West Elm was founded in 2002 by the Williams-Sonoma company. The company sells furniture, rugs, bedding, wall decor, and other household items. A catalog was released in 2003, followed by an actual retail location in Brooklyn, New York, later that year. The company acts as a subsidiary of Williams-Sonoma.
While some items can be purchased in store, larger items, such as sofas or mattress sets, are for visual purposes only and must be purchased online. The company has a large variety of items for sale on their eCommerce site. In addition to the US and Puerto Rico, the company has retail locations in Mexico, Canada, the Middle East, Australia, and England.
In September 2018, one local Canadian artist sued West Elm claiming that the company was stealing her artwork (which was sold in West Elm stores) for their sheet patterns.
The company recently teamed up with Casper, a start up mattress company, in 2016. Their latest retail location opened in Providence, Rhode Island, in August of 2016. West Elm offers products which are “Fair Trade Certified”, which means items were made under good working conditions, with sustainable practices, by persons who were paid a living wage.
In September 2020, West Elm and designer Eileen Fisher launched a sustainable home design using recycled jeans as material.
West Elm maintains a corporate office in Brooklyn, New York.
