This is an essay that I wrote almost exactly 2 years ago. It’s about the Restoration Hardware here in Gold Coast, Chicago. Before the world shut down. But I think it is still relevant - maybe even more so - as we think about how the world will look after these last 2 crazy years…
Restoration Hardware: Home
Welcome to my home! Or is it your home? Is it our home? Do we share it? Is it a home at all?
With feelings of warmth, amiability, and comfort, Restoration Hardware feels like a place you could call home. With every room capturing a different style, you could certainly find a place just for you. It’s that idea of customization via endless possibilities that is comforting and approachable. And a sense of courtship from the personnel makes it feel like you should be there.
But then again, nobody (that I know) has a full service coffee and cocktail bar in their house. Oh and there’s the fact that there are strangers that make it feel less familiar. The space, being a luxury furniture showroom, has the strong capability of feeling stuffy, elite, and pretentious, but it doesn’t. Ironically, many of those showrooms push you away, making you feel like you don’t belong. RH is quite the opposite.
The adaptive reuse element of the building historically grounds the showroom in the notable, residential Gold Coast neighborhood. The scale of the rooms is inviting and known. The minimalist qualities and the muted palettes of the furniture allow the spaces to be clean and approachable.
Unfortunately, the prices are not nearly as approachable or seemingly thoughtful, and the glass chandeliers hanging throughout all 4 floors seem a bit out of touch with hints of gaudiness. RH hesitantly explained that those sources of light are meant to provide a contrast to the rest of the space and furniture. I am a bit skeptical of that contrasting application, but I quickly forget about those smaller problems after spending a few minutes inside.
With the allure of tangible high design and robust spaces, people come from across the city and across the globe to come to Restoration Hardware. Harvested from my own experiences, most people are not there to shop for furniture. Most people are either dining at the restaurant, 3 Arts Club, or “browsing” the furniture (colloquial way of saying that they are daydreaming about one day being able to afford any of this stuff).
The coffee bar always has a slight buzz to it, serving lattes and cappuccinos in the morning and slowly transitioning to wine and bubbles in the afternoon. Drink in hand, people meander through the store, stopping to sit down on a couch, touch a blanket, or stare at some shiny fixtures. Frequently, they will find a more than welcoming nook and plop down. They situate themselves to get comfortable, well knowing that they will be there for awhile.
Mind you, while all of this is happening, nobody is shooting a side glance or a judging look. While there, you don’t second guess yourself on the etiquette of getting comfortable. There is an understanding in RH that you can do whatever you want. (Within reason, obviously. RH told us that they do not allow interviews to be conducted, photoshoots to happen, or any other commercial activity to occur without advanced express written consent.)
In a romantic notion, the space’s inclusivity is a nod to its former self. The 3 Arts Club was a safe zone for emerging female artists, and the current showroom reflects a similar openness and approachability.
Occasionally, you will see an actual “customer” sit down with an interior designer. Together, they sift through different textile options and bedroom layouts. Every room is a different direction of design that hopefully inspires customers and designers alike to rethink their projects.
RH claims that they still have not totally reconciled the financial implications that come from many people being in the store that have no intention of buying furniture. But that is the risk that is found in any good architecture. It pushes the idea of what a good business should do. It rethinks where revenue should stand on the list of priorities. Architecture and business need to have a dialogue of the balance between revenue and program.
So what is the primary programmatic function of Restoration Hardware? It seems quite obvious that the end goal is to sell furniture. Then, what is the secondary programmatic function? Is it to create a “third place” that is such a hot topic these days? Is it to host a restaurant in the glazed, interior courtyard? Maybe there is no attempted secondary function at all.
Speculation is a very dangerous (albeit fun) game, so I hesitate to question what the architects were striving for. But, I also don’t think that actually matters. There is only so much value in investigating what the architects intended. The real treasure is in seeing what the space has become and how it is currently used.
Good architecture also doesn’t know what it wants to be. No, seriously. Good architecture is when the building or the space gives the agency back to the user. It’s an outline for a set of ideas and principles, but it is not a script.
RH lays out a framework for social connection, conversation, and exploration. Even more, through a more pedagogical lens, it pushes the user towards a more connected, thoughtful, and open way of living.
Social connection comes through the idea of shared space. People always feel connected to those with which they share space. There is a subconscious, yet intimate, common experience. The fact that these spaces are open to people beyond just the normal customer is also an important notion for social connection. Openness and approachability are the core pillars of positive social connection.
Conversation is found in the drinks. Whether it is coffee or wine, drinking is mostly a conversational activity. It is a bonding moment for people. Sharing a drink is like breaking bread together. Conversation is threaded from the common experience, and it is amplified when there is endless comfortable furniture to occupy.
Exploration is in all of the different design ideas. Each room offers a new perspective on layout, finishes, color, light, and more. Whether you are a designer or a non-designer it is important to be reminded to look around the corner and think about different possibilities.
So, is Restoration Hardware a home?
I guess it’s a shared communal home? But, honestly, who cares. Shed away the label. Shake off the glorified buzzword of “third place.” It’s a place that prioritizes social connection, and that’s what matters.