Rejuvenation specializes in high-quality, heritage-inspired lighting, hardware, and furniture with a strong emphasis on vintage styles and custom craftsmanship. In contrast, Pottery Barn offers a broader range of approachable, family-friendly home furnishings designed for everyday comfort, catering to classic, farmhouse, and coastal aesthetics at a more accessible price point.
Let's compare these two brands to help you decide which is the right choice for furnishing your home.
Rejuvenation: The Heritage Craftsmanship Choice
Rejuvenation, part of the Williams-Sonoma family of brands, is a go-to for shoppers seeking high-quality, timeless pieces reminiscent of historic American design. The brand is renowned for period-authentic lighting and hardware, often handcrafted with meticulous attention to detail. This makes it a favorite among interior designers and homeowners undertaking renovations, especially for projects involving historic or vintage-style homes.
- Product mix: Primary focus on lighting (pendants, chandeliers, sconces) and hardware (knobs, pulls, door sets). Also offers a curated selection of furniture, rugs, mirrors, and home accessories.
- Style/vibe: Vintage-inspired, classic, industrial, farmhouse, and transitional. Styles often reflect specific design periods, from Art Deco to Mid-Century Modern.
- Price point: Higher-end and premium. Lighting fixtures start around $200 and can easily exceed $1,000 for intricate designs. Furniture pieces typically range from $500 to $3,000.
- Quality: Exceptional craftsmanship using high-end materials like solid brass, wrought iron, and reclaimed wood. Products are built for longevity and have a substantial, durable feel.
- Customization: A key strength, with extensive options for customizing lighting finishes, shades, and lengths to perfectly fit a specific space.
- Sustainability: Strong focus on responsible sourcing, using reclaimed materials, and offering eco-friendly finishing options.
- Where to buy: Available online through the Rejuvenation website and in select showrooms across the country.
Rejuvenation is ideal for those willing to invest in heirloom-quality, period-authentic pieces that serve as focal points in a home.
Shop Rejuvenation: rejuvenation.com
Pottery Barn: The Classic American Home Brand
For decades, Pottery Barn has been a staple for American homes, providing stylish and reliable furniture and decor that balance quality with accessibility. The brand is known for creating a warm, comfortable, and inviting home environment with pieces that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing. Their extensive product range makes it a convenient one-stop shop for furnishing nearly any room in the house.
- Product mix: A comprehensive selection of home furnishings, including living room furniture (sofas, sectionals), bedroom sets, dining tables, outdoor furniture, rugs, bedding, lighting, and decor.
- Style/vibe: Classic, traditional, modern farmhouse, and coastal. The feeling is cozy, comfortable, and family-friendly.
- Price point: Mid-range. Sofas typically start around $999, dining tables from $799, and lighting fixtures range from $150 to $600.
- Quality: Consistently reliable for everyday use. Furniture is often constructed from solid woods and durable engineered wood with upholstery fabrics designed for comfort and resilience.
- Services: Offers free in-home and virtual design services to help customers plan their spaces, a major perk for those needing guidance.
- Rewards program: The Key Rewards program allows members to earn rewards across the family of brands, including West Elm, Williams Sonoma, and Rejuvenation.
- Sales: Holds frequent sales and promotional events around holidays, offering significant discounts.
- Where to buy: Can be found online at the Pottery Barn website, as well as in numerous brick-and-mortar stores and outlet locations.
Pottery Barn is the go-to choice for homeowners seeking timeless, comfortable, and versatile furniture at a solid value.
Shop Pottery Barn: potterybarn.com
Rejuvenation vs. Pottery Barn Comparison
Price Comparison
There is a clear distinction in price between these two brands. Rejuvenation operates in the premium to luxury end of the market. Its focus on handcrafted quality, authentic materials like solid brass, and extensive customization options results in higher price points. A simple pendant light might start at $200, while a larger chandelier can cost well over $1,500.
Pottery Barn is positioned in the mid-range market, making it significantly more accessible. Their scale and focus on well-designed but mass-produced items allow them to offer sofas starting around $999 and lighting often a third of the price of a comparable Rejuvenation fixture. Frequent sales at Pottery Barn further widen this gap, making it the more budget-friendly option for furnishing an entire home.
Style & Aesthetic
Rejuvenation’s aesthetic is rooted in historical accuracy and vintage design. Their collections are perfect for anyone restoring a historic home or who wants a specific period look, be it Craftsman, industrial, or mid-century revival. The style is detailed, authentic, and often serves as a statement piece that defines a room's character.
Pottery Barn's style is more versatile, built around creating a cohesive and inviting atmosphere. Their look combines elements of traditional, farmhouse, and coastal design for a result that is timeless yet current, cozy, and family-oriented. Their pieces are designed to be mixed and matched easily, suiting a wide variety of homes rather than a specific architectural period.
Quality & Construction
Rejuvenation's reputation is built on superior quality and materials. Lighting is often assembled in the US from domestic and imported parts, featuring heavy-gauge metals and high-end finishes. Their furniture emphasizes solid wood construction and durability, intended to last for decades. This is heirloom-quality hardware and lighting.
Pottery Barn offers solid, dependable quality designed for the realities of daily life. Furniture is a mix of solid wood, engineered wood, and veneers, with a focus on sturdy construction fit for a family home. While it's well-made and reliable for its price point, it doesn't typically feature the same level of artisanal detail or premium raw materials as Rejuvenation.
Product Selection
Pottery Barn is a full home-furnishing retailer. You can find everything from sofas and beds to bedding, dinnerware, and outdoor patio sets. Their selection is broad and deep, designed to furnish an entire home from a single brand.
Rejuvenation, while offering a curated furniture collection, remains a lighting and hardware specialist at its core. Their product selection is more focused and specialized. Shoppers go to them specifically for period-accurate sconces, cabinet knobs, or a statement chandelier, not typically to outfit an entire living room from scratch.
Customization Options
Customization is a major advantage for Rejuvenation. Most of their lighting fixtures are available with dozens of finish, shade style, and even length and rod configurations, allowing you to create a truly bespoke piece for your home. This is particularly valuable for unique architectural spaces or restoration projects.
Pottery Barn offers some customization, such as a wide variety of fabrics for their upholstered furniture like sofas and chairs. However, their lighting and case goods typically come in a few standard finishes, offering less flexibility than Rejuvenation.
Which One Should You Choose?
Both brands offer excellent products, but they are built for fundamentally different customers and projects.
Choose Rejuvenation if:
- You are restoring a period home and need historically authentic fixtures and hardware.
- You prioritize handcrafted quality, solid metals, and artisanal details in your decor.
- You need to customize the finish, size, or style of a light fixture for a specific space.
- You are looking for investment-level pieces that will last for decades.
Choose Pottery Barn if:
- You are furnishing a family home and need comfortable, durable, and stylish furniture.
- You prefer a classic, versatile aesthetic that is easy to coordinate and won't go out of style.
- You are shopping for a wide range of categories, including outdoor, bedding, and bath.
- You appreciate good value and want to take advantage of frequent sales and promotions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Rejuvenation or Pottery Barn cheaper?
Pottery Barn is significantly cheaper than Rejuvenation. Pottery Barn operates in the mid-range market with accessible prices and frequent sales, while Rejuvenation is a premium brand focused on high-end materials and craftsmanship, resulting in higher costs.
Which has better quality furniture?
Rejuvenation generally offers higher quality in terms of materials and construction. They emphasize period-authentic details, solid woods, and handcrafted elements. Pottery Barn offers good, reliable quality for everyday family life, but Rejuvenation's products are built to an heirloom or investment-grade standard.
Are Rejuvenation and Pottery Barn owned by the same company?
Yes, both Rejuvenation and Pottery Barn are owned by Williams-Sonoma, Inc., which also owns brands like West Elm and Williams Sonoma Home.
Which brand is better for lighting?
Rejuvenation is the specialist in lighting. They offer a vast selection of high-quality, period-authentic fixtures with extensive customization options. While Pottery Barn sells attractive lighting, Rejuvenation's quality, selection, and customization capabilities are superior.
Is Rejuvenation suitable for new homes?
Absolutely. While Rejuvenation excels at outfitting historic homes, its classic, industrial, and mid-century designs are extremely popular in modern homes to add character, warmth, and a sense of history.
Can I find sales at Rejuvenation?
Yes, Rejuvenation runs sales, particularly around seasonal events and holidays, but they are generally less frequent and with smaller discounts compared to Pottery Barn's promotional schedule.
Which brand is better for furnishing a family room?
For most families, Pottery Barn is a better choice for a family room. Their sectionals and sofas are designed for comfort and durability, a wide range of performance fabrics are available, and their overall aesthetic is comfortable and inviting.
Does either brand offer design help?
Yes, both brands offer design services. Pottery Barn actively promotes its free design services, which can be done in-store, in your home, or virtually. Rejuvenation also offers design consultations, often focused on helping customers choose the perfect lighting and hardware for their project.
At Interior Insider, we're dedicated to curating the best in home decor, interior design, and home essentials to help you discover brands we think you'll love. Every brand we feature is independently selected by our editorial team based on quality, design, and craftsmanship. When you make a purchase through our links, Interior Insider may earn a commission - which helps support our small team and allows us to continue bringing you inspiration and expert advice for creating your perfect space.
Looking for more inspiration? Explore our curated design guides to find your next favorite piece.
