Penny Mustard Furnishings — Local services in Vernon Hills

I’ve lived in the area for almost 20 years and probably wouldn’t have stopped by Penny Mustard in Vernon Hills if not for a tip from a friend who works there — and I’m so glad I did. Don’t be misled by the modest exterior: inside is furniture of truly outstanding quality. The style leans classic and timeless — sofas, chairs, dining tables, bedroom sets — refined, well-priced (about half of RH for similar quality), and masterfully build for years of use. I also discovered their excellent mattress collection: extremely comfortable, free of unnecessary synthetic fire-retardant materials, with some models offering remote-controlled adjustments. The fabric displays are beautifully organized, with a wide variety of textures and colors from classic solids to playful patterns. I left the store inspired and already found several strong candidates for upgrading some of the furniture in my own home.

A big thank-you to the designer I worked with — attentive, patient, and very knowledgeable. Special thanks as well to the management for assembling such a wonderful team.

If I had to nitpick, the accessories and artwork don’t quite match the caliber of the furniture, they feel more like filler than curated pieces. But when it comes to the furniture and the service, Penny Mustard is truly worth a visit: an outstanding balance of quality and value, and a place where you genuinely feel taken care of...

I purchased a dining room set from this location. The sales person we worked with was excellent and the set itself was very good. Our issue came in once we got the delivery. One chair was broken during delivery and the delivery truck took it back for repair. When contacted the customer service agent said that the in-house repair did not think it should be repaired by them and it was getting returned to the manufacturer. All well and good so far. Three months later, after hearing nothing from customer service, I contacted them. After a day they were finally able to track down the item, which had been sitting the the Penny Mustard warehouse the entire time with no work being done. I was told they would get the repair started right away and they would get back to me by the end of the week. After two weeks I called again and left a message for customer service. I called again a few days later and got through and was told the item was now ready. I finally received the chair back months after the original purchase, with a moderate repair of just gluing the arm back on, which I could have done myself in one day. Penny Mustard has good merchandise, but having to deal with them when there is an issue, leaves much...

There are things about our experience w Penny Mustard that were good and things that were awful. The good: the quality of two of the three pieces we bought from them four years ago, the general manager's engagement when we had reached our last nerve w their dumb extended warranty people, and a gal named Donna at their home office who also was helpful in getting our issue resolved. The bad: the extended warranty and communication about who/what was responsible for our repair. Not exaggerating: it took six months to finally get what turned out to be a mediocre job done on our repair. I actually had to write to Ben and Arvid to (a) express our disgust with their chosen warranty company and (b) finally get things taken care. The takeaway and reason I'm writing this review: purchase the extended warranty at your own risk. It was a nightmare on every level to deal with them. Every. level. Not worth what we paid for it by...