I've Seen The Future Of Retail - And It's Beige

RH England opened their first gallery outside the US last week - I paid a visit to the Cotswolds to see CEO Gary Friedman's latest creation

RH England Aynho Park

Thanks to the vagaries of the M25, it was something of an arduous journey from Sussex to Aynho Park, near Banbury, but all that was forgotten as I turned through the gates and drove up the gravel driveway in front of the house.

I was beckoned by a smart looking gentleman who, it turned out, was the car valet. Leaving the keys with him I entered, to immediately be greeted by one of several concierge staff. Lauren, it turns out, is very personable, not to say, knowledgeable and told me about the history of the building.

The Orangery

The work of Sir John Soane, Aynho Park is a rare Grade I listed building - a category that includes Buckingham Palace, The House of Parliament and Tower Bridge. First constructed in 1615, then rebuilt after the English Civil War, it was owned by the Cartwright family until the mid-20th century.

Set on an elevated plateau at the southern edge of Aynho Village, the estate features historic gardens by Capability Brown and Europe’s largest herd of White Hart deer.

And as you step through into the main salon, the sheer splendour of the property takes your breath away. There are store visits and then there is RH; this is almost other-worldly. But I’m getting ahead of myself, let’s rewind and remind ourselves of the RH story.

The Main Salon

Founded in 1979, RH - or Restoration Hardware as it was then known, sold affordable hardware and fixtures. In 2012, the business underwent an initial public offering and was renamed RH as it targeted a far more upmarket customer. It began creating ever more lavish spaces for its flagship stores, often in unusual and impressive buildings, which increasingly were referred to as galleries.

An example of a bedroom layout

There are now 70 outlets / galleries and Aynho Park is the first to be opened outside the US. So, other than the valet parking, concierge service, Orangery restaurant, tea salon, wine lounge, library, juicery and loggia serving wood fired pizzas, does RH England actually sell any furniture?

The answer is yes, it does. Across the first and second floors and West Wing of the building there are room after room of immaculately laid out bedrooms and sitting rooms all showing off the RH range, much of it new lines introduced for the UK market.

Bedroom on the first floor

In many ways it feels no different to touring a stately home except that everything - apart from the ‘found’ items such as rare sculptures - is for sale. Except that nothing has a price tag, although with outdoor six piece furniture sets starting from around £23,000, if you need to ask, you can’t afford it.

Think of this more as somewhere you come if you’re kitting out your new superyacht or five-star London hotel.

Living area layout

Everywhere you look, there is finest solid teak, American oak or bronzed aluminium set off with the most lavish and relaxing fabrics and tones, thousand point bed linen, and finest art and sculptures. Mix this with the wonderfully restored building, the subtle aromas and chic lounge music everywhere you walk and it all combines to create a positively intoxicating experience. This is ‘experiential’ retail on steroids and as far from a furniture shop as a Lear jet is from a paper plane.

Except that there’s a problem.

From the moment you drive through the gates, you are immersed and cossetted in a beautiful beige world. At first this is soothing, relaxing - what’s not to like about beige? But, rather like an Iceland party food platter, after a while, it becomes, well somewhat dull, bordering on irritating and you find yourself desperately in need of a little contrast. After all, faced with a plate of satay chicken and spring rolls, even a brussels sprout assumes a new appeal.

CEO Gary Friedman is well-known for putting place and promotion at the heart of his propositions and RH England is probably the best example of that philosophy. But whilst the furniture looks beautifully made, one can’t help feeling that, after a while, we might tire of the California cool vibe in favour of something a little more, well, dynamic.

However, that’s for the future and from speaking to the staff at RH England it becomes evident that even this early on their UK journey, that realisation is beginning to dawn. Whether this translates into a revised product mix remains to be seen. But for now, RH England should be seen for what it is. A bold, daring, incredibly brave and wonderful venture which re-writes the book on what great retail customer experience looks and feels like. And for that it should be celebrated.