West Elm
Categories: Furniture Stores, Home Decor [Edit]
435 Corte Madera Town CtrCorte Madera, CA 94925 (415) 927-0202
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
22 reviews
Neighborhood: Outer Sunset
"These guys rock. They put our 42 inch plasma over our fireplace and hid the wires beautifully. 2.5 years later STILL NO PROBLEMS!!! Highly…" read more »
47 Reviews for West Elm
This is like all the other West Elm's I've been to. Decent size, decent selection. The staff were really helpful with trying to find the desk that I wanted. Too bad that they don't have it in stock there.
There's another location in Roseville. I'll have to check out that one next.
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I would give it five stars but they messed up a lamp order once... sending me the right base with a discontinued shade that didn't fit the base?! I ended up having to nix the whole idea of a lamp from them...
But the good news, the staff was nice and very helpful (on floor and on the phone). I bought my farmhouse style chocolate dining table, benches, barstools, and beige cushions from here... and they get lots of compliments. The furniture (at least those pieces) are sturdy and needed very uncomplicated assembly-if any).
I'm looking forward to them opening in emeryville!
The naming of their styles could be considered...well, controversial. To call decor style "tribal and modern"... um, borderline offensive to some... but as a pinoy who can sometimes go tribal on you when you get me really angry and super pissed off... and as a dude who loves clean modern lines in furniture design... well...um... gulp. i guess i AM tribal and modern? maybe that's how i got hooked in.
And by the way, I still love that farmhouse table and benches... did i say that they were sturdy pieces... even my special carpenter friend thought they were ;)
The absolute worst. 8 phone calls, 3 trips to Marin, and still no bed.
I drove up from the city to check out their beds, found one I liked, came back home to check the dimensions, and decided to go for it. So I called the store to order the bed and have it delivered, to save me another trip to Marin. But it turns out that, unlike every other business in the country, they don't accept orders over the phone--you have to physically be in the store to make a purchase.
Awesome, okay, so I drive back to Marin and purchase the thing, but now there's no point in having it delivered, so I put it in my car, get it home, and half the hardware is missing. 7 washers, not 30, and 6 bolts, not 10. So I call the store, furious, and the rep goes "Oh, yeah, this happens all the time, sorry. Someone must have taken some of the hardware out of your box." So, to resolve the issue, he does exactly that: goes to the stockroom and pilfers a fresh set of hardware out of another box, which will eventually be sold to someone else like me, who will be furious, and write another Yelp review just like this one, inspiring countless others to spend their money elsewhere.
That's my dream, anyway. Back to the story.
So they overnight the hardware to me in the city, but when it arrives, I realize that either these pieces are too short, or the holes in the bed rails are drilled in the wrong positions. Oh, I never received the assembly instructions, so I've downloaded them off the website (the only thing this company's done right). So this bed is essentially defective--there is no physical way to get these parts to hold together. I have to return it. Upon arriving back in lovely Corte Madera for the third time, I can return the bed with no hassles, but the stockroom guys wonder why I'm giving them twice as many slats as I should have. Guess they gave me an extra set to begin with. Talk about unorganized.
And don't even get me started on the catalog/website division, which is completely separate from the retail stores. I ordered a headboard over the phone, since it wasn't available in the store, and it was a nightmare trying to cancel that order before the 100-pound monster was shipped out.
I know that I shouldn't write when I'm angry, but good god, these people are experts at making you angry!
Customer service is non-existent. In fact, they do everything they can to make you feel worthless and the little piece of scum that feeds on leftover dog doo on the side walk, that some owner decided to let people trample on.
If you call for a stock check and get Alicia, make sure to hang up right away. First off, remember that piece of scum? Yeah, she puts you in your place along side of that scum by telling you about how busy they are, and how they don't have time to check. And when you beg your heart out, she'll say okay, she'll get someone to check. Putting you on hold only means you wait and wait, and 10 minutes later, she'll hang up on you.
Then, when you call back, she innocently says there was a mistake, and by the way, it is SO busy that they don't have time to help you. She'll offer to call you back when they've had a chance to check for your item, out of your busy schedules.
And then you'll never get a call back. (See **Edit** below.)
It's like a nasty date you went on off of Match.com.
Ugh.
Btw, a visit into the store is no better. The people are paid on commission and they literally fight with each other to get your business. So, one person may say that they have it in stock - when they don't - just so you will wait around and then tell you 30 minutes later that someone else just bought the item. You're stock ordering the item through the person in the store so she can get her commission.
Double ugh.
*Edit*: Alicia called me back. She was very nice and very apologetic. She was also very concise and checked prices to make sure she was giving the right availability for the right items. So maybe she's just having a bad day.
I would give them two stars, but I do like their lamps and some of their bedding. The furniture is the same quality as Ikea, so you're just paying a little more for the design. But I suppose you can't go too wrong with West Elm. Especially if you're a single guy that doesn't know how to decorate. Then you can get everything here and impress the laaa-dies.
Their return policy is just STUPID. I mean, what kind of big, corporate, chain store has a lame return policy? A janky one.
While looking for a decent bedside table, my girlfriend and I decided to stop at West Elm to see whether they had anything that would fit the bill.
Most of their furniture was attractive but cheaply made (MDF with veneer - there was no solid wood in sight). The substandard furniture was augmented with a decent selection of rugs, throw pillows and lamps. All in all, there was a fair amount of style, just not a lot of substance.
We looked around the store for around 20 minutes without finding any compelling furniture. We did, however, find a book that seemed interesting, and proceeded to the checkout, where we waited for over 5 minutes while a pair of clerks talked on the phone and fiddled with a computer.
The phone-talker eventually asked the other clerk to help us and was told, "Sorry - I'm kind of busy at the moment. I need to get this in by 1 o'clock..."
I found the same book on Amazon for $10 less than their asking price, and was able to buy it online in under two minutes. I still haven't located a great night stand, but won't bother looking at West Elm for that or any other furniture - low quality and lousy service just don't do it for me.
Ok here is the scoop on West Elm. They've got some nice contemporary styled furniture at reasonable prices. The prices are reasonable because their pieces are made in China and you have to assemble it yourself. That said I'm still very satisfied with the pieces I bought. I purchased leather dining chairs and a dining table as well as a bookshelf. i don't have the shelf put together yet but I'm enjoying the dining set. The assembly was a pain in the ass. Much worse than Ikea. However the finished product seems much sturdier. My 36x36 table is surprisingly heavy and sturdy. If you are looking for new furniture on a budget West Elm is worth checking out.
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I've been to a couple of the West Elm stores and they're all very similar. The furniture is modern and stylish; some good and some terribly uncomfortable. The staff seemed pretty middle of the road until last Friday.
I got a glass of water in the early morning, then got back into bed only to hear the frame split in half. This was troubling to say the least, not only because I'm not a heavy person at all but because the bed was only a month old. Very unsettling. Do beds have warranties? I had all manner of unpleasant thoughts run through my head and was down about it the entire day.
Then after work we gave the store a call and explained what had happened. The manager immediately said it was no problem and that we could come pick up a replacement the next day (or have one delivered later). I was surprised at the utter lack of hassle.
We went into the store the next day, asking for that same manager, but he happened to be on his lunch break. No problem, one of the associates understood the problem and authorized the new bed on the spot. Twenty minutes later we were driving home with a brand new bed in the back of the car.
Beside the fact that the bed broke, the way they dealt with our situation was excellent. I'm far more likely to return to this store (or the new one they're building in Emeryville) with the knowledge that my purchases will be reasonably secure in the event of misfortune. I wish all retailers were like this, but the reality pushes this store up to a 5 in my book, relative to other businesses.
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I'm a sucker for a bargain but my design tastes aren't really satisfied by Ikea. Pottery Barn prices hurt a little too much. Solution? West Elm. I like their style and selection the best overall. I find CB2 to be a bit tacky (even though my dining room table is from there) and Design Within Reach and EQ3 try way too hard. West Elm's prices are fair and their website is very conducive to online furniture and home accessory shopping...esp. when you're bored at work.
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West Elm has really nice designs...simple and sophisticated. Slight notch above ikea....but the pricetag is quite a few notches higher than ikea. The catalog makes everything really nice, but when you see it in person, you realize the quality isn't that great.
Customer service: blah. I don't think I've ever seen any of the sales associates smile. It's like talking to robots and smiling at a wall. By now, I've stopped trying to be polite to them. Just go and get what I want and I'm on my way.
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I was sorry I made the trek out here. Like others have said, the stuff looks OK in their catalog but in person you realize it is badly made crap selling for 30 times what they paid for it in China.
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I waited in line for 15 minutes- watching 4-5 employees stand behind the cash/wrap area doing who knows what (anything and everything except ringing people up- peculiarly making a lot of phone calls...). Finally, it was my turn. I swiped my credit card and the employee responded by sarcastically saying, "You can't swipe until I scan ALL items. I'm sorry, we aren't that sophisticated yet." [insert dry smile]
I had the option of making a comment about his outfit's level of sophistication, yelling, "Your attitude angers me!" and leaving, or returning the dry smile and paying for the organic quilt I have been coveting.
The quilt looks beautiful on my bed.
Eh, I was expecting more. A bigger showroom, more furniture and better quality. There are some places where the stuff in the showroom looks like what you see in the catalogs. West Elm isn't one of them.
I visited a couple of days ago, looking for a particular rug I saw on their website. I'd heard mixed things about West Elm, how they've got a cool, modern style but also how the quality wasn't quite there. The rugs on the showroom floor showed massive shedding. The one I was looking for wasn't even in stock. Some of the fabrics on other items, such as sofas and throw pillows, looked awkwardly ill fitting.
If you've browsed the website or the catalog and want to pick something up in person, make sure you call first. If you're lucky, you may find the right piece and go home happy. Unfortunately, West Elm didn't fit my niche.
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You must be kidding me. West Elm is a notch above IKEA in quality, just barely. Particle board come here to die and get veneered over. The prices are ridiculously high for the poor quality and shoddy workmanship. West Elm, you owe me $15 for gas and bridge toll.
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West Elm is an addiction. In a way, West Elm is like a Target or Costco. You walk in not needing a thing, but you come out and somehow you've spent like $500. Nearly all of the furniture in my apartment is by West Elm. I ordered most of my stuff online...some of it I actually went to the Corte Madera store. I love West Elm's style...and it doesn't hurt that it is totally affordable. The only downside is you will need to assemble the smaller furniture (which I hate doing). I got a dresser which they delivered intact.
When my girlfriend moved into another building in my complex, I went over to check her place out. As soon as I saw the couch and lamps I was like "Oh my gawd....West Elm!!!!!!!! I have West Elm too!" We were like retarded schoolgirls screaming "Overlapping squares!!!" (Other fanatics will understand, for the rest of you...don't judge me!)
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wow who knew that kmart was alive and well and manufacturing all of west elm's furniture. I've seen particle board assembled with better care. Definitely the place for a shopper with more money than style.
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After you've graduated from Ikea, you come here. After you graduate here, you go to cb2. After that, well, I think you're worrying about where to send your kids to school.
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I love this place! Great modern design pieces, good quality, and the price doesn't punch you in the stomach. Okay, I actually LOVE Room and Board, but this is the place I feel more comfortable affording. I don't know if it is luck, but I happen in there and find floor sample sales on exactly what I am looking for. YAY!
WARNING: RANT APPROACHING. READ WITH CAUTION!
I have to disagree with some of the former yelpers who wrote up West Elm. This furniture is NOT cheap (please tell me how I can get a desk there for $100!) I spend at least $400 on each piece that I have from West Elm and they have all held up through at least 3 moves (including taking apart and putting back together items such as our large couch).
I love the simple modern design and the chocolate brown color does match up pretty well with the "black-brown" from Ikea, so if you want to save some money you can mix & match without looking like you purchased everything from a flea market.
My dining table, couch, chair, coffee table, bookcase, and bedding are all from West Elm. Everything except the couch cushion is in great shapes after years of wear and tear. The only reason that the couch cushion got so messed up was we had couch surfers staying over on it every night... but that can be fixed at a foam shop quite easily!
And last but not least, the service I have received at every trip was very helpful (from the sales floor to the loading dock). I have a disability and they lifted heavy items into my car for me, which was such a blessing!!!
WEST ELM ROCKS, and I'll take you out to the parking lot if you disagree :-)
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It is still better than Ikea, has better options for small lofty furniture (perfect for SF), and its way more affordable than going to its big sister, Pottery Barn.
Every so often, the store will have something great on sale and the staff will order it for you if it is out of stock (at the sale price).
My suggestion, if you have the intention of buying furinture and brining it home, bring a big car or a truck. Also, their loading dock doesn't have a ramp. Those poor stock guys have to carry everything down. It may just be worth it to pay for home delivery.
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I've always loved their furniture because they always have fresh new designs and they are always affordable.
Some of the sofas are not always the most comfortable but then again, they don't cost $5000.
My bed and dresser are from here and I love them.
Their service has always been great.
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I feel very un-hip saying this (I guess using the term un-hip sealed that deal already though.), but I totally love West Elm. For a very simple reason. I can afford most of their things AND the designs generally please me. There is an occasional unfortunate harken back to Pier 1 stylings in some things, but mostly, the furniture is a decent step above ikea and lovely. Not quite pieces you'll pass down to your grandkids, but if you like clean, children of midcentury modern pieces and can't afford DWR, then West Elm is satisfactory. The website's cool, but going to the physical store is best, since you avoid shipping and there is always some floor sample on sale and super cheap.
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Yet another chink in the amazing Williams-Sonoma chain (or should I say Empire?).
Stylee New York Loft inspired living thrown over from the very purple, grey, black time of yesteryore, which has spun it's way into the very brown, bamboo, cream sensibilities we see today.
Hammered metals, stemless wineware (yes, that's what the cool are calling it these days), and raw silk sheets your mama would never.
Worth a trip to Corte Madera for Holiday or a trip to www.westelm.com.
You'll be inspired if nothing else.
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West Elm is cheap. Literally, and structurally. The stuff is showcased very well ... the catalogs taunt you, they have you dogearring every other page. And the whole time you're in a transe, "This desk is only $100!" Well, yes it is. But you won't be able to use it after it falls apart in one month. I would rather go to IKEA and buy something cheaper that might last me a lot longer.
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The San Francisco Chronicle called West Elm the "younger, less-expensive version of sister retailer Pottery Barn" While Pottery Barn's appeal is somewhat difficult for me to understand, I really dig West Elm. Shortly after the opening of their Corte Madera store (the first to appear on the West Coast) I was there to check the pieces out in person.
The couches seemed great for someone of my height (5'2") but not a very comfortable choice for people any taller. So I crossed them off my list. However, the wood bed frame in chocolate remained a favorite.
I was concerned about the quality of the product as the prices were fairly low. Not so anymore. A couple months ago I purchased the chocolate wood bed frame from someone on Craigslist. I moved it by truck from Tiburon to San Francisco in one piece and it still looks great.
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I was first attracted to West Elm by some random catalog that was left in my mailbox. The photographer and designer did a wonderful job of setting up and showing off the furniture and accessories. It made me want to go past Emeryville and into Marin, where the closest location is.
I thought that the store was organized, and it reminded me a little of a cheaper version of Crate & Barrel. It wasn't as colorful, but I thought they did a pretty good job of showcasing their accessories. I must've gone at the right time because their summer sale was just beginning.
I got an affordable deal on a wall ledge and a picture frame for my home. They also had beautiful bedding and lamps, but skip the couches section if you want backing on your sofas---theirs were so low and too "modern" for me.
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Bottom line, if you are just looking for functional pieces of furniture, there are certainly cheaper places then West Elm. Why should West Elm exist? Because for me, it satisfies my more modern taste in furniture without going over the top.
As for quality, I've found that the furniture I've bought at West Elm seems consistently better quality than IKEA stuff. I know many of you are probably rolling your eyes and thinking, "Of course it's better quality." But I will say that I don't think IKEA = Low Quality. I've found that the quality at IKEA varies depending on which piece of furniture you are buying. For example, my previous bed, a Hopen queen size bed from IKEA was very solid even after two years of use. Yes I've had pieces of IKEA furniture fall apart, but I've had some that have been solid for a number of years.
So what pieces do I have from West Elm?
3x4 Rolling Storage --- Pretty solid though the least solid of my furniture. I like this unit a lot, it is the first focal point of my bedroom when you come in. I paired it with square wicker baskets from IKEA.
Geometric Storage Unit (Old style) --- I just like this unit. It's not particularly useful for "storing" much more than interesting accessories but I just like the look of it. Very solid... no assembly required.
Sideboard with Cubby --- I have my 30" LCD on this unit. It feels pretty solid though the doors on the unit took a little bit of adjusting to open/close correctly. And even though I got the doors to open/close smoothly, they don't line up with the sides of the unit correctly.
Narrow Leg End Table --- Solid, no complaints. They did forget to put on one of the little rubber feet on the bottom of the legs but they replaced it quickly by mail.
This furniture will certainly not be my last set but again they certainly fit my current taste of modern without being over the top. The prices in my opinion are a little high but this may be an opinion of my budget so I'll leave it up to yours to determine if you can afford your taste.
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Oh bastard child of Williams Sonoma, I love you so! West Elm is nicer than Ikea and of reasonable quality (you will still need to assemble it all yourself) but not so high end as a posh furniture store in the Marina or SOMA. I filled up two rooms in my apartment with their furniture for less than $1000. It is great for SF apartments because it all sits really low to the ground thereby giving the appearance of height and space in your postage-stamp sized abode. I am a fan of the modern styles and solid dark woods. Try to talk the manager out of floor samples at a reduced price - worked for me!
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Shopping at West Elm is like shopping at a sample sale -- a hit or miss. While I agree with fellow Yelpers that the furniture isn't exactly high quality but what do you expect given such affordable prices?
So far I've been pleased with my purchases at West Elm: floor lamp, nightstand, coffee table and wall art. These are pieces that add accent to a room without feeling like they're going to break apart in a few months. Obviously I wouldn't buy major furniture like a couch or dining table here.
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Meh. This place has some nice stuff, pretty designs etc. but I don't exactly understand to whom they are peddling these wares. Everyone told me this place was a step up from IKEA but most of the furniture here was in Pottery Barn range (i.e. WAY out of my range). They don't even HAVE that much here. I went in looking for a chest of drawers and found a total of 2 models. I say stick to IKEA or even Crate and Barrel if you aren't redecorating your house since most of the stuff I found here didn't really mesh with other brands.
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What can I say? The photographer deserves an award. Their stuff in the catalog looks GREAT! But when I arrived in person, I was definitely not impressed. The furniture is small and cheaply made. When I asked the sales rep what wood one of their beds was made out, she said she didn't know and that "they" don't tell her... it's just some "exotic" wood (whatever that means).
If I were to tell a friend where to shop for good looking, affordable modern furniture, I'd tell them to check out EQ3. They have much better quality, better selection, and nicer people They're also owned locally, which I prefer.
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West Elm is fine for stuff like pillows and side tables. I wanted to buy a bed there, but when I looked at it in the store it looked kinda cheesy and ghetto. Plus I read a couple reviews about the slats breaking from too much, ahh, well - the slats break sometimes.
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Girly fabrics but chunky masculine shapes. It's like the Castro! I like their ever changing selection of tableware and they do a good job on things like wall shelves. Their textile-based products seem aimed directly at the 23 year old female recent college grad, though. Go fondle everything at the store before you order online, as some products are well crafted but some are a bit flimsy. The salespeople in the store all think they are working at Armani, however. It's a strip mall in suburbia! Get a grip!
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I went in here today and a woman walked by me. I blurted out, "I don't know what I'm doing." After her puzzled look turned into one of recognition of "my kind" she ran around the store grabbing all sorts of matching housewares and I walked out a happy man. I still haven't opened the bag of goodies because I'm waiting for someone to come over and configure it for me. I'll update this when I get some feedback on how well she did.
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I love looking at the West Elm catalogs because the modern and clean furniture is just my style. I was completely disappointed when I made my way over to Corte Madera to visit the store. I'm petite but even I felt too big for the furniture. Guess this is what you should expect for the cheap prices. I give them 2 stars for making the furniture look so good in their pictures.
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Come on, you can't beat the price for this kind of style. Good place for random items to complete/update the look of a room. I don't live in the Bay Area anymore and can't stomach buying furniture sight unseen, but I still ordered home decor items like pillows online and curtains online.
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My frame of mind before coming to West Elm was, Why the %@#&? do platform beds have to cost so %@#&ing much? They're just big chunks of painted wood! In a simple blocky shape! For 1, maybe 2K! Everywhere you look! What the %@#&!
My frame of mind coming out of West Elm -- and yes, I'm at the point where I'm desperate enough to drive up to Corte Madera to find a goddamn reasonably priced, minimally attractive modern bed -- is, Now I sort of understand.
It's the next step in the young professional furniture line of succession, after college futon and IKEA but before, say, Crate & Barrel and Room & Board (and Boring & Overpriced). The shapes are modern but the quality is noticeably... cheap.
I'm still considering it though. I'm thinking, well, you cover most of it up with a bedspread anyway, would you really notice? I could work with the chocolate stain, even though every @#$#@$ piece of furniture in the Bay Area and its furniture-mom is chocolate stained. (With pistachio walls.) Then I imagine pulling a groin muscle when the headboard breaks off.
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Williams-Sonoma - Pottery Barn - now West Elm. What can I say, they got the picture perfect styling down. It's like the banana republic for home furnishings. Clean and fresh, not cheap but not exactly high-end. Always appropriate but stylish and trendy, if not a little business-caz/conservative. So far, the big items I got are great. Pretty good quality, too, despite what some have said. I'll update if anything fails me. And the service was absolutely attentive and very helpful. I usually don't like attentive, but Jo was great, so ask for her if you're there. However, two things to bitch about - the packing sucked. All styrofoam peanuts, everywhere, ended up with bagfulls of styrofoam and are still sweeping it up. Huge pain in the ass. And TWICE we had to go back because the store-room didn't give us all our pieces to BOTH the bed and table.
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Hmmm, the next time that I want fried chicken, with a side of silicon, I think that I'll head to West Elm.
I went along with my cousin and sister to pick up the dresser that my cousin had ordered at West Elm a couple of days before. I was tempted by the silk shantung grey and mint green pillows. The wait to pay, however, posed a formidable challenge. Althoughthey had half a dozen employees mulling about the store, they allowed the queue to grow to 4 people, while only one sales matron (she was no girl) spent 20-plus minutes ringing up one sale. During my wait, I started sniffing the pillows, and they carried the distinct odor of KFC. So, I had my sister check the other pillows, to find ones that we less foul smelling, but our option was either pillows that smelled of KFC, or of old people (in the end, KFC was a preferable scent to old people). At least the pillows will match my duvet.
West Elm was also a treat because it was a chance to examine Marinites in their natural environment. The sales matron did not have authority to award the 20% discount from the catalog to me or the patron before me. Thus, she called her manager over, and I can say it was the first time that I had an extended chance to stare at Botox's effects on one's forehead, and what a good plastic surgeon can do to one's chest. It was an odd match, because I don't think that plastic surgery meshes well with the store's cheap and NYC chic wares.
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Clean, simple and more affordable furniture from the William-Sonoma group. The furniture is hit or miss to me, but the housewares, linen, bedding have been right on due to the variety. Just make sure to ask whether a larger piece needs to be assembled. A friend had a huge sectional delivered, only to have to put parts of it together. Not IKEA indeed!
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