Unpacking RH Modern

October 2, 2015

Vicente Wolf, one of the designers featured in Restoration Hardware’s new modern collection, sees it as “the next great wave.”

As October rolled in, we were excited to see the new 540-page sourcebook for Restoration Hardware’s RH Modern collection. As we (and lots of other folks) have noted the collection marks a bold departure for the Marin County-based retailer, heretofore known for interpretations of traditional and classical designs. The offerings include a selection from some of our friends and clients, including dramatic chandeliers by Jonathan Browning.

Vicente Wolf contributed a collection of side and coffee tables. “RH Modern embodies what I love about modern furniture and its use in interior design – it has clean straight lines with a high level of detail and craftsmanship to make it luxurious,” Vicente says, noting his own table designs in the collection are simple in line but have a rich ebonized wood finish with beautiful metal detailing at the corners. “The Avenida collection has a great transitional design quality,” he says. “In a modern setting, it looks clean and slick. In other settings, it adjusts naturally and beautifully.”

Modern, of course, means lots of things to lots of different people. Is it just the look of a Mad Men set design, or is it, asks Restoration Hardware Chairman and CEO Gary Friedman, as the dictionary definition suggests, “anything and everything”?

All food for thought as we browse the pages (the online version of the book is here). Vicente notes his own “modern” design is inspired by the past. “As such it is not of a particular period, and so it travels well through time. So of course, today it looks clean and contemporary.” The RH collection largely seems to share that approach. “I believe it is a great new direction for the marketplace and represents the next great wave in modern design,” Vicente says.