I did our second home (condo) in a Pottery Barn style and think I can honestly say, I bought nothing from them! Not that I dont love PB...I do and buy there often! But being in a big city, I have many other choices. From The Dump (a furniture store here) I bought a black entertainment center for a flat screen, with side shelves and bottom cabinets ($700) for all three pieces plus the bridge shelf, a leather sofa and chair (under $1000 for both), a bar height table and 6 chairs ($500), and a large area rug w/Fall colors, geometric pattern. Remember Storehouse Furniture? They all went out of business and I found an outlet here that was GIVING it away practically. I got a huge wooden coffee table w/8 small drawers on both sides ($200!...reg. $800), and a bar cabinet for ($250...reg. $750!) For the entry, I had a wrought iron table made at an iron works place nearby and had them add a dark marble top to it($175)...found a huge wood-framed mirror for $30 when Bombay was going out of business. The rest came from garage and estate sales and extra furniture from our house here. My only splurge was two upholstered chairs that I special ordered with a striped fabric. Found a cute document style chest at Marshalls for $50 to go between them. I really bargained shopped when decorating this place, and since I got great deals, I didn't feel guilty when I couldnt find something in a cheaper version...just went ahead and bought the pricier one, like the lamp on the $50 table that I paid WAY too much for. I guess my point is that many makers are now trying to duplicate that easy, clean, casual look and if you have a certain look in mind, then scour the landscape looking. Marshalls, TJMaxx (Homegoods), Tues. Morning, Ross, Home Decorators Catalog, Target, Kohls,....all had options for me. I hope you find what you're looking for!

Re-reading the original post, I see that you did say that you were thinking of a lighter fabric. I think that part of what I respond to in your room is the strong lines of the frame against the gray wall. I would not like to see that obscured, and I think you have just the right amount of fabric now, with the bedding and the curtain panel that is visible on the side. I was thinking of black and white framed photos, too, but I'd like to see three - I like odd numbers. I wish I could photoshop!

I bought the cute PB Reindeer mugs last year for Christmas. We ended up not using them until this year. They were tucked away in my kitchen cabinet in their box until we brought them out this Christmas. I rinsed them out and used Two, one for hot chocolate and one for tea. The person with the tea suddenly had the hot liquid coming out at the base. At first she thought she had spilled it and grabbed a cloth. While this was happening the other person was pouring the hot water into the Chocolate mix in his cup, there was a cracking popping sound and the hot chocolatey liquid spewed out from a very large crack running vertically down the side. In the meantime the hot tea cup was continuously seeping from around the base of the cup but we couldn't see a crack anywhere. After cleaning up the mess and making sure no one suffered any burns, we cleaned out the cups and checked them out. One had an obvious crack that had occurred, while the other one used for tea had no discernibly visible crack. BUT we discovered that when you ran a wet finger around the bottom of the sides of the inside base of the cup , you could feel a hairline crack running almost completely around the inside base circumference. These cups come in a package of 4 and are expensive considering 2 out of 4 cracked when used for hot drinks. We are afraid to use the other two cups for fear of getting burnt. l wanted to read reviews of these cups but cant find ANY reviews on any of their products. This leads me to thinking they purposely don't have anywhere to post them. From a CS perspective this is a very poor optic, doesn't inspire brand loyalty or any desire to continue to purchase their products. Trust and belief in the brand providing quality products is seriously compromised. I also purchased a woven duvet cover that I have to needle in a couple of loose ends that were left sticking out the ”GoodSide” of the cover. Shoddy finishing work with a no care attitude.

I too love Pottery Barn products and so far I have been pleased with the quality. While my style tends towards the modern or vintage (not as much farmhouse or rustic) styles that PB offers, I find that similar designs are very difficult to find elsewhere with similar quality and attention to detail. I suspect that PB's high prices are largely a factor of design. I find myself drawn to many of the simple lines and also unique detailing on PB's products. When I look at replica products from other stores (Target, Pier 1, etc) I am typically very displeased with the quality. No, the quality is not that of furniture made 100 years ago. The items are not always solid wood. But the materials do seem to be of high quality: high quality MDF and veneers, high quality solid wood. The construction seems to be relatively high quality (dovetail drawer joinery, etc) and unlike products I have purchased for less elsewhere (Target, Pier1, etc) they do not just fall apart from normal use. While I love antiques and vintage pieces, I can rarely find them in my region. Most used furniture in my region is of even lower quality than PB furniture. And nearly everything I find is simply not my style (usually very 80s or overly ornate). However, depending on your region, you may find something you like on Craiglist or in used or antique furniture stores. I also like shopping Crate & Barrel, Restoration Hardware, and Anthropologie, but prices are similar to (or worse than) Pottery Barn.