West Elm offers trendy, modern furniture with a strong focus on sustainability at a mid-range price point, while Restoration Hardware (RH) is a luxury brand known for its grand-scale, classic, and opulent pieces made from premium materials. West Elm is geared towards design-conscious urbanites and younger homeowners, whereas RH caters to an upscale clientele seeking timeless, investment-quality furniture for large, sophisticated spaces.
Let's break down everything you need to know to choose the right home furnishings brand for your space.
West Elm: The Modern Sustainable Choice
West Elm is a popular home furnishings brand known for its modern and mid-century modern aesthetic, coupled with a strong commitment to sustainable and ethical production. It appeals to style-conscious shoppers who want contemporary design that is both accessible and eco-friendly, making it a favorite for furnishing apartments, condos, and first homes.
- Product mix: A wide selection of home goods including sofas, beds, dining tables, lighting, décor, outdoor furniture, and textiles.
- Style/vibe: Modern, minimalist, and eclectic with strong mid-century and bohemian influences. Expect clean lines, warm wood tones, and a mix of neutral and bold color palettes.
- Price point: Mid-range and accessible. Sofas typically cost between $1,000–$3,000, dining tables are in the $700–$2,000 range, and beds often fall between $800–$2,000.
- Quality: Good for its price point, using a mix of engineered and solid woods, including FSC-certified materials. Upholstery often includes durable performance fabrics suitable for everyday life.
- Sizing/Fit: Offers a great variety of scales, with many pieces designed specifically for smaller spaces and apartments, alongside larger options for more spacious homes.
- Sustainability: A core part of the brand's identity. West Elm is heavily invested in Fair Trade Certified products, sustainably sourced wood (FSC-certified), and organic cotton, making it a leader in conscious consumerism.
- Sales: West Elm frequently holds sales events and promotions, particularly around major holidays, offering significant discounts across most categories.
- Shopping Experience: Modern, accessible stores in many cities and a user-friendly website with customer reviews and detailed product information.
West Elm is ideal for those who want trendy, adaptable furniture that reflects a commitment to ethical and sustainable practices without a luxury price tag.
Shop West Elm: westelm.com
Restoration Hardware (RH): The Luxury Heritage Brand
Restoration Hardware, now known simply as RH, is a luxury lifestyle brand offering high-end furniture, lighting, and décor. The brand is defined by its grand scale, classical forms, and premium materials, creating an aesthetic of timeless, understated opulence. RH is geared towards affluent homeowners and interior designers looking to make a significant investment in heirloom-quality pieces.
- Product mix: An extensive catalog of premium indoor and outdoor furniture, statement lighting, high-end textiles like Belgian linen, bath fixtures, and home accessories.
- Style/vibe: Classic, traditional, and opulent with a modern sensibility. The overall look is monochromatic, sophisticated, and grand, often featuring reclaimed wood, aged metals, and luxurious fabrics.
- Price point: High-end luxury. Sofas start around $3,000 but quickly go up to $10,000+, dining tables range from $4,000–$8,000, and beds can easily exceed $5,000.
- Quality: Exceptional craftsmanship and premium materials. Expect solid hardwood frames, top-grain leather, natural stone, and hand-forged metals. Pieces are built for longevity.
- Sizing/Fit: Notoriously oversized. RH furniture is designed for large, open-concept spaces with high ceilings and makes a bold statement. It can easily overwhelm smaller, standard-sized rooms.
- Customization: Offers extensive custom upholstery options with hundreds of fine fabrics and leathers, as well as multiple finishes on casegoods.
- Sales: RH does not run traditional sales. Instead, they offer a membership program ($175/year) that gives members 25% off all full-priced items and an additional 20% off sale items.
- Shopping Experience: An immersive luxury experience. RH operates massive "galleries" - often in stunning historical buildings - that feel more like grand estates than retail stores and offer professional design services.
RH is for the discerning buyer who prioritizes exceptional quality, classic design, and a grand, luxurious aesthetic over budget constraints.
Shop RH: rh.com
West Elm vs. Restoration Hardware Comparison
Price Comparison
There is a vast price chasm between these two brands. West Elm operates in the accessible, mid-range market, where a stylish sofa can be bought for around $1,500. Their pricing makes it possible for many to furnish a room or entire home with modern designs without breaking the bank.
Restoration Hardware sits firmly in the luxury sector. An RH sofa often costs five to ten times more than a West Elm equivalent, reflecting its use of premium, often hand-crafted materials and its status as a high-end brand. Shopping at RH is an investment, while West Elm is a more practical, budget-conscious purchase.
Style & Aesthetic
The stylistic differences are just as stark as the prices. West Elm’s aesthetic is driven by current trends in modern design, including mid-century modern, Scandinavian, and bohemian styles. It's often colorful, eclectic, and adaptable to various contemporary interiors, particularly in urban settings.
RH’s aesthetic is built on timeless, classic European design, reinterpreted for a modern audience. The look is dramatic, monochromatic, and sophisticated, leaning heavily on neutral palettes of grey, beige, and white. Its grand, symmetrical designs are perfect for creating a stately, formal, or resort-like atmosphere.
Quality & Materials
Both brands offer quality products, but they are built to different standards. West Elm uses durable materials suitable for everyday use, such as kiln-dried hardwood frames on some pieces, engineered wood, and performance fabrics. Their focus is on delivering good, reliable quality for the price.
RH prioritizes artisanal craftsmanship and the finest raw materials available. This includes benches made from solid oak, sofas upholstered in Italian leather or Belgian linen, and tables topped with Carrara marble. The construction is exceptional and designed to last for generations, far exceeding typical furniture industry standards.
Fit & Sizing
Space planning is a critical factor when choosing between these brands. West Elm offers a wide range of furniture scales, with many collections like "Small Spaces" designed specifically for apartments and compact rooms. Their pieces are generally of a standard, manageable dimension.
Restoration Hardware is famous for its oversized furniture. Sofas are deeper, tables are longer, and chairs are wider. These pieces are intended to fill large, architecturally significant spaces and can look comically large in an average-sized living room.
Shopping Experience
West Elm provides a conventional and convenient retail experience. You can shop online through their user-friendly eCommerce site or visit one of their many brick-and-mortar stores, which are bright, well-styled, and accessible. It’s a straightforward, what-you-see-is-what-you-get experience.
RH aims to provide a far more immersive, high-end experience. Their galleries are destinations in themselves, often featuring restaurants, wine bars, and rooftop parks. In-house designers are available for complimentary consultations to help you create a cohesive look suited for their exclusive products.
Sustainability & Ethics
This is an area where West Elm has a clear and significant advantage. West Elm has built its brand around commitments to fair trade, sustainable sourcing, and handcrafted products from artisan communities. They are highly transparent about these initiatives, making them a top choice for the ethically-minded consumer.
While RH uses high-quality natural materials, sustainability and ethical manufacturing are not central pillars of its public-facing brand strategy. The brand's focus remains on luxury, quality, and aesthetics, with less information available about its environmental impact or supply chain ethics.
Which One Should You Choose?
The right choice depends entirely on your budget, personal style, and the scale of your home.
Choose West Elm if:
- You have a mid-range budget and are looking for great style and value.
- You love modern, mid-century, or eclectic design aesthetics.
- You are furnishing a condo, apartment, or a standard-sized home.
- Sustainability, fair-trade practices, and using organic materials are high on your priority list.
- You enjoy keeping up with design trends and may update your space every few years.
Choose Restoration Hardware (RH) if:
- You have a significant budget for furniture and view it as a long-term investment.
- You prefer a timeless, classic, and opulent style with a neutral color palette.
- You have a large, spacious home with high ceilings that can accommodate oversized pieces.
- The ultimate in premium materials - solid wood, top-grain leather, natural stone - is your top priority.
- You want a curated, luxurious look and appreciate a high-touch shopping experience with design services.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is West Elm or Restoration Hardware cheaper?
West Elm is substantially cheaper than Restoration Hardware. A West Elm sofa might cost $1,500, while a comparable style and size from RH could cost $8,000 or more. The two brands exist in completely different price tiers.
Which has better quality furniture?
Restoration Hardware has superior quality furniture in terms of materials and craftsmanship. They use premium, solid woods, high-end fabrics and leathers, and construction techniques meant to create heirloom pieces. However, West Elm offers excellent quality for its more accessible price point.
What is the style difference between West Elm and RH?
West Elm is modern, trendy, and often colorful, with a focus on mid-century modern and bohemian designs. RH has a more timeless, classic, and grand aesthetic with a largely monochromatic and neutral color palette inspired by European design.
Is West Elm furniture suitable for apartments?
Yes, West Elm is an excellent choice for apartments. The brand has specific collections designed for small spaces and offers pieces in a variety of scales that are well-suited for city living and compact rooms.
Do I need to be a member to shop at RH?
You do not need to be a member to shop at Restoration Hardware, but you will pay full price. The RH Members Program ($175 a year) provides 25% off all full-priced items, making it worthwhile for anyone making a significant purchase.
Does West Elm have sales?
Yes, West Elm has frequent sales and promotions online and in-store, especially around holidays like Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, and Black Friday. It's often possible to get 20-40% off their merchandise during these events.
Which brand is better for families with kids?
West Elm is generally a better and more practical choice for families with young kids. They offer a larger selection of durable performance fabrics and their furniture is priced at a point where potential damage is less of a financial concern compared to the investment-level cost of RH furniture.
Which brand is more sustainable?
West Elm is the clear leader in sustainability. The company is heavily invested in and transparent about its use of Fair Trade Certified facilities, FSC-certified woods, renewable materials, and organic textiles. This is a core part of their brand identity, unlike RH.
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.
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