After that 12-lb stunt they pulled with this season's catalogs, I would not buy anything from them if they were handing out sofas for a dollar each. Besides, their aesthetic these days seems to be design for dead yet moody Belgian giants.

I'm with you. I can't stand the waste these companies employ with their endless catalogues, and the ones with the huge catalogues are beyond absurd.

RH, of course, is way overpriced. Only thing I've ever bought from RH is a linen shower curtain, which I love, but I got it at their outlet for 1/2 price.

However, a lot of people here seem to like it, and someone was here just the other day asking if anyone knew when they were having another 20% off sale, so when I saw that the sale had begun, I thought I'd send out a clarion call to those who might want to know.

But I"m with you: the in-your-face sales pitch thing makes me NOT want to buy from companies that employ it.

Yes, there is usually a lot of interest in their stuff. And the RH prices are weirdly expensive----I guess they cover the massive scale of the pieces and the cost of advertising because it is not fine furniture by any standard.

I just bought a side table during the last 20% sale a few months ago. It's a perfect size (28" square) for the large corner between my two large couches. Looks great!

I also got the small brushed steel medicine cabinet. It's the perfect size for the narrow space over a small pedestal sink. Very heavy and looks to be well made.

Juddgirl,

Do not use windex on their med cabs. They will tell you to use soap and water.

I just got my bundle of catalogs on Friday. Page after page of reclaimed wood, beige linen, and exposed light bulbs.
#notmystyle

@kswl

Not all Belgians are moody :)

The thing with RH is that some of their stuff would be really cool i you just came up with it by yourself, i.e nor mass produced recycled/repurposed.

Also, whenever I'm in one of the stores I feel like I'm in a parallel (daguerreotype) world

I have some of their stuff and the quality has held up just fine. Juddgirl, I've used windex on my medicine cabinets for 4 years without any problems.

I agree, in general, their aesthetic is too depressing and monochromatic and not for me. But mixed with other brands/ styles and in small doses it is a good source for certain items. For example when I was looking for silk lampshades, they had virtually every size available. And for my coffee table, although there are a lot of salvaged wood tables out there, no one else was at large with a bottom shelf.

I did hate the catalog. And there is no reason to purchase anything at full price. There are always 20% off sales.

Thanks for the tip, mtn. I'll be sure to just use my glass safe diluted all purpose Murphy's cleaner. Love that stuff and use it for everything, so I had to buy out Amazon's supply when it was discontinued. I'm set for a few years :)

So strange that I've never received a catalog even though I've bought a several things there over the years. I guess RH knows it doesn't need to send me 12 lbs of catalogs to get my business!

pps - we cross posted. I'm glad you haven't had any issues with your medicine cabinets. I agree and like how the few RH salvaged furniture pieces I have work with my other rustic furniture and antiques. I can bring in color with other items.

I tried for a few years to find a side table that worked better in my space than the one from the same line as my Dutch Industrial coffee table, but finally decided the set just works best in my space so I got the matching table. No drawers that wouldn't be accessible anyway and it's just the right size and color. Just finished putting Monocoat on it today and it's gorgeous!

This post was edited by juddgirl2 on Sun, Jun 29, 14 at 21:55

We are staying at the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston this week and the new large RH lifestyle (or whatever they call it!) store is right around the corner. DH and the kids will be going to a baseball game tomorrow so I will have time to take a walk through the store. I'll report back with the differences in the old vs new stores.

Nosoccermom, LOL... I just re-watched the movie In Bruges and the scenes
looked like bad weather settings for A RH photo shoot :-) Your Belgian soccer fan certainly looks happier!

I walk the streets often and I'm seeing more RH catalog fiascos on the side of the road. How ridiculous. Nope, wouldn't buy a thing from those people....

chispa, welcome to Boston!

Find a good Italian restaurant and walk over to the North End for a great dinner.

And walk over to Beacon Hill and down Charles Street.

I love their bath towels and they're not a bad price.

linelle, and as I said, I love my RH linen shower curtain. Their textiles seem to be very nice.

Just poking my head in to ask...what's the great travesty with their catalogs? I've only ever wandered their store (/alternate reality) once, and I agree it was pretty over the top, but I've never seen their catalogs.

They chose to mail out their catalogs to people for some unknown reason without asking if they wanted them ahead of time. Normally, it's just junk mail, but when it weighs 17 lbs!!! Ridiculous. UPS had to deliver them. Insane waste of time, money, energy, scarce resources....

I figure the only way they could afford such a thing was by overcharging their customers. Count me out.

In reality the amount of paper used for the RH catalogs is probably no different than the Pottery barn or crate and barrel etc. they decided to send all of their catalogs for the year at one time in a mammoth package that just turned a lot of people off.

Now that I think about it, I do have a lot of stuff from there:

-bathrobe, love so soft!
-simple white cotton blanket that has held up great and is soft and heavy
-side table for bedroom. Needed a very specific size. Will probably change out in the future.
- silk window panels. The color is perfect. We will probably eventually replace with custom drapery.
-I have their outdoor firetable, it was ridiculously expensive but I looked everywhere for one and the RH one was my favorite aesthetically and the perfect size. I love it!
- coffee table
- hardware for kitchen cabinets
- very large framed map of old London ( DH was born there and is a bit of an Anglophile)
- large clock
- lamp shades
- medicine cabinets

I also have a lot of items that have the RH look but were purchased elsewhere. I try to purchase true vintage or salvaged pieces from elsewhere instead of the mass market pieces. My house looks nothing like a RH store. To each their own I suppose. I'm just not sure why it generates such disdain.

I am not brand loyal, I have furniture from lee industries , Mitchell gold, crate and barrel, west elm, world market, Ethan Allen, urban outfitter, overstock, home goods, antique malls. It's all good :)

I'm on the fence about RH. I don't like the catalog waste from year to year, with nothing really new to show, but we stayed at a vacation cottage that had one of their beds, and I'm truly lusting for it (French Empire bed with "Natural" finish). I haven't found anything similar anywhere else.

It was me who was asking. I need to order hardware for my kitchen cabinets. Does anyone know if I phone an order into the store will they ship to me for free? I know if I am in person in the store they will. They are 1 hour away so the amount I would pay in gas would be about the shipping so it isn't worth it, but I know exactly what I want so just curious.

I used to shop RH many years ago (along with Pottery Barn). Their prices were reasonable, especially when on sale. Then, one day I opened a catalog and could not believe the prices! Seems they practically tripled over night (again, same with PB). There are some things I like, but no way I can afford them. I've found items at yard sales, flea markets, antiques shops, etc. that are so similar to things I see in the catalog, but were so much less expensive and were not mass produced. I get such a kick out of that. Additionally, being good with tools, many of the furniture pieces I could easily make. Mostly, though, I'm just stunned at how high their prices have become. Not within my reach.

kswl, your description made me laugh out loud!! I do buy from RH but I don't look at the catalog at all. I have my husband take it to the recycle bin. In the past two years the merchandise is not to my liking but I do like their window treatment, bathroom items, robes etc. They make great gifts.

I called one of my local RH stores today to see if a standing towel rack was in stock only to be told that it is now Internet/catalog only even though it is not so designated on the web site. I asked if they had a ship-free-to-store program because I absolutely will not pay $25 for shipping. While they do not ship free to the store, the manager was very nice and arranged to waive the shipping charge for me. Wow! Great customer service and so much nicer than when I've visited the store and can never get anyone to help me.

Tibbrix, thanks for the welcome, but I used to live here, first on the waterfront and then the suburbs after having kids. We lived through the Big Dig with major construction right outside our apartment! Surprised that RH took over such a great property and that someone else didn't snag it for something a bit more interesting.

OH, THENâ¦never mind!

Yeahâ¦Big Digâ¦more like Big Mobbed-Up RIPOFF!

Yeah, any project that big has lots of room for manipulating the contracts ... but it does look much nicer by the waterfront without the elevated highways and it is so much easier to get to Logan using the Ted Williams tunnel! There is lots of construction going on remodeling buildings, so developers are investing in Boston, which is a good sign for the economy.

Chispa, I have been in that RH store just once, quickly, on a busy weekend. I found it bizarre but only saw the first floor. It seemed like the entire floor had only a handful of different items that were repeated many, many times. For example, every furniture vignette used the same lamp. And the salespeople were standing there like statues. I hope they've changed it up a bit since then...this was soon after they opened.

I think so many things in the RH catalog are strange or just ugly, but I did recently buy nightstands (on sale) for my room, which I love, and a couple of floor lamps, which I also love. I have bathroom lighting and accessories from RH, and a few other things. So I'm not anti-RH but I did like their style several years ago much more than I do now.

Finally made it into the new RH store in Boston this morning ... what makes this store different is the the building itself. A beautiful old building with huge windows and ceilings that are around 20 ft tall. The walls are painted a depressing gray-taupe throughout the store and most of the furniture is beige.

Merchandise is set out in room vignettes throughout the 3 floors. Large living room vignettes with 3 over sized sofas set up in a u-shape ... not a realistic layout for 99.99% of homes! I spoke to a lady who was looking for sconces, but they are all over the store, so it is hard to find and compare merchandise. The sales people acted too cool to help!! It is a large store in Boston and there were less than 10 customers browsing.

Chispa said, "The sales people acted too cool to help!!"

That's the way it is in the stores in my area.

Also, when I leave the store, I feel like I've walked from a cave into the sunshine. I actually sigh in relief. The darkness of the stores is so depressing.

The only RH things I've ever bought were in the thrift store. And trust me: There's lots of it there. ;o)

You can always just ask to be removed from their mailing list. Some people like and appreciate that they send catalogs and free to boot!

During the last sale, I purchased 3 outdoor light fixtures, only because they were 20% and exactly what I wanted w/o being a thousand dollars each!

Like Arhaus, I find RH over-rated, over-priced, and possibly mostly used by the young and 'yuppie' generation who work in the NYC financial district and live in Tribeca or Soho. Don't mean to step on any toes , just my 2 cents.

And my catalogs are still unwrapped and waiting to be *hand* retuned.

The sales staff can't be any worse than at Banana Republic. Talk about feeling invisible.

I didn't get any of the RH catalogs. To be honest, if I did, I'd have probably looked at them.

I buy stuff from Pottery Barn and it seems like I get a catalog every couple of weeks. One varies very slightly from another. I'll bet if I saved them all, they might rival the one-shot RH mailing.

I think I might get a couple plain bath mats. They're really nice for the price.

Wow tomato - I wish my local thrift stores were like yours! I live in a nice neighborhood and have never once seen anything close to RH items in our stores. Have seen a few things posted on Craigslist but not really great prices and those seem to get snatched up pretty quickly.

I kept reading posts about the RH catalog and figured that I must have fallen off of their mailing list finally. Then a Fedex or UPS truck pulled up the other day and I assumed that my dad had sent me something. The lady got out and she had an armful of RH catalogs. I laughed out loud and said 'They've got to be kidding!'. She did not ind the humor in it.

I do love there bed linens though. I only buy mine at the outlet and I love what I've gotten.

foxes - I haven't tried any of their linens yet but do have a $75 reward waiting to be spent, a recently opened outlet nearby and new mattresses to be delivered next week. I think it's a good weekend to go shopping for bedding :)

Not big on RH stuff but did get my kitchen knobs/pulls from them during a winter sale. Went to a store once to return the extras. Things in store 'look' different than when seen in catalog. DH waiting in car...he was 'lucky' that day, as I would have found something there to buy.

Those catalogs are over the top but I'm flipping through the lighting and rugs since I'm in the market.