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rockybird

RH coming out with modern look

10 years ago

I was at Restoration Hardware this weekend to buy bedding for my new guest bed. The salesperson told me that RH is coming out with a modern/minimalist/midcentury line in Nov-Dec. I decided to wait on the bedding to see the new stuff, as it will include bedding items. I just thought I'd let you all know in case anyone else is in the same boat.

Comments (33)

  • 10 years ago

    I'm glad to hear it. I can't stand their current collections, at least in furniture: oversized, fake rustic, ugly greyed or "antiqued" finishes, at exorbitant prices. In fact, I remember contributing to a thread several years ago where most of us had the same objections.

    I know "Mad Men" style is coming back in a big way, and it's one trend I embrace. I'm old enough to have fond memories of mid-century modern furniture, and still own some of it. I kick myself now for giving away some of my in-laws' 60's furniture, I'd love to have it now!

    But I can't comment on RH bedding or linens, I've never really looked at it.

  • 10 years ago

    Found this video. Start watching around 7:10 to get a look at the new modern line. The whole video is very interesting and if you have time I suggest watching it. . They must be rolling in the money. 500 page catalogue.

  • 10 years ago

    Looks like they are loving the brassy gold look.

  • 10 years ago

    And everything is still oversized and chunky with so much gray.

  • 10 years ago

    Thanks ceezceecz for the video! I like the vanities. Some of the other stuff I like also, but I think there is too much brass. Also, it looks like a lot of it is oversized. LOL their videos are always so melodramatic.

  • 10 years ago

    Watched the video. While I don't own any RH furniture, I do have bathroom fixtures, drapes, pillows and throws. In general, their furniture is more suited for a celebrity mansion given the huge scale of most pieces. I did see some things in the video that I liked, but again, they are much too large for my 2100 sf home. I miss the small stores that RH has closed in favor of their massive 'experience' buildings. I've been to the Boston store once and don't plan to return any time soon. Actually drove by it as I thought it was a museum.

  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    We will be seeing tons of black (matte and shinny) and gold mixtures (matte and shinny) this season. I welcome it back with open arms but also with a bit of caution. A lot of it is stylish and fresh but some of it is a throw back to 1990"s. Step gently. Do all in good taste.

  • 10 years ago

    I'll have to wait until later to watch the video, but my first reaction to RH and modern in the same sentence was, "That's crazy talk!"

    I stopped going into RH stores several years ago when I realized that I became stressed and depressed as soon as I crossed the threshold. Not exaggerating.

  • 10 years ago

    ohh ceezeecz - you had to link that! I am not a RH fan, never have been. But I LOVE a couple of the sofas in that collection - and a few other things as well. Bad ceezeecz, bad !!

  • 10 years ago

    I think that this stuff might work for a midcentury esthetic in a newer larger house, or in a loft setting, but for a lot of genuine Midcentury houses, the scale may be too large.

  • 10 years ago

    Thanks so much for posting the link and the time mark. There's still nothing that appeals to me.

  • 10 years ago

    Not impressed. At all.

  • 10 years ago

    I don't have 20' ceilings and it looked like a lot of their stuff was oak which I really don't care for.

    Are they rebranding their stores? It sounds like they're setting up large stand-alone stores which means they won't be in my market. And maybe with a reconfigured logo? Not sure who their new target market is.

  • 10 years ago

    Thanks for the link! I liked a few things, but RH never seems to work out for me. Something is always wrong even if I like it. I like all the brass, but I will not rush to change everything in my house back to brass just to be current.

  • 10 years ago

    MCM for the McMansion set.

    i was recently in their huge stand-alone store in Greenwich for the first time. It seemed almost as if they had their entire 500 page catalog on display there. But it was really a showroom, not a store. The salesperson said they had virtually nothing in stock, not even basic bedding. I hated the shopping experience, but I'm not an RH fan. The store was mobbed, though.

  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    I cant stand RH and their precious drafty Belgian castle esthetic. Now comes the RH machine to remake midcentury modern for McMansions.....dont they ever get tired of themselves?

    ...adding that bfenton is right, they seem to have cornered the oak slab market but they've made sure every bit of it has been bleached and dyed a featureless gray. Sort of like the video of Friedman's talking face, whose character and personality have been botoxed and chemical peeled away. That man is a living metaphor for his furniture.

    (Edited b/c I attributed a comment to the wrong poster)

  • 10 years ago

    I've found a few photos on a few blogs. It looks more Modern to me than Mid-Century Modern. Not that a change isn't welcome from RH, but this doesn't look like stuff that would be at home in an Eichler. It looks like stuff that belongs in NY apartments and Hollywood homes. Some pretty things, though.

  • 10 years ago

    I can't get the video to load (my iPad is acting the fool today). I'm so curious to see the new stuff.

    I like some RH things, but some I just find as pretentious as Friedman himself. They do have a bed I've lusted after for years (it was in a wonderful guest cottage we rented for a vacation), but the horror stories I've read about getting large items shipped ... no way. I keep hoping to find it on CL someday.

  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    I haven't viewed the video, but did anyone get the Anthropoligie catalog yesterday with their home line? The one with the long pink sofa on the front? Some nice accent chairs in there though in beautiful colors. Spendy but nice.

  • 10 years ago

    MizGG, here's some I found via a Google Image search. Not sure it's all from there Modern line as I got bored and had to stop. I'm a big MCM fan and this does not fit that style. At all.

  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    Thank you, justgotabme!

    I see some things I like, maybe because I'm just excited that RH is finally branching away from all the airplane hangar chic, 1900s industrial age, etc. But I agree with you .... I don't see it as MCM.

    A pic popped up in the images .... remember the "deconstructed furniture" line? Probably the most unintentionally hilarious furniture I've ever seen. :D

  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    To me, much of it seems impractical for the way that most of us really live. But I don't hate it. I find it merely "meh."

    Just read MizGG's comment above and had to Google RH's Deconstructed Line. Oh. Mah. Gah. SERIOUSLY? Hahahahahaha!

  • 10 years ago

    I don't see the line as MCM at all, barring 1 or 2 pieces that might fit that style (for example, the lines of the dining table with the brass base would fit with Danish modern styles, although the brass is a departure). Modern, yes; mid-century, no. The wood finishes, which are entirely in line with what RH has done in their other lines, run toward gray and rustic. The concrete table bases pull in a bit of brutalism. And more gray.

    As with all things RH, I like some of the pieces individually, but taken together they are just dreary and depressing.

  • 10 years ago

    MizGG - I put better looking things than that at the curb when we moved. That "deconstructed" junk just proves the adage that a fool and his money are soon parted!

  • 10 years ago

    In one of the new stores they will have a restaurant integrated in with the store (not a cafe in a corner). Maybe this way I will get someone to go shopping with me for a change! Do you think they will bring you a plate of nachos while you sprawl on a modern sofa? That's the REAL way to try out furniture.

  • 10 years ago

    That chair is just ugly and looks extremely poorly made.

  • 10 years ago

    Just watched most of that video and have not recovered yet. Really? How are they making so much money out of that stuff??!? I don't even know what this reaction says about my level of taste -- perhaps I'm old before my time?

  • 10 years ago

    I like some of RH stuff, but everything in that line looks so blocky and bulky to me.

  • 10 years ago

    I have to admit I’m thoroughly enjoying this thread, some of
    the creative snarking is hilarious.

    I’m no expert in business, but I just don’t understand RH's
    model: can they really make money only targeting the 1%, people with supersized
    houses and enough discretionary income to experiment with their edgy-but-weird
    designs? Stores that don’t have merchandise to buy on the spot? Really?

    Regarding whether their new designs are faithful, or even
    well inspired by, MCM, it’s probably fair to wait for the full catalog to come
    out since what’s on line so far is somewhat limited. But what I miss in what I
    see in justgotabeme’s google search is the beautiful wood that’s so typical of much
    MCM. Teak, rosewood, walnut, even molded plywood, all had beautifully grained,
    smooth surfaced, natural looking, mostly unornamented wood with lovely, simple,
    graceful lines. It was sensibly scaled for smaller homes. I don’t see that here.

    The one welcome note for me is the return of brass. Nothing
    against brushed nickel, I like it just fine, but I’ve always loved, and had,
    brass. It’s got a warmth that can’t be beat, but for so long it was difficult
    to find modern looking pieces or hardware in brass. A few years ago we bought a vintage arc lamp
    in shiny brass with a marble base, probably paid about $200 for it. I just looked
    on line and found postings of the same lamp for $800 - $1975. Yikes!

    Pretentious though he may be, RH’s Gary Friedman may be
    right when he said, about their new collection “The largest trends in home design are driven
    by the dead: that's right, generations pass away and their possessions go into
    estate sales which feed the antique markets which feed the high-end design
    trade which feed the reproduction market and trickle down from there.”

    Here’s an example of the reproduction market: I work in a
    building constructed in the 60’s which still has a number of classic Hans
    Wegner chairs, the one called “The Chair.” I love their look and have foraged several for
    my office. Authentic ones go for about $2,500.
    But now you can buy reproductions for under $200!

  • 10 years ago

    Short synopsis of the speech:
    http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/restoration-hardware-announces-rh-modern-220587

    "The return to urban living and revitalization of cities", in my opinion would mean smaller scale furniture.

  • 10 years ago

    You're absolutely right, nosoccerman. And the rest of that thought ....."as our major cities densify and grow vertical...we believe modern living will become more meaningful than at any point in human history and RH Modern will be leading the way"

    I guess he thinks previous generations' lives were less meaningful because they didn't have RH furniture....what a gasbag.

  • 10 years ago

    "gasbag" too funny! I couldn't stand to watch that guy.

    Diane