Rh is a luxury home furnishings brand known for its grand, statement-making furniture with a monochrome, European-inspired aesthetic. In contrast, Pottery Barn offers a classic, family-friendly American style that is warm, versatile, and much more accessible in price. The primary difference comes down to Rh’s monumental scale and premium cost versus Pottery Barn's focus on creating a comfortable, lived-in home for a mid-range budget.
Let's break down everything you need to know to decide which brand is right for your home.
Rh: The Luxury Statement-Maker
Formerly Restoration Hardware, Rh is a brand synonymous with high-end, aspirational living. Its collections are characterized by timeless designs, often drawing inspiration from European antiques and classic industrial forms. Rh caters to affluent homeowners and design professionals who are looking to invest in heirloom-quality pieces that serve as the focal point of a room, creating a sense of sophisticated grandeur.
- Product mix: A curated selection of high-end furniture, including sprawling sectionals and elegant dining tables, plus opulent lighting, luxurious textiles, and a significant outdoor collection.
- Style/vibe: A blend of classic elegance and modern minimalism, often with a vintage or industrial edge. Features a neutral color palette, rich textures, and bold, substantial silhouettes.
- Price point: Luxury. Sofas typically start around $3,000 and can easily exceed $10,000, while solid wood dining tables can range from $4,000 to $8,000+.
- Quality: Premium materials are standard, including kiln-dried hardwoods for frames, high-density foam cushions, fine leathers, and artisanal finishes. Construction is meticulous and built for longevity.
- Dimensions/Scale: Rh's offerings are often large in scale, designed to fill spacious rooms and make a dramatic impact. Oversized pieces are a signature of the brand.
- Shopping Experience: Primarily an online retailer complemented by grand, gallery-like showrooms in major cities. A personal design service and white-glove delivery are key components of their high-end service model.
Rh is for those looking to invest in heirloom-quality, statement furniture that defines a room with a powerful sense of luxury and permanence.
Shop Rh: rh.com
Pottery Barn: The Classic American Home Brand
As part of the Williams-Sonoma family of brands that also includes West Elm, Pottery Barn is a retail staple known for making classic American design accessible. It focuses on comfortable, inviting, and practical furniture perfect for family life. With a broad appeal, it attracts everyone from first-time homeowners to established families looking for timeless pieces that balance style, comfort, and durability.
- Product mix: A wide selection of home goods, including sofas, beds, dining sets, bedding, lighting, and décor. The brand also has specialized collections like Pottery Barn Kids and Pottery Barn Teen.
- Style/vibe: Warm, traditional, and approachable. Seamlessly blends classic charm with modern comfort for a lived-in feel. Styles range from farmhouse to coastal to modern classic.
- Price point: Mid-range. Sofas generally run from $1,000 to $3,000, and dining tables are typically under $2,500, offering good value for the quality.
- Quality: Focuses on durable materials like solid hardwood frames and performance fabrics designed to withstand daily use. Eco-friendly materials and GREENGUARD Gold certifications are common.
- Customization: Offers extensive fabric choices for most upholstered furniture, allowing customers to tailor pieces to their specific home and lifestyle needs.
- Sustainability: Actively committed to sustainability through responsibly sourced wood (FSC-certified), eco-friendly textiles, and adherence to Fair Trade standards.
- Shopping Experience: Blends a strong online presence with hundreds of physical stores, allowing customers to see and touch products before buying. They also offer free design services.
Pottery Barn delivers timeless, reliable furniture that creates a comfortable and welcoming home without a luxury price tag.
Shop Pottery Barn: potterybarn.com
Rh vs. Pottery Barn Comparison
Price Comparison
There is a vast price difference between the two brands. Rh operates firmly in the luxury market, and its pricing reflects that. A simple sectional from Rh might start around $4,500 and climb to over $12,000. In sharp contrast, a comparable sectional from Pottery Barn will typically range from $1,200 to $3,000.
This gap extends across all product categories. Rh pieces are investments, priced for their premium materials, artisanal craftsmanship, and exclusive designs. Pottery Barn is positioned to offer great value, providing stylish, durable furniture at a mid-range price that is attainable for the average consumer.
Style & Aesthetic
The brands' design philosophies are worlds apart. Rh’s aesthetic is luxurious, dramatic, and sophisticated. Its collections often feature a subdued, neutral color palette, grand silhouettes, and rich textures that create a formal and refined atmosphere. The look is polished and often feels like it belongs in a high-end design showroom or a boutique hotel.
Pottery Barn champions a more approachable, cozy, and versatile look. Its style is classic American home - warm, inviting, and built for comfort. The aesthetic is perfect for creating family-friendly spaces that feel layered and personal over time, easily blending into various interior styles from coastal to modern farmhouse.
Quality & Construction
Both brands deliver quality furniture, but they target different standards. Rh focuses on heirloom-level construction, using top-tier materials like kiln-dried hardwoods, high-end finishing techniques, and premium performance fabrics. Its pieces are designed to last a lifetime, with heavy frames and meticulous attention to detail.
Pottery Barn builds its furniture for the rigors of everyday family life. They use reliable materials like solid wood frames, and their reputation is built on durability. While the construction is solid and dependable, it generally doesn't match the artisanal or bespoke quality found in Rh's more expensive offerings.
Product Selection
Both retailers offer comprehensive collections for the entire home, but their focus differs. Rh's selection is highly curated, with a strong emphasis on large investment pieces like seating, dining tables, beds, and chandeliers that command attention. The product lines feel cohesive and intentional, designed to create a specific, consistent aesthetic.
Pottery Barn provides a broader, more eclectic range of products. Beyond major furniture pieces, they have deep selections of bedding, tableware, rugs, curtains, and decorative accessories. This allows shoppers to furnish an entire room - or home - with relative ease, supported by a wider variety of styles and complementary items.
Dimensions & Scale
The scale of furniture is another key differentiator. Rh favors large-scale, dramatic pieces designed as focal points. Its oversized sofas, massive dining tables, and grand beds are best suited for spacious rooms with high ceilings where they have room to breathe.
Pottery Barn, on the other hand, offers a much wider range of sizes. Understanding that its customers live in all types of homes, their collections include apartment-sized sofas, configurable sectionals, and more modestly proportioned tables that work well in compact living spaces or standard suburban homes.
Shopping Experience
Shopping with Rh is intended to be an exclusive, high-touch experience. It relies heavily on its detailed website, stunning catalogs, and consultations with its in-house design team. Physical showrooms are few, designed as grand galleries that may be difficult to access without an appointment. White-glove delivery is the standard.
Pottery Barn offers a more accessible and traditional retail experience. With hundreds of stores nationwide, customers can easily interact with products in person. Their website is extremely user-friendly with handy planning tools, and their flexible delivery options and well-regarded customer service cater to a broad audience.
Sustainability & Ethics
Pottery Barn has made sustainability a core pillar of its brand identity. The company prominently features its use of responsibly sourced materials, like FSC-certified wood and organic cotton. It is also committed to fair labor practices and offers many GREENGUARD Gold certified products, ensuring low chemical emissions.
Rh's primary focus is on luxury materials and timeless craftsmanship. While the durability of its products is inherently sustainable, the brand is less vocal about specific environmental initiatives or certifications compared to Pottery Barn.
Which One Should You Choose?
While both brands offer beautiful home furnishings, they are designed for very different customers, budgets, and lifestyles.
Choose Rh if:
- You are investing in heirloom-quality, luxury furniture built to last for decades.
- Your home aesthetic is grand, sophisticated, and leaning toward modern-classic or vintage-industrial.
- Budget is not the primary limiting factor in your home furnishing decisions.
- You need substantial, oversized pieces to properly fill a spacious room.
Choose Pottery Barn if:
- You are looking for comfortable, classic, and versatile style for a family-friendly home.
- Durability and accessible pricing are your main priorities.
- You are furnishing a traditionally sized home or apartment and need scalable options.
- You value sustainable and ethically sourced materials in your home goods.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Rh or Pottery Barn more expensive?
Rh is significantly more expensive than Pottery Barn. As a luxury brand, Rh's pricing for furniture, lighting, and textiles is often three to five times higher than comparable items at the classic, mid-range Pottery Barn.
Which brand has better quality furniture, Rh or Pottery Barn?
Rh furniture is considered higher quality due to its use of premium, artisanal materials and heirloom-focused construction techniques. However, Pottery Barn offers excellent quality for its price point, with a focus on durability and dependable materials ideal for daily use.
What is the style difference between Rh and Pottery Barn?
Rh has a sophisticated, grand, and often monochrome look inspired by European and vintage designs. Pottery Barn embodies a warm, comfortable, classic American style that is more versatile and colorful, perfect for creating an inviting, family-oriented space.
Is Rh furniture worth the cost?
For those prioritizing investment pieces with premium craftsmanship, statement designs, and luxe materials, Rh furniture is considered worth the high cost. For shoppers who prioritize value and practicality, the price may be difficult to justify.
Which is better for families with kids?
Pottery Barn is generally the better choice for families. The brand focuses on durable performance fabrics, solid construction for everyday wear, and a much more accessible price point, making it a lower-stress option for homes with children and pets.
Does Rh have outlet stores like Pottery Barn?
Yes, both brands have outlet stores. Rh has an outlet called RH Outlet, that is less common than Pottery Barn outlets, which can be found in many outlet malls across the country. They sell overstock, returned, and slightly damaged items at a discount.
Do both brands offer design services?
Yes, both offer complimentary design services. Rh offers personalized consultations through its RH Interior Design firm, while Pottery Barn provides free design chats and consultations both in-store and online to help customers plan their spaces.
How do their return policies compare?
Generally, Pottery Barn offers a more flexible and consumer-friendly return policy, accepting returns on most non-furniture items within 30 days. Rh’s return policy is often more restrictive, especially for furniture and special order items.
Who owns Pottery Barn?
Pottery Barn is owned by Williams-Sonoma, Inc., which also operates West Elm, Williams Sonoma Home, and Rejuvenation.
Where is Rh furniture made?
Rh furniture is crafted by a network of skilled artisans and manufacturers around the world. The brand often emphasizes the regions known for high-quality craftsmanship in its product descriptions, but the specific country of origin varies by product line.
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.
