Scandinavian Designs

Great quality, interesting furniture, even their rugs are nice… and well priced. Salespeople helpful, and more efficient these days… although not consistent in the past. Delivery window was texted to me two days prior as promised, also texted 15 minutes prior to arrival. Chair was assembled perfectly, rugs and picture wrapped professionally… two nice delivery guys!, very pleasant experience overall.

Best Service Ever. After our very cool cement table (new SD product/​new vendor) was delivered, a problem developed. SD Rafael immediately offered to replace it, no hassles, apologizing for the inconvenience. When the replacement came it had similar problems which we noticed upon arrival so they took it back. Disappointed we decided not to keep the table; just wasn’t worth the gamble for the long term durability (though it got so many compliments). SD manager Dave and sales rep Cheryl were wonderful– accepted the return over the phone, refunded our money and immediately scheduled pick-​up. They both were extremely gracious about it all. While this is how it should be, most places try to pressure you into ‘trying it longer’ or exchanging it. They never once pushed that I should come in to find exchange it; they left it all up to me. We will go see if there’s another table we like — but at least it’s our option. This would have been 5 stars if the table hadn’t had the flaw.

Super helpful gets the San Rafael SD store five stars. Scandinavian Designs in general gets 4 stars for attractive designs at reasonable prices. I’m about halfway between the San Mateo and San Rafael stores, and San Mateo is much closer to my usual «path», but I found it is worth going out of my way to San Rafael.
Nine years ago I bought SD furniture for my living room, dining room and office. It has held up well despite two moves. Recently I wanted to add shelves to my 9-​year-​old sideboard. They still sell the same model, so I thought that would make it easy. Wrong. I struck out at the San Mateo store. Thank goodness I called the San Rafael store; Dave at SD in San Rafael helped make it happen.

We purchased an almost brand new Pavia leather set from someone on Craigslist. I was sure this was a great purchase because I know or thought Scandinavian Designs has beautiful furniture. Our Pavia leather set started to literally disintegrate about a year ago. I called the store and explained it wasn’t purchased directly through them but that it is their product. All they would offer was 20% off a full price purchase.

This place is amazing I have purchased some fancy European furniture for my house for it of state, four rooms were redecorated using their design and I’m here to attest to the fact that the furniture is amazing and the quality is 5 star!!!
Recently I ran inside their store and I saw a huge selection of European design furniture and the price looked really good and the sales people were very helpful.

Most furniture requires self assembly and the directions are poor and ambiguous. Because they sell it all over the world there are no actual directions just parts lists and diagrams, and the diagrams are very hard to follow. (I’ve built kits that were easier to deal with including actual airplanes — not models!)
Also the components have gotten way cheesier. A three drawer file cabinet took almost 5 hours to assemble. The veneer chips very easily so we are having to order a replacement facing for the large file drawer.
I built one of these 8 years ago and it was a pain, so I was braced for the experience but not for the deterioration in the quality of the individual pieces.
Put it together according to the diagram but had to completely disassemble it again because the locking plate was upside down and the lock would not function.
A really miserable experience.
Looks good on the showroom floor but unless you are prepared to pay them to put it together for you with a guarantee, don’t even think about it. Also plan on it lasting a very short time because of shady materials.
A real p.o.s.

We bought furniture for both the master bedroom and living room. After about 2 months (!), the bedroom furniture came in, but we really like it and it’s good quality.
BUYER BEWARE on the leather furniture there: we thought we were buying a good leather couch and 2 chairs — if we had known it was by-​leather we wouldn’t have bought them. They are all cracking and peeling and there’s leather pieces all over our floor and clothing (it’s been around 5 – 6 years of use). Outside of putting some sort of cover on it all, it’s ruined. I’d look into restoration and its costs, but the darned things are just uncomfortable to sit in, so replacement will be necessary (from another store with better leather). Just do your research so you know what you’re getting.

Went into Scandinavian Designs yesterday to look for new leather couches. With the help of sales associate Cheryl and store manager Dave, my wife and I decided on these electric recliner models from the Sena Mfg. The selection in the store is great, and there were a few different pieces we liked. But with Cheryl’s knowledge and advise, the Sena models really fit our needs the best. The prices at Scandinavian Designs seem to be very reasonable for high quality leather furniture. The only thing that would made our experience even better would be if they offered Swedish meatballs while your shopping. Just kidding.

Don’t really know how much of what they have really is of Scandinavian design, but they sure have a lot of unique one-​of-​a-​kind furniture and interior décor. It seems a lot of the furniture is Italian or German, which of course makes it expensive. The personnel is usually very friendly and service-​minded. I bought a bar there about 18 months ago and couldn’t be happier with the selection they had and the service.

I really like to browse this huge one-​of-​a kind furniture showroom. I currently have a few pieces around the home that could use a beautiful upgrade from Scandinavian Designs. Sure it’s a little pricey but the tables, beds, etc. are of utmost quality and should last many years. There are great looks from classic to contemporary, retro to modern. If I get a good deal on a new table or bed I may have to update this review to five stars.

Crystal helped me today regarding a W. Schillig sofa repair. She was very helpful and knowledgeable. She remembered to call me back as she said she would. Great quality of service even after the purchase is done.

Working with Mary Jo at Scandinavian Designs in San Rafael has helped me decorate my new condo with ease. She was knowledgeable, polite and extremely helpful. I bought a dining room set, a coffee table, 2 end tables and a console table and it was all accomplished so easily. You would do well to look at this store for your home needs and I would recommend asking for Mary Jo.
Barbara T.

My apartment might as well be a Scandinavian Designs showroom.
The fact is, everything in my living room and bedroom (couch, coffee table, wall hangings, etc.) was purchased at their store. I know that most people like to shop at IKEA for cheap, efficient household furniture and the like. But if you don’t mind spending a few dollars more, you can get better quality, variety, and customer service at Scandinavian Designs.
SD has some of the most stylish furniture (for home and office) around. Even when I’m not in the market for new stuff, I like to browse through their San Rafael store just to see what they have.
In my experience, the prices are incredibly reasonable. The only downside is that most of their furniture requires assembly, and I’m a moron when it comes to tools and directions. That’s not their fault — it’s my own.
In any case, if you’re looking to furnish/​decorate your home, pay a visit to Scandinavian Designs.

I came in midday on a Sunday to buy a sofa for a new apartment. The staff at the desk said hello when I walked in, and were friendly but not pushy or annoying. I wandered around for a while, and they left me to myself, which I consider a *huge* plus. When I did have some questions about a couple of models, I went and found them, they were super helpful and friendly.
I ultimately found a really good deal on a floor model they were discontinuing for $ 300 less than I’d been expecting to spend. And, to top it off, delivery was only $ 65, which was cheaper than a lot of other stores. It’s being delivered next weekend.
I don’t really understand the negative reviews. As someone who’s really averse to pushy salespeople, this was basically the best possible shopping experience.

3 ½
We’ve been visiting this store off and on for 8 years looking for living room furniture. The only thing I ever bought there was 35 years ago, a teak danish modern desk. It served me well and went away silently in the night to a Craig’s list taker who unscrewed all the parts with a flashlight to get it in his car. Recently I have become interested in their Norwegian line of home theatre seating. The samples of it on their floor are black and not at all what I would want in my living room, but at least it’s something I could consider getting — perhaps. Also, their line of Lazar Industries sofas and chairs is quite varied, somewhat whimsical, and mighty nice. Now if I could just focus on what I need to pull this challenging living room together!

Wow people sure complain about this store a lot. Hmmm… no matter where you order furniture, it does seem to take forever, so I can understand being impatient.
I like much of their style of furniture, and the San Rafael location is quite a bit nicer overall than the Berkeley store. It’s larger and easier to see most of what they have — Berkeley is spread out over 4 floors, some of them small, due to the nature of the building layout (an old bank). San Rafael also seems much more professionally run with staff who are on the ball… Berkeley…oy. I would call them disinterested.
Anyway, I wanted a sofa that was in stock, I can’t stand waiting either. Had it in a few days, and it was a really fair price for a good quality piece. I suspect we’ll be going back for a few more pieces of living room furniture as we are on a tear.

One of the best experiences I have had shopping for furniture! I found the item I wanted, they had it in stock, arranged a window of time between 11:00 and 3:00 for Saturday delivery, called ahead 20 minutes before arrival as they said they would, and arrived promptly at 11:00 a.m. The new bed was as I had ordered. They had it installed in 5 minutes and were out the door.
The driver and helper were especially efficient-​I credit them for their excellent customer service.
Now I don’t have to waste my entire Saturday waiting for a delivery.
Generally, I enjoy shopping at Scandinavian Designs in San Rafael. The sales people keep a respectful distance but are available if you want help; they don’t hover. I love the elegantly simple design and excellent materials. If the piece requires assembly, the instructions are «idiot proof», and in the case of my table which I purchased at their cousin store, Copenhagen, the tool was included with the instructions.
Scandinavian Designs also has a warehouse store in Santa Rosa but they don’t offer delivery services from that location.

I ordered a bed in early September, 2011, and the sales person said it would likely arrive by late September or, in the worst case, early October. By October 28, since they hadn’t called me to report the delay, I called them. Oops, they said, it looks like mid-​November.
They are nice people, but c’mon guys, being so late on delivery is not appropriate. At the very least, have the courtesy to call. I’ve had to turn away several houseguests who had planned on staying here this month.

They effin blew it. After a 2yr search for a couch, me and the wife finally settled on a sectional.
Could of made it to the Berkeley or San Mateo store but decided to give San Raphael store a chance because the manager seemed real cool and friendly last time I went to the store.
Brought the wife to the store to finalize the fabric style. Why wouldn’t they have all their fabric samples available? That’s just idiotic to me. We drove all the way across a bridge to give them business .
To top it all off, the «sales» woman came off with the biggest attitude and didn’t give a rat’s ass that we were pissed. Didn’t even to offer to give us an estimate when all their samples would be back. F!#!!#)k!!!

My wife and I shopped for quite a while looking for an desk/​hutch/​bookcase set up for our living room. There were several choices, but we decided on Scandinavian Designs because we thought they would be good quality because they are made in Denmark. Certainly they are expeensive for what you get (glorified Ikea furniture).
We ordered several pieces in December but were told that some were back ordered a little while. We waited and waited but several pieces haven’t yet arrived. We got one piece recently but it was labeled «Made in China.» We asked about that and were told that the Denmark factory that usually made their furnuture went bankrupt and that now their furniture is made in China (even though all the store signs still say «Made in Denmark.» Anyway, the Chinese pieces are not good quality. The finishes are inconsistent and they don’t assemble with the same ease as the ones from Denmark.
Worse though is that they cannot tell me when the additional pieces will be delivered to the US. They are holding production and shipping until there’s a big enough order. With the economic downturn they have no idea when the peices will arrive.
So today we returned everything. If you are shopping here make sure the items you want are available and that you understand that now some of their products are made in China.