Rubin's Furniture

Rubin's Furniture offers a nice selection of both domestic and international contemporary furniture. You can initially notice which pieces are domestic, Italian, or high quality from the price. There are also other contemporary options from China for the customer on a budget. I just purchased all of my living room furniture here and don't regret it one bit. There's nothing like paying for something that will last. more

We have bought some furniture at the Rubin's clearance center and prices are cheaper and some times (if you're lucky) can find good stuff. We also bought our bedroom set at Rubin's downtown store and it was a good purchase I think. So, I think Rubin's is a better option than the other average stores (Ashley furniture, Stanhafeals, American, etc) and the price is sometimes about the same for a better quality than the average and better design. But obviously you have to shop around and compare before to buy. more

I've shopped at Rubin's Scandinavian on S. Whitney Way. The people are really nice and the variety of styles are somewhat limited, but quality and choice of fabrics is pretty good. The prices at the S. Whitney Way location is more affordable, in comparison to the flag-ship store on West Wilson St. downtown. I've visited Century House on University Ave (at Shorewood) and the prices are very high for similar quality and styles. Again, the people are nice, they've given me advice, and the time I need to decide...which is a challenge for me. Overall, if you like contemporary furniture, some-what smaller scaled (for the smaller apartment/home), Rubin's Scandinavian on S. Whitney Way is good in my opinion. The Clearance Center on Monona Drive is also pricey for discontinued, mis-matched and possibly damaged goods. I do a 'drive by' every 5 or 6 months just to see what's there, and if the price is good. Cheap & Indecisive, Madison, Wisconsin. more

If you're into paying too much money for corrupted or half-hearted takes on Modern classics, Rubin's is the furniture store for you. Aside from a couple respectable lines, such as Herman Miller's home products, most of the pieces are from second-tier brands or non-brands and priced at levels you'd expect in a town with no other good or large-scale alternatives. Many of Rubin's furniture is not so much designed as styled. If you squint, it looks decent, but try to get a close look at the aesthetic details and build quality before buying. I would recommend anyone interested in well-designed modern furniture to feel free to browse Rubin's, but to try online options before buying. Good alternatives include Design Within Reach, Ikea (similar quality to Rubin's, but a lot cheaper, and often better design; nearest brick-and-mortar store is in Schaumburg, IL), the Museum of Modern Art online store, Topdeq, West Elm (limited but sometimes worthwhile), Chiasso (hit or miss). If you're really looking for high-end contemporary and have the funds, I would recommend a trip to Luminaire in Chicago. Rubin's does have a store on the west side of Madison specializing in Scandinavian design which may be a little better, though I would recommend people who are into that sort of thing check Century House on University Avenue by Shorewood, first. more