Mid Century Mobler — Local services in Berkeley

This is a long overdue review (what a year it's been =/). My wife and I absolutely love our pieces from Mid Century Mobler, which we got back in February (purchased in December and restored/delivered in February). I agree with another reviewer that these prices are "eye-watering", but as newcomers to the world of non-Ikea furniture, Julian and Desiree offered a furniture buying experience (cliche, I know) that I haven't seen at any other furniture place I had been to during our search.

Julian and Desiree's love for furniture is evident in the first seconds of walking into the store and speaking to them. Their store is skillfully crammed floor to ceiling with furniture and they get periodic freight containers of furniture from Europe (check their Instagram). They also live in a recognized midcentury home in Oakland. The amount they know off the cuff about midcentury furniture (and how to restore them) is overwhelming and I needed them to explain every name and every technique I hadn't heard of before. But they are both incredibly patient and understanding. I went to their store 5-6 times to talk with them before deciding on a dining table and credenza (and I even went back for dining chairs) O_O. It was certainly more than I initially went into the store looking for, but Julian and Desiree made us feel comfortable and confident in the purchase. These are by far the most expensive things aside from a car that we've ever purchased, but I'm convinced we got a great deal in terms of the quality and value of the pieces. To be honest, we had also looked at other places and online (and even found the identical credenza across the country). But with delivery and restoration totalled up, MCM was only less than a couple hundred dollars more. And I was more than happy to pay a small premium to support an avid local shop in Berkeley and to be able to work with Julian and Desiree through the buying and restoration process.

A note on restoration: MCM lists two prices for the furniture, one "as-is" and one including restoration. I believe the restoration is 100% worth it. Desiree knows her stuff! She was very patient walking us through the restoration (e.g. sanding out surface blemishes, smoothing out drawer movements), the different finish options (e.g. lacquer vs oil), and diligently worked on color matching the pieces (I believe she does parts of the restoration herself). The dining table has two leaves that never saw the sun in its previous life and she worked hard to color match them as much as she could. Honestly it's still not perfect and it's still a noticeable difference between the table and the leaves, but I'm impressed how much closer they got compared to how they initially looked. In the end, the credenza and table match beautifully and the chairs complement perfectly.

And a note about delivery: Mac and his crew were on time and careful with carrying the pieces up a flight of outdoor stairs and through a narrow hallway to the dining room. They helped move and align the pieces to the spots we wanted. And they left us a bottle of oil/wax and extra feet padding as to not scratch up our hardwood floors. Overall a seamless operation.

Thank you Julian, Desiree, and the rest of the MCM crew for an amazing furniture buying experience. You've certainly convinced us of the beauty of midcentury furniture and best wishes during...

Absolutely wonderful experience. I stopped into the showroom in search of a dresser and was greeted by Julian who went above and beyond to show me some available pieces and answer all of my questions; taking time to explain different construction details and overview their restoration process. As someone who is rather new to the world of MCM furniture it was all very welcoming. At no point in time did I feel pressured and I initially left having placed a hold on a dresser I really liked. After following up, Julian did a great job communicating what would be addressed during restoration and left me feeling confident moving forward with my order. All in all, the shop did an absolutely stunning job restoring my dresser and even managed to replace the lock and key that was missing from the top drawer. Surely a lifetime piece. The estimated delivery was also on time and hassle free. I’m very impressed by the entire experience and look forward to expanding my collection. Highly...

Mid-century modern artifacts are supposed to be good design for real homes. They were not intended to be tagged as a museum pieces priced for the 1%. As a longtime MCM fan, I was shocked at how far Mobler’s tags sit above market reality. A comparable shop about a mile away carries similar pieces in a larger space at roughly 40–60% less, and they negotiate. I’m not affiliated with any store, so I won’t name names, but go ahead and just compare for yourself.

I value craftsmanship and provenance, but steep markups without a clear rationale feel less like stewardship and more like financial gatekeeping. If you’re shopping MCM, do a quick scan of nearby dealers, estate sales, and Facebook Marketplace before committing here. I want to support local businesses, but I also expect pricing that respects the history and intent of this design movement. Until Mobler’s prices realign with the broader market, I can’t recommend...