Restoration Hardware (RH) offers luxury, heirloom-quality furnishings with a sophisticated, modern rustic aesthetic, characterized by large-scale pieces and premium materials. In contrast, Pottery Barn focuses on classic, approachable home decor that is versatile, family-friendly, and fits a mid-range budget with styles spanning from traditional to coastal.
Let's compare everything you need to know to decide which of these iconic brands is the right fit for your home and budget.
Restoration Hardware: The Luxury Statement Brand
Restoration Hardware, now known simply as RH, is a luxury brand synonymous with high-end, timeless home furnishings. It caters to affluent homeowners and interior designers seeking substantial, heirloom-quality pieces that make a definitive statement. The aesthetic is grand, sophisticated, and often leans toward neutral color palettes, creating a refined and cohesive look.
- Product mix: A complete selection of high-end furniture, lighting, bathware, textiles, and decor. The brand is known for its extensive collections featuring sofas, sectionals, dining tables, and beds.
- Style/vibe: Sophisticated, modern rustic, and industrial elegance. The look is defined by substantial pieces, natural materials like aged wood and stone, and neutral palettes.
- Price point: Luxury. Sofas typically start around $3,000 and can easily exceed $10,000, while dining tables are often in the $4,000–$8,000 range.
- Quality: Premium and artisanal. RH uses high-quality materials such as solid hardwoods, natural stone, Belgian linen, and top-grain leather, with an emphasis on durable, hand-finished craftsmanship.
- Dimensions/Scale: Large-scale and oversized. RH furniture is designed for spacious rooms, open-concept layouts, and homes with high ceilings, where its grand proportions can be appreciated.
- Shopping Experience: Immersive and aspirational. RH Galleries are often located in grand, architecturally significant buildings, offering a unique and luxurious browsing experience. Interior design services are a core part of their offering.
- Sustainability: RH integrates responsibly sourced and eco-friendly materials. The brand’s focus, however, remains primarily on luxury and exclusivity rather than sustainability marketing.
Restoration Hardware is the destination for those looking to invest in statement furniture that defines a room with a sense of permanence and sophisticated style.
Shop Restoration Hardware: rh.com
Pottery Barn: The Classic American Home
As a Williams-Sonoma-owned brand, Pottery Barn has mastered the art of comfortable, classic, and stylish home furnishings that feel both polished and lived-in. It targets a broad audience, from young professionals to growing families, offering well-made pieces that are functional, versatile, and designed to withstand the rigors of everyday life. The brand is a go-to for creating a warm, inviting, and coordinated home environment without a luxury price tag.
- Product mix: A wide range of home goods, including furniture for every room, bedding, rugs, lighting, window treatments, and decor.
- Style/vibe: Warm, inviting, and classic. The aesthetic is a comfortable blend of traditional, farmhouse, and coastal styles that are highly adaptable to various interiors.
- Price point: Mid-range to upper-mid-range. Sofas typically cost between $1,200 and $3,500, with an extensive selection of dining tables from $800 to $2,500.
- Quality: Solid and dependable. Pottery Barn uses durable materials like solid woods and performance fabrics, focusing on quality construction that's meant for daily use.
- Dimensions/Scale: Versatile and adaptable sizing. The brand offers pieces that fit a wide range of spaces, including compact and modular furniture perfect for apartments and smaller rooms.
- Customization: Extensive customization options are available for upholstered items, with a huge selection of fabric types and colors to choose from.
- Sales: Pottery Barn runs frequent sales and promotions, particularly around holidays, making its already accessible price point even more attractive.
- Sustainability: The brand prominently features its commitment to sustainability, offering GREENGUARD Gold Certified furniture, Fair Trade Certified products, and responsibly sourced materials.
Pottery Barn delivers timeless, comfortable furniture that you can build a welcoming home around, offering excellent style and durability for its price point.
Shop Pottery Barn: potterybarn.com
Restoration Hardware vs. Pottery Barn Comparison
Price Comparison
There is a significant price difference between the two brands. Restoration Hardware operates in the luxury market, where pieces are considered long-term investments. A fabric sofa can start at $3,000, while a larger leather sectional can easily be over $15,000. Their infamous "Cloud Sofa" runs from $5,000 to over $12,000 depending on configuration and fabric.
Pottery Barn occupies a much more accessible, mid-range to upper-mid-range price point. A comparable fabric sofa from Pottery Barn might range from $1,500 to $4,000. Additionally, Pottery Barn frequently offers sitewide sales of 20-40% off, while RH sales events are less common and typically part of their members-only program.
Style & Aesthetic
The defining aesthetic of Restoration Hardware is grand, monochromatic, and sophisticated. It favors designs that are modern-meets-industrial, with an emphasis on texture and natural materials like raw wood, burnished metal, and linen. The look is cohesive, structured, and luxurious, best suited for those who want a meticulously designed space.
Pottery Barn’s style is much warmer and more versatile. It leans into classic American home styles, including farmhouse, coastal, and traditional designs. Their color palettes are typically warmer and more varied, and the overall feeling is inviting, comfortable, and family-oriented. Their pieces are designed to be mixed and matched more easily to create a personal, lived-in feel.
Quality & Construction
Both brands offer quality furniture, but they cater to different expectations. RH focuses on heirloom-quality construction, using premium materials like solid oak, Italian leather, and hand-forged steel. The craftsmanship reflects the luxury price point, with attention paid to fine details aimed at creating furniture that lasts for decades.
Pottery Barn builds furniture for durability in an active home. They use solid pine or mahogany, kiln-dried hardwoods in frames, and a wide array of performance fabrics designed to resist stains and wear. While it is well-made and sturdy, the material richness and artisanal detailing are not at the same level as RH. It prioritizes practical durability over pure luxury.
Product Selection & Scale
Restoration Hardware is known for its oversized, statement-making furniture. Their sofas are deeper, tables longer, and lighting larger to fit grand living spaces. This large scale can easily overwhelm smaller rooms or apartments, making it a better choice for homeowners with generous square footage.
Pottery Barn excels in offering variety and adaptability. They provide a broad range of sizes to suit different homes, from sprawling houses to city apartments. Many of their popular collections include "small space" versions, modular sectionals, and extendable dining tables, providing flexibility for different needs and room layouts.
Shopping Experience
Shopping at RH is an experience in itself. Their multi-level galleries are awe-inspiring design destinations, often complete with restaurants and wine bars, designed to inspire and showcase a particular lifestyle. The service is high-touch, with a strong focus on their interior design program.
The Pottery Barn shopping experience is more traditional and approachable. Their brick-and-mortar stores are welcoming and well-staged, while their website is extremely user-friendly with robust filtering options and design resources. They also offer free design help (both in-store and virtual), which is a valuable service for customers needing guidance.
Which One Should You Choose?
The right choice comes down to your budget, personal style, and the scale of your home. Both brands are leaders in their respective market segments for a reason.
Choose Restoration Hardware if:
- You are making a significant, long-term investment in heirloom-quality furniture.
- You have a spacious home that can accommodate large-scale, substantial pieces.
- Your aesthetic is modern, industrial, or sophisticated rustic.
- You value premium materials like solid hardwoods, fine leather, and natural stone.
Choose Pottery Barn if:
- You are looking for stylish, comfortable furniture at an accessible, mid-range price.
- You need durable pieces that can stand up to daily life with children and pets.
- Your home decor style is classic, traditional, farmhouse, or coastal.
- You need versatile sizing options to fit a standard or smaller-sized room.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Restoration Hardware or Pottery Barn cheaper?
Pottery Barn is significantly cheaper than Restoration Hardware. Prices at Pottery Barn fall into the mid-range to upper-mid-range market, while RH is firmly positioned as a luxury brand with premium price points across all categories.
Which has better quality furniture?
Restoration Hardware generally has higher-quality furniture in terms of materials and craftsmanship, focusing on artisanal details and premium materials designed for longevity. However, Pottery Barn offers excellent quality for its price point, with a focus on durable construction and performance fabrics suitable for everyday family life.
What is the style of Restoration Hardware?
The RH style is a sophisticated blend of modern, industrial, and classic influences. It is known for its large-scale furniture, neutral color palettes, textural fabrics like linen and velvet, and materials like aged wood and burnished metals.
Which brand is better for small spaces?
Pottery Barn is much better for small spaces. They offer many collections with apartment-sized sofas, compact chairs, and extendable tables. Restoration Hardware's famously oversized furniture is generally not suitable for smaller rooms.
Is Restoration Hardware furniture comfortable?
While known for its visual appeal, comfort is a key feature of many RH collections, particularly its best-selling Cloud Sofa, which is famous for its deep, plush cushions. However, some of their more structured, industrial designs prioritize form over function.
Is Pottery Barn a good brand for families?
Yes, Pottery Barn is an excellent brand for families. They offer a wide selection of performance fabrics that are stain-resistant and easy to clean. Their furniture is built to be durable for everyday use, and their inviting, comfortable styles are perfect for a family home.
Does Restoration Hardware have sales?
Restoration Hardware does not have traditional sales as often as other retailers. Instead, they offer lower pricing to members of their RH Members Program, which costs an annual fee and provides a set discount (typically 25%) on all full-priced items.
Are returns easier at Pottery Barn or Restoration Hardware?
Pottery Barn generally has a more flexible and straightforward return policy, typical of mainstream retailers. Luxury brands like RH often have stricter policies, especially for large furniture items and custom orders, which frequently have restocking fees or are considered final sale.
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