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US homeware brand RH has finally opened its doors in the UK. But forget a London flagship, the design giant has put down considerably more rural roots
‘If you’re in the home business and you want to do something extraordinary, why not do it in an extraordinary home?’ asks Gary Friedman, CEO of American homeware brand RH. ‘Why open a store in Mayfair, which is what everyone else has already done? Although we are going to do that,’ he says, laughing. ‘But who has opened a store in a 17th-century, 73-acre estate in the middle of the countryside?’
It’s a point well made. Until this year, the answer was no one. But, at the beginning of June, RH – formerly Restoration Hardware – launched its first outpost beyond North America at Aynho Park, a historic property near Banbury in Oxfordshire. Flinging its sizeable doors open with a star-studded party that saw Idris Elba take to the decks, guests in the nearly 1,000-strong crowd included Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi (whose art-curationcompanyGeneralPublicpartners with RH), as well as a host of names from the design and hospitality world.
Known as ‘RH England, The Gallery at the historic Aynho Park’, the lifestyle destination marks the first leg of the luxury US retailer’s global expansion plan. ‘It was an incredible challenge to introduce ourselves into Europe in a really inspiring and unforgettable way,’ continues Friedman, who took control of the business in 2001, famously transforming it from a company offering nostalgic knickknacks into a multibillion-dollar brand that’s loved by the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow and Kendall Jenner. ‘We didn’t build the Gallery primarily for commerce – if we had we’d have never done it way out here,’ he adds. ‘We did it for conversation, and to inspire and educate ourselves and our guests.’
First constructed in 1615, the vast property with over 60 rooms sits on a 400-year-old landmark estate with historic gardens designed by iconic landscape architect Capability Brown. One of England’s rare Grade I-listed buildings (other places in this esteemed club include Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament), in the early 19th century it was expanded further and refurbished by none other than Sir John Soane. It’s not the first landmark building that Friedman has reinvented; the former Museum of Natural History in Boston, the Three Arts Club in Chicago, the Bethlehem Steel Building in San Francisco and the company’s six-floor space in the Meatpacking District in New York are just some of the substantial US sites that are now home to RH Galleries. Nonetheless, the project, which took just over four years to complete, wasn’t without its unique challenges.
‘People say it’s going to take twice a
