Best Furniture '98

Best Furniture

Copenhagen
3660 E. Ft. Lowell Road

READERS' PICK: Whenever you look for furniture, it always seems the stores fall at one of two extremes: At one end there are the "factory outlets." These serve up trainloads of drab, suburban detritus, upholstered and overstuffed with what always manages to look and feel like brown shag carpet. Besides which, they use words like "dinette set" and "home entertainment center" that make us feel like we're consumers or something. At the other end are the "furniture galleries." These are artfully scattered with astronomically priced du mode kitsch of questionable utility and the fashion life-expectancy of a fruit fly. How long do you really think you'll be happy sitting on a chair with howlin' coyote arms, or eating dinner off an inlaid Hopi Dancer? Think before you answer.

With Copenhagen, Scandinavia comes to the rescue with Euro-style: a theme whose lean, clean notes were established in the late '50s, and one which has managed to remain current, comfortable and even a bit avant-garde. And it all goes together. You can't make it clash even if you want to. The price curve fits every bracket, from furnishing a student apartment on the cheap with nice, new stuff from the store's Denmarket wing; to exuberant, proud homeowners who line up to line their digs in cool comfort from the vast stock of well-made, good-looking stuff in the main showroom. Another useful point is that the stock here changes slowly, so you can get various matching bits as your bank balance allows. The place is a cool, comfortable sprawl, and the staff's manner is brisk, friendly and decidedly not in-your-face. You could easily be forgiven for wanting to get everything there rather than face the ordeal of shopping around.

READERS' POLL RUNNER-UP: American Home Furnishings, 4690 N. Oracle Road. (And don't forget to check out their warehouse, 2020 W. Prince Road, for great clearance sales on items you may or may not find in the Oracle store adjacent to the Tucson Mall.)

CLUE IN: Looking for the perfect vanity to match Granddad's antique dresser? Furniture in the Raw, 4151 E. Speedway Blvd., features custom-built furniture with the wood left unstained until you decide what color you want. Don't wait to complete your heirloom collection.

1997 Winner: American Home Furnishings
1996 Winner: Copenhagen
1995 Winner: American Home Furnishings