Contents
Furnishing a home in Phuket is genuinely enjoyable — the combination of large-format Western-style furniture stores, excellent custom woodworking workshops, and Asia's best online delivery platforms (Lazada, Shopee) means you can get a home looking beautiful at a fraction of European or Australian prices. The key is knowing where to go for what.
When I arrived in Phuket in 2018 and furnished my first rental in Rawai, I made some classic mistakes: bought cheap MDF furniture that warped within a year, overpaid at tourist shops for "antique" pieces, and missed the Ban Khai custom furniture scene entirely. This guide saves you those detours.
Furniture Stores in Phuket
Index Living Mall
Large FormatLocation: Chao Fa West Road (near Central Festival Phuket Town)
What you'll find: Full-range home furnishing — sofas, beds, dining sets, shelving, décor, kitchen items. Modern Thai aesthetic with Western sizing. Similar to IKEA in concept but better quality for tropical use.
Price range: Mid to upper-mid
Best for: New arrivals setting up a full apartment
HomePro
Hardware + FurnitureLocation: Chao Fa Road, near Chalong Circle (also Central Festival branch)
What you'll find: Thailand's largest home improvement chain. Hardware, tools, fixtures, AC units, kitchen equipment, outdoor furniture, and a furniture section. Essential for any home setup project.
Price range: Budget to mid
Best for: Hardware, fixtures, outdoor furniture, and AC shopping
SB Design Square
PremiumLocation: Near Central Festival Phuket Town
What you'll find: Higher-end furniture and interior design pieces. Modern, minimalist aesthetics. Good for statement pieces and quality items that justify higher spend.
Price range: Mid-premium to premium
Best for: Feature pieces — dining tables, statement sofas, quality beds
The Mall / Boat Avenue Area
Bang Tao AreaLocation: Boat Avenue, Bang Tao / Laguna area
What you'll find: Several boutique home décor shops and some furniture retailers in the Boat Avenue commercial strip. Convenient for Bang Tao and Surin expats who don't want to drive to Phuket Town.
Price range: Mid to premium
Best for: Décor items, lighting, soft furnishings for north Phuket residents
Tesco / Lotus / Makro
BudgetLocation: Lotus (Bypass Road + others), Makro (Bypass Road)
What you'll find: Budget kitchen essentials, bedding, towels, basic storage, small appliances. Not full furniture but good for filling the gaps.
Price range: Budget
Best for: Kitchen essentials, towels, bedding, storage baskets
Rimping Supermarket Home Section
Premium Grocery + HomeLocation: Rimping Chalong and Cherng Talay (Boat Avenue)
What you'll find: Small but quality selection of kitchen items, cookware, décor, and imported home goods. The cookware and kitchen section is particularly good.
Price range: Mid to premium
Best for: Quality cookware, serving pieces, kitchen décor
Custom & Handmade Furniture in Phuket
This is where Phuket genuinely excels and what many expats discover is the best value proposition for home furnishing. Thai craftspeople produce excellent teak, acacia, and rattan furniture at prices significantly below import equivalents. The quality can be exceptional.
Ban Khai furniture village
Ban Khai, near Rawai in south Phuket (on the road towards Nai Harn), has a cluster of workshops and showrooms selling custom and ready-made tropical furniture. Many pieces are made on site in workshops behind the showrooms. You can commission custom pieces, choose your wood type, finish, and dimensions. Lead time is typically 2–4 weeks.
| Custom Furniture Item | Price Range (THB) | Material | Lead Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dining table (6-seat) | ฿12,000–35,000 | Teak / acacia | 2–3 weeks |
| Dining chairs (per piece) | ฿2,500–8,000 | Teak / rattan | 2–3 weeks |
| Bed frame (queen/king) | ฿15,000–45,000 | Teak / hardwood | 3–4 weeks |
| Sofa (3-seater, custom upholstered) | ฿18,000–50,000 | Hardwood + fabric | 3–5 weeks |
| Coffee table | ฿4,000–12,000 | Teak slab / acacia | 1–2 weeks |
| Wardrobe / fitted storage | ฿8,000–30,000 | Hardwood / marine ply | 3–5 weeks |
| Outdoor furniture set (table + 4 chairs) | ฿10,000–25,000 | Teak / aluminium | 2–3 weeks |
| Bookshelf (wall unit) | ฿6,000–18,000 | Hardwood / painted | 2–3 weeks |
Negotiation: Prices in Ban Khai workshops are negotiable, particularly for multiple-item orders. A dining table + chairs + bed frame order will often yield 15–20% discount on the table price. Don't be aggressive — polite negotiation is the standard approach in Thai commerce.
Other custom furniture options
- Chalong area: Several smaller workshops near Chalong Circle and on Chao Fa Road. Good for fitted kitchen units, bathroom vanities, and bespoke storage solutions. Ask locally — many operate without prominent signage.
- Phuket Town old workshops: The Thalang Road and surrounding streets in Old Town have a few craftsmen doing restoration and bespoke work. Better for decorative pieces than full furniture sets.
- Facebook Marketplace Phuket groups: Active local selling groups where expats sell furniture when leaving. "Phuket Buy, Sell and Swap" is the main group. Excellent source of quality second-hand pieces from departing expats.
Online Shopping & Delivery
Online shopping in Thailand is excellent — Lazada and Shopee both deliver to Phuket within 1–5 days with very competitive prices. For furniture specifically, online works well for smaller items (lighting, soft furnishings, storage, kitchenware). Large furniture deliveries are possible but require confirmation of address accessibility (narrow sois can be a problem for large trucks).
| Platform | Best For | Delivery to Phuket | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lazada | Electronics, small furniture, décor, appliances | 1–5 days, often free over ฿300 | Best selection, most reliable delivery |
| Shopee | Everything — often better prices than Lazada | 2–5 days, free shipping common | Check seller ratings carefully |
| IKEA online | IKEA products (no Phuket store) | 7–14 days, ฿2,000–8,000 delivery cost | Large orders may need freight forwarder |
| Index Living Mall online | Furniture from Index Living | 3–7 days | Sometimes cheaper than in-store |
| HomePro online | Hardware, appliances, fixtures | 3–7 days | Good for AC units and large appliances |
Price Guide: Furnishing Your Phuket Home
| Property Type | Budget Furnishing | Mid-Range | Quality Setup |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio apartment (30–40 sqm) | ฿25,000–40,000 | ฿50,000–80,000 | ฿80,000–130,000 |
| 1-bedroom apartment (50–60 sqm) | ฿40,000–65,000 | ฿80,000–130,000 | ฿130,000–220,000 |
| 2-bedroom condo/house | ฿70,000–100,000 | ฿120,000–200,000 | ฿200,000–380,000 |
| 3-bedroom villa | ฿120,000–180,000 | ฿200,000–380,000 | ฿380,000–700,000+ |
Furniture for Phuket's Tropical Climate
IKEA furniture, cheap online purchases, and many budget pieces are made from MDF or particleboard. In Phuket's humidity (70–90% most months), these materials absorb moisture, swell, warp, and delaminate. I've seen cheap TV units fall apart within 18 months. Budget furniture costs money to replace. Invest in solid wood, marine ply, or powder-coated aluminium from the start.
Materials that handle Phuket's climate well
- Teak: The gold standard for tropical furniture. Natural oils make it highly resistant to moisture, insects, and UV. Expensive but essentially permanent if properly oiled annually.
- Rattan and bamboo: Traditional tropical materials. Work well indoors. Outdoor rattan needs shelter from direct rain or UV-resistant treatment.
- Acacia wood: A more affordable alternative to teak. Slightly less weather-resistant but significantly cheaper. Good for indoor furniture.
- Powder-coated aluminium: Best for outdoor furniture — pool areas, balconies, gardens. No rust, no rot, easy to clean.
- Marine-grade plywood: Better than MDF for humid environments. Used in quality fitted furniture. Better durability than standard plywood in humidity.
- Avoid: Untreated iron (rusts visibly within months outdoors), untreated pine (warps), standard MDF in bathrooms or near AC units.
Additional tropical home considerations
- Upholstery: Synthetic or tightly woven fabrics handle humidity better than plush fabrics. Dark-coloured fabrics show mould spotting faster. Sunbrella and similar outdoor-rated fabrics are worth the premium for sofas near open areas.
- Mattresses: Invest in a quality memory foam or latex mattress with good airflow. Cheap foam mattresses in Phuket's humidity develop a distinctive issue within 2 years. Locally available brands: Sealy, Simmons, and several quality Thai brands at HomePro and bedding specialist shops.
- Lighting: LED lighting is essential — compact fluorescents and older bulbs attract insects. Smart lighting (Lazada has excellent Xiaomi/Yeelight options) lets you control heat and insect attraction.
HomePro & Hardware Stores
HomePro on Chao Fa Road (near Chalong) is the essential hardware and home improvement stop for every Phuket expat. It's Thailand's equivalent of B&Q or Home Depot — much more comprehensive than anything else in Phuket. Key departments:
- AC units: Best selection and prices in Phuket. Major brands (Mitsubishi, Daikin, Panasonic). HomePro includes installation service. Budget ฿12,000–25,000 per unit installed for a quality unit (9,000–18,000 BTU).
- Kitchen appliances: Fridges, washing machines, dishwashers (rare in Thai homes but available), microwaves, rice cookers.
- Outdoor furniture: Decent selection of aluminium outdoor sets. Good for pool deck furniture.
- Tools & hardware: Everything for DIY — drills, saws, fixings, paint, floor tiles, bathroom fittings.
- Garden: Hoses, pots, plants, garden furniture.
Second-Hand & Night Markets
Phuket has an active second-hand furniture market among the expat community. When expats leave, they sell their furniture — and quality pieces from a well-furnished villa often appear at 30–50% of new price.
- Facebook Marketplace — Phuket: Most active channel. "Phuket Buy, Sell and Swap" and "Phuket Expats – Items For Sale" groups. Check daily during high season (November–April) when lease-end moves are common.
- Chillva Market (Yaowarat Road): Weekend market with some vintage and second-hand stalls. Occasional furniture finds, better for décor items and art.
- Thalang Road Walking Street (Sunday, Phuket Town): Art, antiques, vintage items. Good for decorative pieces and Sino-Portuguese-style antiques appropriate to Phuket Town properties.
- Naka Weekend Market (near Phuket City Hall): Large weekend market — occasional furniture and home goods stalls among the clothing and food vendors.