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When you go to American Furniture or IKEA to buy a couch, you move in a big area full of couches and other furniture. You call this:

  • display area
  • display room
  • both are fine
  • you use other word to describe this area
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  • See my edit; I've added a store map.
    – AIQ
    Apr 30, 2020 at 22:44
  • As noted in the answers, "showroom" is the commonly used phrase. But "display area" is probably the best literal description of what it is.
    – NotThatGuy
    May 2, 2020 at 2:25
  • According to plans of IKEA stores, IKEA refer to the principal areas of their stores as 'showroom', 'market hall', and 'self serve furniture area'
    – Strawberry
    May 2, 2020 at 17:15

3 Answers 3

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I am not aware of any specific term for a "furniture shop". But "display", "display section", and "showroom" are general terms commonly used for this purpose.

You can't go wrong with "showroom."

Showroom: a large shop in which people are encouraged to look at the goods that are on sale before buying them (Cambridge)

Check out this description of a furniture store: Gabriel Ross.

At our newly renovated 6000 square foot showroom in the Rock Bay Design District, you will find award-winning office chairs, designer sofas, chairs and coffee tables, ... high-end patio furniture, storage solutions, exquisite bedroom furnishings, ...

And this too: Habitat by Aeon - Habitat Showroom.

Our top-of-the-line showroom proudly features:

  • 8 completely unique and full sized kitchens ...
  • A beautifully curated line of furniture including Italian sofas and a large selection of chairs fitting of any sized space.

"Display room" isn't right, I think. Because the area where the furniture is laid out (at least in the shops I have been to) is quite spacious and includes the checkout counter. There may be a number of floors in the shop, but I doubt we call them "display rooms". I have heard people say "display halls" though.

Edit:

Have a look at this article by The Globe and Mail: Downtown Ikea showroom opens this month.

Here is another one that uses "showroom" a number of times : Ikea to Launch Small Urban Format Stores in Canada

Also see the IKEA store map below (it says "showroom"):

enter image description here

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  • 4
    "Showroom" for sure. The "display" phrases are not idiomatic for me.
    – CCTO
    Apr 30, 2020 at 14:41
  • For what it's worth, IKEA itself refers to this area as the "Showroom". Just look at any IKEA store map, they typically use this word to describe one whole floor of the store. (Varies by location.)
    – Darrel Hoffman
    Apr 30, 2020 at 14:59
  • @DarrelHoffman Thanks! Map added!
    – AIQ
    Apr 30, 2020 at 22:41
  • Actually you can find "showroom" on Cambridge online dictionary here dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/showroom Also according to he same source, "the shop floor" is not the right word dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/shop-floor
    – Costa
    May 1, 2020 at 15:09
  • @Costa I had already provided that definition from Cambridge in my answer. It is referenced in parenthesis. And, yes, you are right about the shop-floor.
    – AIQ
    May 1, 2020 at 19:10
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When I’ve gone furniture shopping, they’ve called it the floor, as in

We don’t have that in the back*, but you can have the one on** the floor if you want it.

*i.e., there’s not one boxed up in the warehouse.
**On refers to the furniture’s present condition; have one off would also work and would emphasise that you can take it off of the floor and out of the display area.

You might also hear it called a model room, similar to a model home, which is a vacant but decorated house constructed specifically to showcase a building company’s repertoire.

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    In the UK, the selling area is the shop floor.
    – MikeB
    Apr 30, 2020 at 9:10
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    @MikeBrockington In my experience (also UK) it depends on context. If it is ONLY sales, the "shop floor" is obviously the selling areas/showroom, but if the business also has on on-site workshop or manufacturing going on, the 'shop floor' usually refers to the workshop part. Not the sales area. And obviously "workshop floor" can double as a sales area as well (not unusual for e.g. a car maintenance place). So, unless you know the context, "shop floor" can be quite ambiguous.
    – Tonny
    Apr 30, 2020 at 10:10
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    @Tonny "Mom and Pop" ?? Not talking about the UK then!?
    – MikeB
    Apr 30, 2020 at 11:01
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    @AsteroidsWithWings Have to disagree with you there, I've NEVER come across either of those terms other than in US English
    – MikeB
    Apr 30, 2020 at 15:03
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    @MikeBrockington Then you need to travel around the country a bit more. :) "Mom" is used in parts of Yorkshire, some small areas in the South West, and in the West Midlands.
    – Asteroids With Wings
    Apr 30, 2020 at 15:32
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The showroom floor

is the phrase that immediately came to mind to me.

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  • One more word and you'd have all the answers here. displayed on the showroom floor. (in quotes, has ~60k hits). Hit #3 (the first two are about cars) : "This amazing sofa just displayed on the showroom floor!! Fabric and leather combo."
    – Mazura
    May 2, 2020 at 23:37

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