“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”
American essayist, poet and philosopher Henry David Thoreau wrote these words in the 19th century, yet they resonate as profoundly today as when he originally penned them. Living alone for two years at Walden Pond in a one-room cabin, he meditated on nature and the meaning of life, all the while forming his visionary philosophy on civil disobedience, pacifism and abolition. He saw the possibility of a better world and shared it through his writings.
It’s up to each of us to see beyond the obvious and cultivate a vision for the future.
We embrace Thoreau’s original, authentic voice, someone unafraid to embark on the road less traveled. It’s through a similar prism that we at Restoration Hardware search for new ideas and opportunities each day. That vision has called on us to align with some of the world’s premier artisans, who look beyond the surface to see new possibilities never before explored. True to our name, we’ve championed the restoration of materials that would otherwise have been discarded, instead repurposing floor boards from distilleries in Great Britain into salvaged wood dining tables, transforming French oak wine barrels into a stunning chandelier, converting vintage Belgian brick pallets into a beautiful coffee table, redefining industrial factory windows as dramatic mirrors, and re-imagining exterior architectural building corbels as a distinctive desk. Similarly, we’ve taken an authentic 1920s French automobile factory tool chest and reproduced it as a functional side table, brought back to life a circa 1588 World Map from the Old Church Archive in London and reprinted it in exacting detail (you’ll notice they hadn’t quite discovered the whole world yet) to create a historical piece of art for your home, and reinterpreted a cast iron acanthus leaf artifact as a stunning luminary. These are just some of the ideas we’re debuting this Spring.
On that same continuum, we’ve pursued a path that’s put us at odds with the prevailing industry wisdom. Instead of taking the perhaps easier road of reducing quality and, hence, lowering prices, we felt there was no better time than the past year to reassert our belief in the enduring resonance of quality and visionary design. For we think that our customers share our passion for timeless investment pieces that reflect unparalleled craftsmanship, innovation and a respect for our natural resources.
Like Thoreau, we’re traveling our own road, in pursuit of a limitless vision not restricted by what we may be looking at, but instead inspired by what we see...
We hope you’ll join us.
Carpe Diem,
Gary Friedman
Chairman & CEO
