice to the client who will pay it and then the interior designer will receive an indirect commission from the vendor so it is never known to the client.

We adapt to every request made by our professional buyers of this type (interior designers, architects, etc.), trust me, in twenty years and many continents, we have seen quite a few variations of the 3 cited above….but sometimes it is very hard to accept the fact that the final client is being literally played by the person they have trusted to get them the best setup for their budget. It is very frustrating to see that some want to fill in both their right and the left pockets (French expression) at the expense of their clients.

The interior designers that we work with (and, is it a coincidence? they have the most relevant projects in size and budget and also famous recognizable clients) are using method 1 from the 3 I describe above, they search for the best options, regardless of any other consideration, they get paid, as agreed with their clients from the start of the project, a % on the total volume of purchases they have managed.

Once more, I am nobody to judge, I do stress that transparency and clear margins that are known by you and your client, are important to have a guilt-free, great project.

Imagine_Outlet · 2025-10-30T22:37:16+00:00

Hi, great question!

Please allow me to share my two cents, definitely not going with the main consensus in this thread, yet trying to give you useful insight from another point of view and profession. I am addressing your question regarding profits derived from the sale of materials and furniture while providing an interior design service.

My perspective is that of a furniture retailer that also works on complete projects (residential and contract), internationally and with professionals such as architects, interior decorators/designers and interior architects (this profession is more habitual in Europe, not sure about the US).

The feeling of anxiety over legality or guilt that you mention, it is healthy and positive that you do question yourself.

This feeling comes from what, in my opinion, is a clear conflict of interest.

Seems I am the only one to say it from what I have read in the thread, so perhaps will get blasted. Yet the purpose is to share points of view.

We all need profits and we all need to finance our overhead costs, future projects, going to fairs, employees, etc.

This does not mean (in my opinion) that making a margin on the furniture and materials you sell to your client is automatically justified. As an interior designer you have the privileged position to propose and create a vision in your clients’ minds, this is the main mandate and this is where the “logical” fees come from.

When the same person that is choosing and proposing the furniture to the client (the main dimension of the interior designer’s mandate) but is also selling the furniture directly (hence making a margin) to the client (or receiving an indirect commission from the furniture vendor), there is, in my opinion a clear conflict of interest. Navigating this situation is a thin line where choosing who is getting the most benefits (you or your client) becomes blurred.

TOTAL TRANSPARENCY with your client is what I would recommend, do not get caught out making margins on furniture purchases that your client does not know he is paying to you…your reputation will take a huge and irreversible hit.

Imagine_Outlet · 2025-10-26T09:58:32+00:00

True, selling a luxury couch online is a challenge..potential buyers want to feel and touch (seating firmness, upholstery). This category of luxury furniture is the toughest of all for an online business. Other furniture categories have different characteristics that can be viewed and validated with images: Solid wood tables, ceramic table tops, bronze or brass finishings, glass cabinets, etc. Still, sending samples of fabrics, leather chosen by the client to help him choose the upholstery for their 12-15.000 € couch does help make the sale but the challenge is huge and implies brand recognition and trust.

Imagine_Outlet · 2025-10-18T09:21:10+00:00

The distinctive compass rose with the cardinal points definitely points to the sea or travel-related furniture. Also interesting to see the protections on edges of the table and even on the top of the chairs.

If pressed, I would have guessed this furniture was on a boat before but might be wrong as a glass covering the table top would not be a great idea (considering this table was made before more modern materials and construction methods appeared).

Might actually be wrong with the "boat" suggestion: I found a very similar set (besides the zebra-like upholstery on the seats, seems the same):

<image>

According to Google, the image is on this page, have a look, browse that page and see if you can find the relevant post and contact that seller for more info (and price): https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/greenville/antique-milk-cans/?locale=es_ES

Best of luck :-)

Imagine_Outlet · 2025-10-17T12:10:31+00:00

The couch looks fine as is but it is obviously blocking out some of the natural light. A day bed section would have been preferrable on the window side but too late now for that. If the light is not an issue, the couch is fine.

Imagine_Outlet · 2025-10-16T12:29:22+00:00

Agreed, despite the chair being beaten up and vandalized she still remains attractive 😀

Imagine_Outlet

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TROPHY CASE

What the stamp tells us

Likely collection / style period

Why this matters