Restoration Hardware furnished for growth

Restoration Hardware has opened a new format that redefines the retail experience and has CEO Gary Friedman calling it the company’s finest work to date.

The retailer says its new brand, RH Modern, aims to offer one of the most fully-integrated assortments of modern furnishings, lighting and décor under one brand in the world. The multi-channel business debuts with its own 540-page magazine-catalog hybrid, a dedicated website, and a significant retail presence, including a standalone RH Modern store.

The store is located on the site of Restoration Hardware’s former store on Beverly Boulevard in West Hollywood. The space has been completely reworked into a contemporary structure – indoors and out – and features a modern sculpture garden with palm trees, stretched canvas, and a wall of water inspired by the famous fountain in New York City's Paley Park,“We believe RH Modern is our finest work to date,” saie RH Chairman & CEO Gary Friedman. “From antiques to architecture, from the environments we work in to the devices we work with, there is a modern sensibility that is influencing what we see and how we live in the world. While the market for modern furnishings has always been somewhat small, the convergence of these trends creates an opportunity to develop a much larger market.”

In addition to the freestanding Los Angeles space, the RH Modern brand will be showcased on the ground floor of the the company’s store in the Flatiron section of Manhattan, and on entire floors in the company’s next generation stores in Chicago, Denver, Tampa and Austin.

Last week sister publication Chain Store Age reported that the Chicago flagship will feature a new twist: dining. The company’s new RH Gallery in Chicago, located in the 101-year-old Three Arts Club building on the city’s Gold Coast, marks the brand’s initial foray into hospitality with a restaurant by famed Chicago restaurateur Brendan Sodikoff.