“We know what we are, but know not
what we may be.”

Over the past year, as our company has been redefining itself as a brand, we’ve been on a quest to move beyond what we are to realize what we may become. While William Shakespeare’s quote from Hamlet addressed a 16th-century audience, it is equally powerful and resonant in the 21st century for those not content with the status quo.

And we are anything but content.

Inherent in Shakespeare’s quote is the unrealized promise and potential of what all of us have yet to accomplish. It’s the eternal human quest that makes life challenging and rewarding, in equal measure. For Restoration Hardware, this quest to move forward doesn’t negate who we are, but respects and builds upon the 30-year foundation we’ve established. This quest makes us reach deeper, jump higher and lead by example. And at this point on our growth continuum, we're in the most creative period of our existence.

The “change agents” for us have been a fearlessness to confront the future, an aversion to naysayers and a belief in the power of our convictions. Quality, authenticity and a respect for history, including our own, have always anchored our brand. That history includes our Summer Bath Event, a longstanding Restoration Hardware tradition that celebrates everything for the bath with special savings. In honor of the event, we commissioned the world’s finest artisans to build two new bath furniture collections for us – St. James and French Empire. Crafted of fine hardwoods and defined by intricate hand carving, they nod respectfully to the architectural traditions of the past yet feel of the moment due to their unique finishing treatments, proportion and scale. And in recognition of the bath's restorative power, our luxuriously deep Vintage Imperial Clawfoot Soaking Tub is a faithful reproduction of a 19th-century design, updated with a state-of-the-art handheld shower.

As we contemplate who and what we are, it is worth remembering that growth comes only with risk, and that our power lies in realizing what we may become. Whether it be a 16th- or 21st-century audience, every day is a command performance.

Carpe Diem,

Gary Friedman
Chairman & CEO