What happened to Restoration Hardware?

4 years ago

We are redoing our kitchen. The cabinets are chestnut color and custom-made locally. Hubby thinks we should invest in some nice brass knobs & pulls in either brushed-nickle or oil-rubbed bronze. He likes the Hanson ones from RH, so we drove 30 minutes to the closest RH to see if we can purchase them in different colors. When we went there, RH wasn't like it used to be. It looked more like a furniture store than the old RH we knew. They even hid most of the knob & pull samples inside a dresser drawer. We couldn't purchase any of them in the store, and they told us we have to buy them online and return the ones we don't want online also. Forget that! We recently purchased new beds and sofa and will be getting new light fixtures around our house. RH would be the last place we'd purchase any of these items since they weren't known for them, plus they are so much more $$$ than comparable ones elsewhere. What happened to the Restoration Hardware we used to know and love?

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pricklypearcactus

4 years ago

I am extremely disappointed in the direction Restoration Hardware is taken. Their design sense has gone from somewhat traditional / transitional to extremely weathered and worn. They also now have "member" pricing that is relatively high and non-member pricing that is insane. I'm curious if anyone still buys from them? I have two Restoration Hardware bed frames that I absolutely adore from years ago, but they have nothing like them anymore. I used to spend the extra money to buy the bathroom hardware but it seems like that has at least doubled in price. Quite honestly I'm shocked the company is still in business. I cannot believe they wouldn't even let you purchase hardware from their store or accept returns! What kind of customer service is that when you're paying a fortune for their items?!

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The KEEPING ROOM
4 years ago
Instead of buying hardware made of cheap Chinese pot metal at RH, why not buy quality hardware from an American company that makes most of it in Connecticut? I've used Horton Brasses for over thirty years, nice people to do business with and their product is well made, plus you support an American small business.

https://www.horton-brasses.com/?ibp-adgroup=adwords&ibp-keyword=horton%20brasses&ibp-matchtype=e&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3LialM7-5wIVw56zCh3NEgPyEAAYASAAEgLSmvD_BwE
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Have you actually seen or felt any of the hardware you're considering or just taking your GC's word on it? I had my heart set on the Aubrey pulls so drove 65 miles to a store to put my own hands and eyes on them before I shelled out my hard earned cash, which, btw, I recommend doing with ANY hardware you're considering. I was impressed by the quality of the pulls and knobs RH displays on the little boards. (I was disappointed to not be able to rummage around on the huge wall of hardware like they had years ago.) I bought small samples of the Aubrey in polished nickel and polished chrome, a couple of other pulls DH liked, and a couple of different knobs. They all felt solid, heavy, and very well made. I went on to order samples of a few other pulls from different companies when DH didn't initially like my choice of the Aubrey. Compared to the other pulls, the Aubrey felt completely smooth on the handle part and heavier. Some of the other pulls were rougher and you could feel a seam on the handle from the mold or whatever they use to form them. Even though DH didn't like the style of the pull at first, he liked the quality very much. In the end, I chose three sizes of the Aubrey pulls (no knobs) in polished nickel. Of the 100 pulls I ordered (bought many more than I needed as I wanted the flexibility of changing my mind on sizes and then returned the rest), only one any had sort of little flaw in the nickel. Having read that some people in the past had trouble with the Aubrey screws, I sent a pull with the screws to my cab maker ahead of installation so he could decide if I needed to buy different screws. He said the ones I was sent would work fine on my cabs. He had never used RH hardware before, but was impressed with the quality and appearance after he installed them. It's only been a few months, but I'm having zero problems with the pulls. Well, except maybe my obsessive need to walk around wiping the small finger prints off so that they shine. :-) Look at any pull you're interested in IRL. Touch them. Hold them. Hold them up to your cabs to test the projection and appearance. Good luck! Here is a link that might be useful: More pics on this thread
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soshh - thanks for restoring my faith in humanity. :o) I just got off the phone with RH after being told yet again that I was out of luck. I asked to speak to a supervisor, and lo and behold, we were able to figure out what the problem was. Apparently, WITHOUT MY ASKING, the previous rep processed a new order for the same Chatham pulls, but in a different size. These were shipped to me this morning, and I had no idea they were on the way. Everyone I spoke with kept telling me that the discounted pricing had already been applied to "my order," and I had no idea what they were they were talking about. They thought I was just trying to get them to honor the pricing on a completely new order, and didn't understand that what I was trying to order was supposed to be the replacement hardware for what I had returned. Isn't that the weirdest thing? So now I have to watch for this box of 37 pulls I didn't want and refuse it or send it back. Good grief! ;o) The good news is, I finally got what I DO need ordered, and they gave me the sale price on it. You all now have my permission to shop at RH again. ;o)
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I'd like to reiterate, I said the quality of RH's pulls seemed fine. I don't like being told they're made in America and then find out they're made in Taiwan. Taiwan is not exactly synonymous with high quality products. Many of their products are made in Taiwan, but they source their parts from China (this happens in the US as well, so vigilance is necessary). The crux of my rant was that Rh used to be a store that you could count on for having products that were not made in China. I hate that a company known for that has changed their business model, yet hides behind the word "Imported" so that the change is not widely noted by their clients. The fact that they're hiding it means that they know that american consumers avoid goods made in countries known for shoddy products, so they don't display the country of origin as proudly as they used to. This wreaks of dishonesty to me. I don't care how good Rh's Quality Assurance is (I actually have no reason in recent years to believe that it's good at all). If they openly said, our products are mainly made in China now, but our QA is unfaltering, that would be one thing. But that's not what they do. Instead they make it very difficult for you to find where it comes from before purchasing. FYI, the reason that the pet food recall shocked so many pet owners was because some of the highest quality dog food was recalled. Owners thought that since they were paying a premium that they didn't have to worry about low quality food. They assumed a high level of Quality Assurance. Unfortunately, the pet food companies were sourcing grains from China. When grains are bought, the price increases if the crop has a high protein level. So some unscrupulous people in China, who only cared about their own bottom line, added melamine and cyanuric acid to their grains so that when they were tested for protein, it could cheat the test and have a high protein level. Unfortunately, melamine and cyanuric acid can be fatal to animals. In this case it was, to over 13000 pets that we know of and who knows how many pets lives were shortened. Now lets apply this case to hardware. Lets say, a company decides to degrade their hardware and move it from being made and sourced in the USA to being made in Taiwan. What happens if Taiwan can get really cheap nickel plating from China? What happens if the nickel plating from China has lead in it? What happens if said company was a highly regarded company that hasn't reduced any prices so their customers still think they're a high quality company. What if that leads their customers to assume (as did the pet owners) a high level of Quality Assurance? Then what if those customers buy the hardware, touch them every day, have their children touch them every day, lick their hands after touching, etc, etc, etc. It didn't take that long for the pets to develop issues that were noticed.....lead poisoning can be a slower process. Keeping both your consumers best interest and your bottom line in mind must be a difficult balancing act. It seems that Rh's greed has made them fall off the tightrope. I did say that MY White Chapel knobs and pulls were made in the USA. I didn't say all of White Chapel's hardware is made in the USA. However, NONE of them are made in China or Taiwan. They're made in the USA, Great Britain, France, etc. They search out artisans who take pride in their craft. Then they sell it at a reasonable price to consumers. This is a business model that I can support. Here is a link that might be useful: Pet food scandal
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rebeccamomof123
4 years ago
I hate the new RH! I have never (and never would) buy furniture from them, but they were always a reliable option for window and cabinet hardware, mirrors and decor items. No more. Now all you can find is an Ace hardware store splintery picnic table that is marketed as an upscale artisan trestle table for 3K. Umm, no thanks.
eastautumn
4 years ago
I too have noticed their strange transition from nice quality reproduction hardware to ugly, boring stuff marketed pretentiously. Some of our bathroom hardware came from RH 15 years ago and I still love it. We also have some frames and textiles (bath towels) from before they went all weird, but haven't purchased anything from them for years and probably won't again. I did buy some used sconces and a pendant light off of eBay in their industrial style (for our basement bar area), but never would have paid full price for them. Their prices are highway robbery.

My brother in law seems to like their stuff and be taken by their marketing, so I guess it works for some.
ShadyWillowFarm
4 years ago
Anne at Home makes a large variety of knobs and pulls, and you can custom order them in 30+ finishes. Check out my longhorn steers pulls.
Mariya Levchenko
3 years ago
Hi all. I just purchased a new home and was browsing Houzz for ideas and came across this thread about RH. I am considering buying their Graydon Shagreen Bedroom set...which will set me back some decent money. Have any of you purchased beds from there? It seems like the quality isn't what it's used to be based on this thread, but I really do love their style. What are some other alternatives for reliable furniture? This will be my first home so I'm not experienced in quality furniture buying or decor. Any advice would be much appreciated.

https://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/category/products.jsp?cellBackground=false&link=GraydonShagreenBedroomCollection-GreyandBrass&categoryId=cat8670009
ella
3 years ago
@ShadyWillowFarm I love those drawer pulls. Thanks for the tip!
Elizabeth K
23 days ago
last modified: 23 days ago
Just got another Restoration Hardware Catalogue Disaster in the mail. I was, and rarely am, speechless.

I have now recovered, as you shall see.

STILL unsure what happened to this brand! 2023 articles say the CEO blamed brand problems on sourcing and a too aggressive pricing strategy. The company won a lawsuit against knockoff manufacturers. Unknown at current time if this company is still in the red.

Is the list above really the problem?

Ohhhhh, methinks something is rotten in Denmark, so they put it on boats and shipped it here. The style, anyhow. Hygge Despair. This stuff is made in China. STILL NOT THE PROBLEM.

These are worst furniture designs in high end.

That Worst:

Where this once innovative company offered modern, streamlined versions of classic Shaker standard pieces, the aesthetic ? Can we call it that? — now seems simply Teenage Incel Fantasy Furniture! desperate, almost—Austin-Powers-slash-(oh i tried to avoid Latin c u m here)-dank-bachelor-pad-dream nightmare!

It cannot be mixed with American classic.

And the children’s furniture!

Who would EVER put children in a visual environment so bleak?

No colors, no varied textures, no visual stimulation, no … it cannot be stopped. But some of it looks like livestock cages, right down to prison bar crib! Is your child even visible behind these pieces? Is your child allowed crayons?!

The Near-Nonexistent Best:

There is none.

And if that was an oxymoron — ox Y moron — it can only be topped by the Byron Daybed.

This piece appears to have the visual tonnage of an ox AND drunk morons will mistake it for a sauna.

Bryon Daybed. Lord Byron, the Greatest Incel of Them All, the exception who proved the rule, the poet who decided: Why leave the house for the Greatest of Social Activities Given to Civil Men? Make the baby at home with the half-sister! Daybed indeed, the oxymoronic frolicker … just … just … splutter …

Great.

Must we be PLAGUED by waves of upscaled Eurotrash trendiness?

There is NO American equivalent to Austin Powers for a reason, or Lord Byron, or anything in between, for a reason! Not even our new uber-tech robber-baron villains lounge around on this stuff!

It’s not that I am immune to great literature, by the way. The man had a way with words, but divvil take the hindermost back across the sea!

Also, please forgive me, England and UKers. And we forgive YOU for reviving mod. It’s not your fault. You live too close to the mothership sun (Nordlandia) not to get burned.

Keep the early Belgian slope pieces, likewise the earliest bureau styles, (reupholster the first, alter the top of the latter so as to disguise RH) but I beg of you! do not buy any line from the last 5 years! It costs a fortune, and most humans cannot tolerate this too spare, adolescent aesthetic at the two-year-later mark.

Your client is left defrauded with ALMOST NO RESALE, so …

DO NOT recommend or purchase for clients.

Ladies! We must defer and gracefully steer them toward — even Victorian Badhouse if you must, but anything else!

Opinions from other decorators and clients have agreed: This furniture looks as though it was created for aging cokeheads, incels, angry giants, and/or heavy duty hospital/triage use—all to be easily cleaned of toxic fluid discharge!

Don’t walk away, just RUN!

And for the love of … more splutter … for the millionth time RH … take me OFF the mailing list!

(Thanks Houzzers, forgive the rant! This is a war for the Soul of American Style!)

❤️

What happened to Restoration Hardware?

pricklypearcactus

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The KEEPING ROOM

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