Marin County has a new stop for custom flooring: Ernesta opened its first Northern California showroom in Mill Valley, bringing to-the-inch custom rugs, stair runners and one-on-one design help to Strawberry Village. The opening marks the direct-to-consumer rug brand's second location in California and its 13th showroom nationwide.
According to a company announcement, Ernesta's Mill Valley showroom is designed to serve the broader Bay Area and Northern California, giving local shoppers a place to see and touch custom-sized rugs rather than ordering sight-unseen. The release, also covered by Morningstar, notes the showroom offers stair runners, hallway runners and cutouts alongside its standard custom-size rug lineup, with white-glove delivery and expert installation included. Shoppers can also get personalized guidance from the showroom's design experts, and the company's own location page notes no appointment is necessary to stop in.
Ernesta's custom rugs come with to-the-inch sizing and can reportedly be delivered in as little as two weeks, a turnaround the brand has leaned on as a selling point against traditional custom-order furnishings that can take months. The Mill Valley location is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., per the same announcement.
A Rapid Build-Out Across the Country
Founded in 2022, Ernesta has grown quickly from an online-only rug seller into a brand with 13 showrooms nationwide, including two now in California. The company said in July that it was in the middle of a rollout totaling 10 new showroom openings within 10 months, according to a separate PR Newswire release, with executives saying customers wanted the chance to experience the rugs in person even though online ordering remained available.
That expansion has included stops well beyond the Bay Area. Ernesta opened a showroom in Fairfax, Virginia, inside the Mosaic District near Washington, D.C., which Furniture Today reported was the brand's tenth location, carrying the same wool, natural fiber and performance rug lines along with one-on-one consultations. Other showrooms have opened in Ardmore, Bethesda, Birmingham, Charlotte, Dallas, Greenwich, Manhasset, Summit and on Manhattan's Upper East Side, where Ernesta opened its first brick-and-mortar store in April 2024.
In California, Ernesta's first foothold was a Santa Monica showroom at 1308 Montana Avenue, which Edhat reported was the company's 12th location overall. Ernesta has said the Mill Valley opening is an important next step in its push to expand its presence on the West Coast.
New Collections Join the Showroom Floor
Alongside the Mill Valley launch, Ernesta is also expanding its product lineup. The Earth Tones Collection focuses on warm, foundational hues rendered in high-quality natural fibers, while the Modern Geometry Collection relies on texture rather than color to build pattern and depth, both according to the company's announcement.
The push into more showrooms follows a $20 million Series B funding round that Ernesta raised to support growth, additional locations and technology upgrades, according to Retail Dive. That outlet reported the company expects to reach 30 showrooms nationwide by the end of 2027. Business of Home has described the brick-and-mortar push and a growing focus on interior designers as a shift from Ernesta's original online-only strategy.
For now, Marin County shoppers have a nearby option to browse custom rug samples, work with design staff and order pieces sized to their exact floor plans, all without booking an appointment in advance.
