First Look: RH at Oak Brook combines luxury retail, dining

RH has brought its luxe shopping experience to the Chicago suburbs.

The high-end home furnishings retailer (formerly known as Restoration Hardware) has opened a 60,000-sq.-ft., three-level “gallery” at Oakbrook Center, in Oak Brook, Ill. The location continues RH’s expansion into hospitality, with a glass-encased rooftop restaurant and wine bar that open onto a landscaped park area.  

“Most retail stores are archaic windowless boxes that lack any sense of humanity,” said RH chairman and CEO Gary Friedman. “There’s generally no fresh air or natural light. That’s why we don’t build retail stores, we create inspiring spaces that blur the lines between residential and retail, indoors and outdoors, home and hospitality.”

Earlier this month, RH reported that its second-quarter revenues rose 39% to $988.9 million from the year-ago period and 40% compared to the second quarter of 2019. The company raised its fiscal 2021 outlook based on the “continued strength of our business and the power of our operating model.”

RH at Oak Brook features luxury home furnishings displayed in a gallery setting, with expansive spaces devoted to RH Interiors, RH Modern and RH Outdoor. It also offers professional design services.

The impressive building features a charcoal grey Venetian plaster exterior with an expanse of glass-and-steel French doors that open onto lush garden courtyards and terraces. A grand double floating staircase takes guests up to the rooftop restaurant, which is beneath a dramatic atrium with retractable glass walls, sparkling chandeliers and heritage olive trees.  

Situated just off the grand stair on level three, a wine bar carries curated wine and champagne selections from around the world for visitors to enjoy in the rooftop park or while exploring the rest of the retail showroom.

The RH Modern line is featured on level two, along with a 5,000-sq.-ft. interior design studio that has private client presentation rooms with state-of-the-art technology.

On the main level, visitors will pass through a 25-foot threshold of retractable glass and steel doors as they continue into the central hall with its soaring 14-foot ceilings. Along the periphery, barrel-vaulted passageways lead to a classical arrangement of rooms featuring the brand’s interior collections from internationally renowned designers, as well as one-of-a-kind antiques and artifacts from Friedman’s world travels.

[Read More: RH bullish on 2021 amid store, hospitality expansion; entering Europe next year]