Walter E. Smithe Furniture and Design

I rarely leave negative reviews, but my experience with WES has been extremely disappointing from start to finish. When I placed my order, I was not informed of the actual lead times until after I had already paid. The majority of my furniture took approximately seven months to arrive, and the matching chests took more than ten months. I had originally expected to have the furniture before Christmas, but instead spent nearly a year waiting. Unfortunately, the delays were only the beginning. The original coffee table arrived defective and had to be returned twice before I finally received an acceptable piece. After waiting more than ten months for the chests, both arrived defective as well. WES delivered the damaged chests back to me as temporary loaners while replacements are supposedly being made, but I have still not received a timeline for when those replacements will actually arrive. The quality of several pieces has also been disappointing. Before purchasing, I expressed concerns that the fabric on the back of the swivel chairs did not appear durable enough, and I was assured it would hold up. It is already fraying. I also questioned whether the three-legged side table would be stable, and I was told it would not tip over. In reality, it falls over regularly when my dog or five-year-old simply walks past it. To make matters worse, the delivery team dropped the chests while bringing them into my home, leaving marks on my floor. What has been most frustrating is the lack of communication and accountability throughout the process. Given the repeated delays, multiple defective pieces, delivery damage, and quality concerns, I expected WES to proactively acknowledge the situation and make a meaningful effort to make it right. That has not happened. I lead a sales organization myself, and if one of my customers experienced this level of service, I would be doing everything possible to restore their confidence. Instead, I have spent months following up, waiting for updates, and dealing with issue after issue. The furniture is beautiful when it arrives in acceptable condition, but based on my experience, I cannot recommend WES. If you're considering purchasing from them, be prepared for potentially very long lead times, inconsistent quality control, and a customer service experience that falls well short of what you would expect for premium furniture.

HIghly recommend! Nichole was so nice to work with and did a great job helping us choose our bedroom furniture. Delivery exceeded expectations! Cristian S. and Santos were friendly, respectful, and so careful not only with our new furniture but also when moving our old. Before they left they wanted to be sure we were happy with everything, and again just so kind. This company is very lucky to have them.

DO NOT SHOT HERE. This is the WORST company I have ever worked with! We ordered a white couch in 2020 at an Illinois suburb store. The attendant at the store was extremely helpful in finding us our dream couch and helped us customize the couch over a few hours. He also mentioned that they have a great product to prevent stains called SmitheKote. This sounded great to us because we knew we wanted a white couch and wanted to avoid stains as best as possible. We mentioned several times how thankful we were for the SmitheKote product and to make sure it was included in our couch. When our couch was finally delivered - the wooden leg was bent. We also had a stain on the couch the second week in - we called the service desk to ask how to remove the stain - at which point they informed us we did NOT have SmitheKote. We called our attendant at the store more than 5 times to ask what had happened but he never returned our calls. Eventually we were escalated for additional support where the support person made fun of us for choosing a white couch "I would never buy a white couch that might get stained". Finally, someone was sent out to our house to spray our couch - at full cost including travel time. Now over a year later, we called the company to see how to clean the couch to not affect our warranty and ruin the SmitheKote product. We were informed we DO NOT have SmitheKote - even though our couch was absolutely sprayed. We were then told that Walter E. Smithe does not provide guideance on how to clean their couches and to call a different cleaning store. All I wanted to know was how to avoid breaking the warranty.... and instead I was told they couldn't help. We absolutely do not recommend working with this company... you will regret it :(

I had contacted Walter E. Smithe through their website inquiring about pieces of furniture I was interested in possibly purchasing. I was contacted by Christine Hoffman (a designer at their Lincoln Park Showroom) that same evening. We spoke on the phone for a bit about my residence and plans for future furniture needs. I told her that I would follow up the next day (Saturday) with an email about the pieces I was interested in. I sent her that email thanking her for her time and looked forward to hearing back with her thoughts on some of the selections I was interested in. I didn't hear back from her for over a week, so I followed up with another email where she responded that she didn't get the original email (which was forwarded back to her) and that she would be back in touch after she reviewed my email and selections. It has now been 3 weeks with no response, and my subsequent email requesting a response came back with notice that my "email address has been blocked". I'm not sure what to make of that?

I ordered four pieces of bedroom furniture off their catalog. The furniture wasn't as expected, but they have agreed to exchange my items for new furniture.

Walter E Smithe has been great in terms of their customer service! The original sofa I ordered, I did not like.....the cushions had too much down in it, which caused excess wrinkling. They were completely gracious and generous in the exchange...not only did they let me do an exchange for a custom sofa, but they added 250 extra dollars to spend. AND, I was able to keep the existing sofa till my new sofa was delivered! Not only do they have great stuff but they really do want to make their customers happy!!!

My entire house is furnished with Walter E. Smithe - from our rugs to our furniture to our artwork - even our drapes and accessories! The designs and the furniture we ended up with surpassed our expectations. We couldn't be happier with the experience of shopping there and the subsequent service. If you are looking to furnish a home in the Chicago area, you must shop here!

IN LOVE with my furniture as well as overall service from Walter E Smithe!! We purchased a sectional, ottoman and area rug for my new home. I had such a great experience and appreciated the patience of the designer to help me figure out what I really needed and wanted, because I really wasn't sure. Comfort was a big factor, but I wanted a sleek look to the room... Well, we accomplished that and more!! And I can't say enough about the Smithekote! My 2l month old granddaughter was over Saturday and my son gave her a cheetos while she was sitting on my new sofa!! Low and behold, I got a wet rag and it came right off!! I have to also add on how great the delivery drivers were... so courteous and kind.. helped me figure out which way I wanted my area rug around the sofa, etc. Good guys.. I highly recommend Smithe in a second... You won't find the quality, service as well as value anywhere else in this area... I have shopped around a lot and can tell you this as fact!! Thank you to the whole cast and crew...you are all great people!

I have bought several items from Kathryn Garcia. She is very knowledgeable about the products and services at Walter E. Smithe. Kathryn is passionate in helping me find amazing pieces to compliment my home. I have the utmost confidence in her ability, dedication, and willingness to assist me complete any home project. Kathryn Garcia can take some furniture pieces, wall art, curtains, rugs, and creativity and transform any room!

We just moved into a new home and used the design services of Carrie Miko to help furnish our dining room, home office, and kitchen. We couldn't have been happier with the end result. From consulting to delivery we were super happy with our Walter E Smithe experience. Carrie helped us to find the perfect farmhouse table, helped us with measurements and even did a virtual placement of how the table and chairs would look in our room. Every piece of wood furniture in our home is from Walter E Smithe and has upheld so well.

We used the design service of Eliza Diederich at Walter E Smith to decorate our lake home. Not only did she help us choose furniture and accessories that were perfect for us and the spaces we were decorating, she also helped us choose paint colors that gave our lake home a "wow" factor. It was great working with her. She is professional and always took our budget and personal taste into consideration. We love the spaces Eliza has helped us create.

The Smithe team has done an excellent job for me over the years. They effortlessly pull together the perfect mix of furniture, accessories, etc, give excellent recommendations on paint colors, everything I need to make my house a home I can feel comfortable in and be proud of. The team are so considerate, never pushy and come to treat you like family! I always go back to Smithe whenever I am considering a change!