Furniture stores in Dakar: where to buy and what it costs

Furnishing a home in Dakar comes down to two routes: imported furniture stores, where you can walk out with a sofa the same day, and local carpentry workshops, where everything is built to measure in a few weeks. Which one fits depends on your budget, your deadline and the shape of your rooms. Here is how to move between the two without unpleasant surprises.

Imported furniture: fast, standard, available now

The larger furniture showrooms cluster along Plateau, the Corniche Ouest, the Route de Ngor and the industrial zone. Expect melamine panels, metal frames, synthetic leather and home appliances. The benefit is obvious: you see the item, you test it, you take it home.

A few things to check before paying:

• Stock is real but thin. A display model is not always available in multiple units. Ask for stock confirmation before you settle the bill.
• Assembly is often extra, especially for wardrobes and bed frames.
• Spare parts are hard to find. A broken hinge on an imported unit is rarely replaceable locally.
• Rainy season humidity, from July to October, swells cheap particle board. If you live near the ocean in Ngor, Yoff or the Almadies, favour plywood or solid wood.

Typical market ranges in Dakar: a three seater faux leather sofa runs roughly 150,000 to 400,000 FCFA, a two door wardrobe 90,000 to 250,000 FCFA, a queen bed with slats 120,000 to 350,000 FCFA. Premium imported ranges go well above that.

Local carpenters: built to fit your walls

Dakar apartments rarely have standard dimensions. A wardrobe under a sloped ceiling, an L shaped kitchen, shelving in a narrow corridor: this is where a local carpenter wins outright. Workshops are dense in Grand Yoff, Liberté 6, Parcelles Assainies, Pikine, Guédiawaye, Keur Massar and Rufisque, working mostly in red wood, teak or marine plywood.

What actually works:

• Bring a dimensioned sketch. Measure width, height and depth yourself, and mark the sockets and switches to avoid.
• Ask for a written quote stating the wood species, the finish, the hardware and the lead time.
• Pay in stages. A deposit at the start, the balance once the piece is delivered, assembled and checked. Do not pay everything upfront.
• Budget for the finish. Varnish or lacquer is your best defence against salty air.

Plan on two to four weeks for a simple piece and longer for a full kitchen. Lead times stretch before Tabaski and through December, when everyone orders at once.

Delivery, stairs and lead times: the real trap

Delivery is the line item newcomers forget. A short checklist:

• Measure the stairwell before you buy. Plenty of buildings in Point E, Mermoz and Sacré-Cœur have narrow staircases. A corner sofa sometimes goes up over the balcony, and that is billed separately.
• Make sure the truck can get close. In the smaller lanes of Médina or Parcelles Assainies, unloading happens at a distance and the rest is carried by hand.
• Agree on a realistic time window. Traffic between Plateau and the suburbs can double a trip at the end of the day.
• Unwrap in front of the driver. A scratch or a cracked panel is disputed on the spot, not the next morning.

If you are part of the diaspora preparing a home from abroad, the safest setup is to have someone on the ground take the measurements and receive the delivery, then pay the balance once everything is assembled.

Budget: what to buy first

Moving in? Buy in this order: bed, storage, table, then living room. A studio can be furnished decently from around 400,000 FCFA by mixing imported pieces with custom work. Dakar also has a very active second hand market, where solid wood wardrobes can be bought cheaply, then sanded and revarnished by a carpenter.

Recommended addresses on SeneFinder

• CHINA MALL : Dakar, shop
• DIGITAL STORES POINT E : Corniche Ouest, shop
• ORCA : Plateau, shop

More options exist depending on the neighborhood: see all addresses.

Useful tools

• Route planner to chain several stores into one trip.
• FCFA currency converter if you are budgeting from abroad.
• Practical guide for useful numbers and transport information.
• For custom work, see our list of carpenters in Dakar, and if you are just arriving, read our guide to settling in Dakar.

Frequently asked questions

Should I buy imported or have furniture made?

Imported wins on speed and on sofas, custom work wins on storage and odd dimensions. Most households in Dakar end up combining both.

How long does it take to furnish an apartment?

About a week if you buy imported items that are in stock, and three to five weeks if part of the order goes through a carpenter. Allow more time before Tabaski and in December.

Is delivery included in the price?

Rarely. Always ask whether transport, carrying the item upstairs and assembly are covered, and have the amount written on the quote.