West Elm Furniture Review 2024

About West Elm

West Elm is a high-end furniture and home decor company known for its trendy and modern designs. Their collection ranges from West Elm rugs, West Elm chairs, to West Elm modern wall art. With a huge following of over 2.4 million on Instagram, they have been featured in numerous publications including PopSugar, the New York Magazine, the Huffington Post, and Refinery29.

If you’re in the market for modern pieces for your home, this company might be for you. This West Elm furniture review will take an in-depth look at the brand, its products, customer ratings, promotions, and more, to help you decide if their collection is right for your pad.

Overview of West Elm

West Elm was launched with its first ever catalog in 2002 under its parent company of Williams-Sonoma and Pottery Barn. More specifically, Williams-Sonoma is one of the oldest and largest e-commerce retailers that sells kitchen-wares and house furnishings, starting all the way back in the 1940s.

West Elm produces a variety of contemporary and mid-century home decor, furniture, and wares, for the modern consumer. Their headquarters are now based in New York City. 

West Elm also focuses on lessening its ecological footprint, with 60% of their products supporting at least one sustainability initiative. A portion of their inventory is Fair Trade certified, handcrafted, organic, or sustainably sourced. Additionally, 35% of their wood furniture is FSC certified, meaning they help support forests and ecosystems worldwide. 

“You shouldn’t have to choose from getting value and shopping for your values. Or between looking good and feeling good. From natural materials to nontoxic finishes, we’re making it easy for you to create a healthier home.”

Before we get into this West Elm furniture review, let’s go over some initial pros and cons:

Pros

• Thousands of contemporary home decor, furnishings, wares, and furniture to choose from
• Sustainable and environmentally friendly business practices
• West Elm credit card for customers to earn rewards every time they shop
• 3D room planner allows customers to see how their products fit into their room 
• Free design services including virtual consultations and phone calls
• Installment payment options through Affirm

Cons

• Pricier compared to other furniture retailers
• Varied customer reviews 

So, what’s your aesthetic when it comes to home decor? There are a variety of options available, including minimalism, vintage, rustic, transitional, French country, and more.

Whatever your taste is, there’s a large inventory of home-related paraphernalia that can complement many interior design styles, like opulent West Elm chandeliers and West Elm beds with modern flair.

West Elm Furniture Bestsellers

From sculptural, overarching West Elm lamps that embody an artistic quirk, to contemporary West Elm bedding, you’ll have plenty of options to choose from. 

Before you start perusing their catalog, take a look at this West Elm furniture review, as we highlight a selection of bestsellers that might pique your interest. 

West Elm Modular Sectional Review

The sofa is one of the most integral pieces of furniture to have in the living room. Not only does it fill empty space, it’s an area where family and friends can gather. However, don’t settle for just any type of couch. The Modular Sectional, hailing from their Harper collection, delivers a sense of contemporary class and elegance that is sure to elevate your living space. 

This modern and Scandinavian West Elm sofa features a low profile with thick shapely arms and a slim seat deck. It also features wide, tailored cushions that are made for sitting down or stretching out. Some key features of the Modular Sectional include a kiln-dried frame, metal legs finished in antique bronze, and webbed seat support. 

There are nine ways to assemble this stylish sectional, depending on the layout of your room. This includes left-arm chaise, right arm two-seater sofa, and corner. Customers can also choose the fabric and color that would work the best in their living space. These customizable options mean the sectional varies in price from $899–$1999.

West Elm Mid-Century Leather Show Wood Chair Review

If you’re looking for a fashionable and reliable chair, look no further than the Mid-Century Leather Show Wood Chair. This understated beauty features a sleek silhouette that’s perfect for the minimalist or rustic home decor vibe. It showcases solid ash wood arms and legs covered in a pecan or espresso-stained finish. 

Upon the legs holds your choice of genuine top-grain leather or vegan leather. This West Elm chair is contract grade– meaning it’s very durable. Consider buying two with a West Elm coffee table, so you can create the ultimate breakfast space to sip your morning brew and read the newspaper (tablet or print). 

The Mid-Century Leather Show Wood Chair varies in fabric, color, and leg style which all differ in price. This ranges from $799–$2148, which is a limited-time offer.

West Elm Volume Side Table Review

Traditional side tables can oftentimes be quite plain. However, the Volume Side Table features a unique cylindrical design, which is almost akin to a tree trunk. With its rounded base and beautiful wood grain, this West Elm Side table is simplistic enough to go in any modern household. 

Polished with a water-based finish, this table has wood wrapped with a cool walnut finish or winter wood veneer. Additionally, all wood is kiln-dried for added durability. It is also high enough to accompany most West Elm couches.

West Elm Reviews: What Do Customers Think?

This West Elm furniture review found a varied customer response based on its research. On Trustpilot, they have a ranking of 1.3/5 stars with over 280 reviews.

Customers noted that there were issues with their delivery times, having reported delays or not receiving their orders. There are also reported issues with customer service, with buyers claiming the team was unhelpful in remedying problems or were unresponsive. 

“I placed an order for a couch in early November. I am accepting of Covid delays, what I am not accepting of is the lack of customer service, lack of transparency, mixed messages and zero resolution when trying to figure out where the $2,500 couch I ordered is,” one Trustpilot reviewer wrote. 

There are also continued negative customer reviews on a few of their Yelp pages. For instance, in their Californian location, they have 2/5 stars from 430 reviews on Yelp, and 3/5 stars on Consumer Affairs from 558 ratings.

While there are more reports of bad customer service and delivery issues, other buyers reported problems with the quality of their furniture. This complaint echoes a 2018 Vox article that described shedding sofas and cushions that didn’t hold their shape. 

“They started leaking feathers all over the place, the cushions didn’t hold their shape. … 3 and half months later, I sat on one of the couches and the front beam snapped in half,” The author wrote, adding that “West Elm won over millennials. But now it’s really pissing them off.”

Not all customers are dissatisfied with their West Elm pieces. Slumber Search rates the company 7.7/10 stars out of 129 votes, and Influenster provides a 3.6/5-star rating from 166 reviews. Fans of the brand love the modern designs and were impressed by the quality. There were also limited reviews that reported positive customer service experiences.

Is West Elm Furniture Worth It?

This West Elm furniture review is wary to recommend this brand due to the number of negative customer experiences. But, let’s go over the positives first.

West Elm has a wide array of furniture, home decor, wares, and furnishings that are all beautiful to look at. All of their products have a modern and contemporary feel that is very much on-trend. 

Customers can shop through their sustainable furniture collection. It’s nice to know that a sizable majority of their items are environmentally friendly and ethically made. Another advantage is their room planner feature, which makes it easy to see how the furniture would look in the room it’s intended for.

However, it is hard to overlook the positives when there are several negative reviews. There are poor ratings across many credible websites such as Trustpilot and Yelp, which detail horrible customer service experiences and delivery issues.

The amount of negative reviews has reached the point where it becomes newsworthy, with poor ratings conveyed in several media outlets.

There’s still no harm in pursuing their furniture collection, but be on your guard. Based on this West Elm furniture review, a positive experience is hit or miss. 

West Elm Promotions & Discounts

You can shop the West Elm outlet sale and get select products for a discounted price. They also have a rewards program, where customers can get a credit card or sign up for ‘The Key’ to be given special rewards and exclusive access to deals. 

They also offer a student discount and send a West Elm promo code worth 15% off upon signing up on their website. West Elm also has a military discount of 15% off.  

How much does West Elm shipping cost?

This West Elm furniture review found out that shipping rates vary based on the order total. For instance, an order of $200 can be charged around $21 for shipping.

The price of truck delivery is measured from distance, with the longest being the most expensive. 

What is West Elm’s Return Policy?

Most items are eligible for return within 30 days of purchase. Ineligible items such as final sale, monogrammed items, and gift cards cannot be returned. Customers can either initiate their return process by phone, my mail, in person, or online.

Online returns and in-store returns are only available for items that were shipped to the United States. For international returns, customers must receive a return authorization from their customer care center.