I don't like restoration hardware goods and I loathe their negative environmental impact marketing of the huge / multi catalogs they send out. I have purchased exactly one thing from RH (a curtain rod) and it is nothing special. I think faux fur is tacky in most iterations and to me their griege furniture obsession looks like it was designed to appeal to young people enamored of vampire movies. And on and on....

Their stuff is not outrageous; IMO it is drab, overpriced and aimed at a segment of the market that is heavily influenced by their peers. So whenever anyone satirizes the catalog I think it is pretty funny, depending upon the quality of the humor.

+1 kswl for the ridiculous catalog mailing. I refuse to buy from them after that

+1 kswl overpriced. Not that I would ever buy their stuff anyway as the prices are outrageous...probably because they have to cover the cost of the ridiculous catalog mailing

+1 kswl they're fun to satirize, esp since they've become the epitome of "trendiness for the wannabes" as opposed to their original roots in recreating beautiful antique and no longer available hardware and plumbing fixture days.

Restoration Hardware has become an easy target by becoming a bit extreme in its tastes (massive pieces with faux boho cred).

I resent every firm that sends me catalogues, and will one day lead a class action against them, since I am paying money to throw them away.

However, I am very happy with linen drapes I bought from them and I think they do a lot of basics well (towels, bedding). I also like a lot of their plumbing fixtures and lighting and nightstands. I adore their prism glass chandelier and would buy it if I could find a use for it! In fact, I am hard pressed to think of another mass retailer who makes as many things that I like that I feel are "classic".

Their prices are not bargains, but I don't know many mass market bargains. I have had a quality problem with their medicine cabinets. Not uncommon.

So, all in all, I find them a very useful source, but easily mocked for their style extremes.

I think these may be the folks who started poking fun at catalogs (link below). Partly because it's just fun to make fun of them, but some of the displays in catalogs -- not only RH catalogs -- are just silly.

I don't hate RH the way some others here do, but I find at least 75% of their stuff to be ridiculous either in terms of their looks or their price. I do have nightstands from RH that I adore and got for a great price on sale, a couple of floor lamps that are great quality, and...well, I guess that's it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Funny catalog spoofs

I wouldn't go out of my way to bash it, but I agrees with the others-- I find their style to be visually depressing, oversized, and just not worth the prices.

If I still received the catalogue, I would probably be more annoyed by them. I called them a few years ago to be taken off of their mailing list and would recommend doing that for any catalogue you don't want to receive. It's a nuisance to have to have a 5-minute conversation per catalogue, but I think it's worth the reduced junk mail in the end.

I bought my LR and DR drapery panels from RH and are happy with them. Far less than custom would have been, and they look very nice.

I agree that their sending a gazillion catalogues to each house is so incredibly wasteful.....hello execs at RH.....breaking news....we can see your products online!

I can barely lift the catalogue lol

I called RH long ago and asked to be removed from their mailing list.

They have some nice stuff, but all at once is overwhelmingly dull visually and overpriced.

I have never bought anything from them until recently as most furniture type things are not my style. A couple of months ago they had a great sale on bathroom mirrors, bath lighting and cabinet hardware so I loaded up for the master bath remodel. I like what I bought but donâÂÂt think itâÂÂs worth the regular high price. ItâÂÂs all nice though.

In retrospect, the answer to my own question is 'it's just satire', and not a personal attack on my decorating taste.
I forget that genre is the norm these days, because I usually avoid it.
I am of the generation of the Sears, Montgomery Wards catalogs and seeing things that we would never see in stores, thus not understanding the RH hate.

I don't understand your last sentence. I am 58 and of the Sears
Catalog generation but don't understand your last point. ??

We purchased lighting and plumbing fixtures from RH. I like Industrual Modern (old typewriters, scales, etc) and have collected it long before RH made it groovy.

I likely bash the decor that others adore so it is all good. Buy what you like.

Massive catalogs, numerous times of the year were the norm and the 'go to' resource, and looked forward to receiving each season.
So a catalog still has some of that allure to me, even as I am aware of the massive waste they were. So, that nostalgia made me question the catalog hate. I took it more personally rather than satire, because I like and incorporate some of their ideas.

I used to enjoy going in to RH, but then they drastically changed into a store I didn't even recognize and no longer enjoyed shopping at. Our local store is filled with gigantic over-sized, drab-looking furniture and little else. I am baffled by the abrupt switch. I don't know a single person who likes the new store or merchandise.

I received one of their "catalogs" a few weeks ago, which is actually a collection of catalogs, delivered in shrink wrap, weighing several pounds, and requiring my mailman to make a trip to my front door because it was too large and heavy to fit in the mailbox.

I think a bit of the "hate" is caused by such an excessive waste of paper and resources when much of today's focus is on "going green." My catalog "package" went straight from the mail truck into the recycle bin. My own personal "hate" of RH catalogs is just an extension of my dislike for their "new" store.

I agree that RH catalogue is a waste. Maybe if people complained, they would consider slimming it down.

It took social media poking fun at CVS and their mile long receipts when you purchased one item to get them to stop.

I bought a pair of down filled bootees for Mom from RH. They weigh about 2 ounces. The package weighed about 10 pounds because of all of the catalogues that were included in the box. I'm off their catalogue list, but apparently that doesn't protect me from getting them when I order something.

I love all the snarky satire that has risen up around the sometimes silly pictures they use.

Whatever, I think Gary Friedman must be a genius.

I don't think most catalogs get nearly the attention that one does.

Attention and sales are two different things.

They're private now, so it will be years before the public knows whether their high price low volume strategy is working out.

ETA: Forgot they're public again, and they brought Friedman back after he was sacked for boinking his young assistant.

This post was edited by marcolo on Tue, Dec 2, 14 at 16:54

The faux fur seems like a lot. I do like fur, but in tiny doses. Somebody must be buying it though. It's nice to have different options. I think a lot of it is quite expensive. Sometimes I'll see a set up that looks ridiculous to me because it's so far from the norm. (Usually involves selling kid stuff.) It doesn't usually have me laughing in stitches either.

This post was edited by sheesharee on Wed, Dec 3, 14 at 17:14

I enjoy the drama of the fact we are actually talking about it and admire what they have done to make it a household name.
The catalogs are memorable. They have created a brand.

HOWEVER, I ordered one small item from them several years ago and it was only on the fourth package to the house that it was right. (I had to call, complain, package up all the others)
Granted, everyone I spoke to was exceedingly courteous and seemingly helpful.
I would never, ever, order a major item from them.

"It took social media poking fun at CVS and their mile long receipts when you purchased one item to get them to stop."

I just received one of those mile long receipts at CVS a couple of days ago ...

Jterrilynn;

ALERT in re your bathroom mirrors.

According to RH, their mirrors should only be cleaned with water only --- not WINDEX. Just ask me and Sayde (another GW poster with the same ruined mirrors).

Allow me to quote from their email:
"Thank you for contacting Restoration Hardware regarding order number 2960285. I have reviewed your photos and confirmed that this is not a defect in the mirror.
Over time, household cleaners that seep behind the mirror during cleaning will cause these spots. A glass and mirror specialists may be able to repair the damage.
It is recommended that mirrors be cleaned by using a soft cloth, dampened with water, and then dried immediately using a paper towel or another soft, dry cloth."

I guess the Windex people will be surprised to hear this.

MTN, No Windex! How crazy is that? IâÂÂm so glad you told me because as far as my husband is concerned we could have just gone to Homedepot lol. I could just see me wiping them down with Windex every day to keep all thatâÂÂs new all sparkly only to have them turn in a few weeks. Then IâÂÂd get blamed for spending too much on crap and IâÂÂd have HD thrown in my face as a told ya so. You might have just saved a marriage!

I have lots of RH plumbing fixtures. To call them garbage is a hurtful insult to landfills everywhere.

mtnrdredux "massive pieces with faux boho cred"

Just out of curiosity - what gives something "legit boho cred"?

Edit: I realize now this kinda sounds snarky. I'm actually just curious.

This post was edited by Swentastic on Tue, Dec 2, 14 at 20:23

Marcolo lol! ETA: Forgot they're public again, and they brought Friedman back after he was sacked for boinking his young assistant.

Boinking ? Hahahaha that is so funny! I havenâÂÂt heard that word used in so long.

Boink boink boink vvvvvvv boink
boink boink boink

This post was edited by jterrilynn on Tue, Dec 2, 14 at 18:36

*yawn*....same thing, year after year. Colorless, drab, and over priced. The only thing i've ever purchased were outside light fixtures at 20% off. Saw the same thing in a lighting store at buku $$$ more.

Mt'dux, how can liquid 'seep behind' a poreless material? it there a frame? I have antique mirrors and have used windex for years~excuses, excuses, excuses.

I live in the boonies, so I've never seen a RH store, let alone go in one. That being said, I don't mind their catalog, I actually enjoy it. I've only ordered a couple light fixtures from them, so I haven't had a lot of experience with their goods. I think a lot of their stuff is ridiculous, but so is half of most other catalogs or magazines. I do get some good ideas from them, although not necessarily using their items. However, I find the spoofs/bashing hilarious. Life's too short to be so serious.

I'm not on RH's list. Didn't they start out as being a kind of kitschy, retro, overpriced hardware store?

I have gotten an LL Bean catalog every day for the past ten days. One day is Outdoor, the next is Men's, the next is Women's, then Kids, then Furniture and on and on. I am sure if I piled them all up, they would be as big as the dreaded RH catalog.

The irony is I never look at them. I look at their web site or go to their store.

I normally have one grocery bag of paper recyclables every two weeks, but this time of year I have double that with all the catalogs and advertising flyers.

As for the RH store, I find their prices to be awfully high for what they offer. I also think their furniture is made for Goliath's house. It's enormous.

Jellytoast pretty much said what I was thinking:
"I used to enjoy going in to RH, but then they drastically changed into a store I didn't even recognize and no longer enjoyed shopping at. Our local store is filled with gigantic over-sized, drab-looking furniture and little else. I am baffled by the abrupt switch. I don't know a single person who likes the new store or merchandise."
Like Jelly, I used to really enjoy RH stores, and I considered them one of my favorites...and then they morphed into something else entirely...like as if one day PB went Disney...you might walk in and feel disoriented, and maybe if a loyal customer liked you'd been slapped in the face.

Katy, thanks for clarifying that, I do see what you mean.

Maybe there are just so many catalogs now that nothing is really that special? I used to wait with bated breath for my Gorsuch catalog and now it too is just another piece of paper to toss. I do miss the Pierre Deux catalogs, though!

My biggest problem with RH is that the colors look like someone uses a gray- meter to measure just how much gray has to be added to drab each item down to the RH standard :-).

Check out the article I linked below - adding more pages to their current catalogs and even adding new catalogs as well. And don't miss the section claiming double digit growth - huh? I too receive the over abundance of mailings from them and they go straight to the recycle bin.

Here is a link that might be useful: RH in the news

Jterri, I know, really!

Patty, Yes, it's quite absurd, we've more than a few mirrors too. It only takes a bit of internet searching for the answer. Mirrors are silvered on the back, and really cheap ones can turn black from Windex interacting with the silvering. Yup. But only CRAPPY mirrors do that.

Swen,
Well, if a Boho finds it first! You know, like when someone cool, artsy and penniless invents something or discovers something.
Not when, 10 years later, guys in suits sit in meetings, asking other guys in suits to bid on how little they can pay oppressed Indonesian women to copy it.

A good frameless bathroom mirror will go for decades without starting to blacken at the edge closest to the sink, where it probably gets the most steam, wear and tear and Windex. One of the gigantic full wall bathroom mirrors in my parents house (of two) started to do that a few years back at about year 40.

The bathroom mirror in my last apartment, from Home Depot or Lowe's started doing it in 2 years.

The problem noted in this thread is that you are paying Not Cheap mirror prices, for a piece of mirror that is probably very cheap.

Ahhh mtn I get what you mean now! I thought I was missing out on some defining characteristic of boho. Like furniture only from the Czechs? Huh?? Haha

RH has some pretty things once in awhile but they are too expensive for me. I also liked the styling better when they were in their "millions of glass cloches and moss" phase until PB went in the same direction. Seems like RH got all dark and twisty after that - too drab for my tastes.

Yeah, both Sayde and I had black edges on our RH mirrored med cabinets within months. Mine was in a bathroom used only by DH, though probably windexed twice a week by the cleaning people (fools! using Windex on a mirror!). Of course, so is every other mirror in the house, and most mirrors we have ever owned, and I had never seen this before.

" ... and then they morphed into something else entirely... you might walk in and feel disoriented, and maybe if a loyal customer, liked you'd been slapped in the face."

RH isn't the only one ... remember when Banana Republic made their abrupt turn into "something else entirely" ? They used to have a fun little catalog and store filled with travel items and safari-type and travel clothing before morphing into a clothing store catering to the corporate/business/office crowd. The name of the store and what's inside now seem quite at odds with each other, which is true for Restoration Hardware as well.

> And don't miss the section claiming double digit growth - huh?

I wonder. We don't have an RH anywhere near here, but their outlet is about an hour north of me and today I went there because I know someone who would like those crystal snowflakes in their holiday catalog.

I thought the store must be closed because there wasn't a single car in the parking lot. I was the only customer in the place in December. When they first opened there was a fair amount of interest, but evidently it's true that nobody likes that level of drab once they've seen it in person. It sure is a depressing store.

BTW, the knockoff crystal snowflakes at Dillards are much nicer than the RH version.

Ded, yes! Really. Let's tear apart Sundance, LL Bean, Land's End and Pottery Barn too. I get a bazillion catalogs from them weekly. I also get plenty of Penzeys but they are loved by most.

kswl, I miss those Pierre Deux catalogs, too! I saved about 30 of them, and I still love to look through them for inspiration. The colors just make me happy!

This post was edited by LucyStar1 on Wed, Dec 3, 14 at 21:27

Jellytoast - You've reminded me of a great disappointment. Banana Republic used to be one of my favorite catalogs. I was so excited when they opened a store in our area. Then I went there. "WTF is this stuff?", I wondered, "Do they have the good stuff in the back of the store?" They didn't. I've never been back.

I went to an RH outlet once while in another city. It too was pretty well deserted. I found the outlet to be as overpriced as the regular stores are.

RH isn't the only catalog satarized. This is from Catalog Living and spoofs Plow Hearth.

{{!gwi}}
After waking to a distant tapping sound, Gary and Elaine ran downstairs just in time to witness their Christmas tree hatching.

Here is a link that might be useful: Catalog Living

The article kathy-ny linked above was interesting...but I found this tidbit incredible:

The luxury home furnishings retailer is also upping its game on the merchandising front by expanding assortments in categories such as leather, raising the page count of the Source Book catalogs that it mails and adding catalogs in new categories such as rugs.

What? In this day and age of paperless electronics, if you can't get your point across in 3,300 pages, 17 lbs. of catalogs, do you really think adding more pages is going to be helpful?!?! Even War and Peace is only 1,400 pages.

And the size of the stores they're building is unbelievable. 70,000 sq ft? That's over 1 1/2 acres! Just imagine what they're going to have to do to prices to support that footprint!

Yikes!

I love everything I have ever bought at RH, and I love getting the catalogs! If you don't like them, just call and ask to be taken off the list. ( Waste?!? Don't even get me started on how much the government wastes our tax money. That is actually "our" money. Think of the paper the government uses to do every little tiny thing. I don't even want to think about it.) At least I actually get something from RH. The article was hilarious though -