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Like many of you, after years of heading to work in person, I'm now in possession of a home office. It serves its purpose, sure, but in frantically clearing out the guest room (read: storage room) to take Zoom calls three years ago, I wasn't exactly planning for the future. The room reads as cobbled together as it was, and even though I spend the majority of my days cooped up in there now, properly furnishing it is all too easy to put off.
That’s because so much about Work From Home life still feels transient, and furniture has traditionally been a big commitment. Thanks to the over-inflated costs of most home furnishings, we've come to think of every purchase as a long-haul contract. That's especially true considering how futile it is reselling pieces you've outgrown – with time-intensive legwork and a pennies-on-the-dollar return, many opt to just throw old furniture away.
All of those factors and more have made furniture our second largest source of urban waste, and the speed with which it clogs our landfills is only growing. Which is where Oliver Space comes in: as the only retailer that employs a full-service “circular furnishing experience,” Oliver Space offers both new and refurbished pieces that you can trade back for store credit. This allows you to upgrade your digs as often as you see fit without burning a hole in your wallet (or adding to the 20 billion pounds of annual furniture waste).
With support at every step along the way, including fast delivery, free assembly and free pick-up when it's time to trade in, this is furniture without the stress. Finally.
HOW IT WORKS
As a relatively new company that needs dedicated boots on the ground for its circular model to work, Oliver Space currently services six cities: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Diego, Austin and Dallas. That said, the customer experience still has the ease of online shopping, with products online filtered by your location. You can filter further by looking at products that have refurbished models, which offer pricing options that are a welcome respite from rising furniture costs.
Those discounted prices are based on the piece's condition, which falls into one of four categories: New, Like New, Very Good, and Age Worn. Even the Age Worn pieces have no functional issues, just some cosmetic wear and tear, all of which has been repaired as much as possible by Oliver Space's restoration experts. These experts sand, fill, steam clean and sanitize each piece to make sure it meets the brand’s high standards for resale, with guaranteed quality and cleanliness you won't find while thrifting.
Yet even though Oliver Space believes that well-made furniture can last a lifetime, that doesn't make you its lifelong custodian. When you're ready for a change of scenery, you can trade in any product (with the exception of mattresses, pillows and throws) for 20-50% of the original purchase price back in credit. Like the original sale price, the credit amount is based on the condition you return the piece in – normal wear and tear very much expected.
So back to that (work from) home office space. Ready to liven up those digs, while reserving an exit strategy if you're suddenly called back in person? Look no further than Oliver Space's office essentials.
A FEW OF OUR FAVORITES
Sedentary life getting you down? Try the Duras Standing Desk on for size, with its motorized adjustable height that spans from 23.6" to 47.6". As an example of how OS' pricing works, the Duras is available in New condition for $749, then drops to $637 for Like New, $524 for Very Good and $449 for Age Worn. If you're too swamped with emails to care if your desk has a couple nicks and scratches, it's a perfect opportunity to save money here and spend it elsewhere.
Like on the Verse Office Chair ($299-499), shown here in Midnight. Also rocking an adjustable height and smooth, skip-free wheels, this angular chair is all modern elegance. Deep navy velvet gives a splash of dramatic color, while striking a much more dignified profile than your average swivel chair. And as with all Oliver Space products, it can be available for delivery in as soon as 3 days.
Underfoot, we recommend the Uppsala Rug ($419-$699), a wooly woven piece that's comfortable and tactile. It's neutral enough to go with almost any decor, whether you're rehauling the whole room or not, and available in a small and large size depending on what square footage you're working with. Park the Caro Floor Lamp ($149-249) nearby for some choice soft lighting, with its cork lampshade that's as sustainable as it is eye-catching.
To round out the room, get a little funky with the Burke Tall Dresser ($659-1,099), a stately anchor whose modern minimalism ties in well with the Verse Office Chair. This worked particularly well for me as the office became my dressing room as well. And last but certainly not least, the Lennox Side Table ($209-349) in Terrazzo is so chic you just might need it in your Zoom frame. All of the above are totally available to mix and match, with Oliver Space's Room Builder tool on hand to help you curate with care.
Once you've made your selections, it's smooth sailing. The OS team will deliver, assemble and place your furniture for you, and all that's left for you is to enjoy the new setup for as long as you’d like. If and when you decide to trade something in, it's as easy as scheduling a free pick-up – and if you've ever tried to resell on OfferUp or Craigslist, that's reason enough to celebrate.
The OS operations and customer support teams are top notch as well. One of my items arrived damaged, which the team caught during the onload / move in process. OS was transparent about the issue and worked seamlessly to arrange a replacement item to be sent a few days later with similar white glove support. The white glove service is a breath of fresh air in a DTC furniture landscape that’s chock full of delays, poor communication, and generally underwhelming customer experiences. Oliver Space really shines here, by comparison.
Cutting down cost, minimizing waste and giving you the freedom to play around with options? If that's the future of furniture shopping, then we're very much onboard.
FIVE MORE REASONS TO LOVE OLIVER SPACE
- All pieces, new or refurbished, can be exchanged or refunded within 7 days if they aren't up to your standards.
- Though only 3 years old as a brand, Oliver Space has already furnished over 10,000 homes.
- The reviews are in, and they're wall-to-wall raves: out of a possible 5 stars, OS' average rating clocks in at a whopping 4.9.
- All stocked up on furniture? OS also has a great selection of art and other accents to add some zhuzh to your space.
- OS works closely with its manufacturing partners to test out everything from fabric feels to cushion softness, only selecting premium pieces that won't break down over time (no "fast furniture" here).
