The Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware Spring ‘09 catalogs landed in my mailbox exactly one day apart. And here’s what I found (PB on left, RH on right):
Let’s compare, shall we?
*PB’s Brittanic Trunk vs RH’s Mayfair Steamer: according to the descriptions, RH’s Mayfair has 3,000 hand-hammered brass nailheads, while PB’s Brittanic makes no mention of how many brass nailheads hold it together. The Brittanic, however, has one extra drawer: more space for you to stash tattered maps, iron candlesticks, and whiskey. The Mayfair claims to be a repro that’s handmade–an original copy, so to speak. Derrida would not approve. The Mayfair’s bigger, but really, how much gleaming silver trunk can you want? Plus, the Brittanic’s just better looking. Round one: Pottery Barn.
*PB’s Wheel Coffee Table vs RH’s Furniture Factory Cart: this one’s pretty easy. The Wheel Coffee Table appears to be a sanitized version of a pallet used to push your zinnias through the parking lot to your car. The Furniture Factory Cart is an actual remnant, salvaged from an actual factory and restored by an actual Northern California craftsman (I italicize to highlight the J Peterman-esque detail). Round two: Restoration Hardware.
What say you, readers? Coincidence? The result of months of surveillance by a well-placed mole? A comedic debacle along the order of Rachel’s apothecary table?
Judging by volume of Google hits I receive from the search terms “factory cart,” the slab of old wood on wheels is a hot thing indeed.
