About Pottery Barn
If you have ever walked around a mall and seen an aesthetically pleasing furniture and decoration store with a welcoming, rustic interior, chances are high that it was Pottery Barn.
The classy, upscale home furnishing chain retailer and e-commerce brand boasts a massively extensive product line that includes bedding, mirrors and art, outdoor and garden, and even office and storage essentials.
This wholly-owned subsidiary of Williams-Sonoma Inc. has several specialized catalogues and retail locations in North America and Australia.
The home furnishing chain is not shy when it comes to the press, being covered by major outlets such as Sunset, Elle Decor, House Beautiful, Architectural Digest, and CNN. They also boast a 3.4M follower count on Instagram.
Additionally, Pottery Barn writes about all of its collaborations on its blog, featuring collections made with Sarah Bartholomew, Lily Ashwell, Emily Current and Meritt Elliott, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, and Ken Fulk, among an impressive list of other designers, stylists, and creators of all kinds.
If you are on the fence about pressing ‘order’ on one of their many products, let this Pottery Barn review be your guide. We will provide you with all you need to know about the brand and its bestsellers, shipping policies, customer ratings, along with much more, so that you can make an informed purchase decision.
Overview of Pottery Barn
Pottery Barn was originally founded by Paul Secon and his brother Morris in 1949 in Manhattan. The Secon brothers sold their shares of the franchise between 1966-1968, then the subsequent owners sold it to the Gap in 1984.
The company was acquired by Williams-Sonoma, Inc. in 1985, and has since grown to feature specialty stores like Pottery Barn Kids and Pottery Barn Teen. Since its conception, the mission of Pottery Barn has been to become “America’s most meaningful, beautiful design source by bringing together good products, people, and values.”
Pottery Barn is currently headquartered in San Francisco, California, as is its parent company Williams-Sonoma Inc. According to several sources online, the brand’s home furnishings are both imported from various countries and made in the US.
For those of you that like to see information presented concretely in front of you, or for those of you that appreciate our knack for providing you with the benefits versus drawbacks before we dive into the meaty stuff, here are a few highlights of the company.
Highlights
- Impressive selection of home decor items
- Pottery Barn baby, teens, and kids products also available
- Caters to various tastes (though mainly contemporary aesthetics)
- Great quality, durable materials
- Accessible stores
- Ships internationally
Can’t wait to bring a touch of personality to your space? This Pottery Barn review will now take a look at the brand’s popular collections of furniture, rugs, bedding, and curtains. To lay out all of your options, we’ll cover materials, pricing details, and more.
Pottery Barn Furniture Review
Whether you are a new homeowner and you want to purchase some cool furniture to decorate your living space, or you just want to update your current sanctuary, the Pottery Barn furniture section is made with quality, ethical materials. In this case, leather and wood! Let’s take a look at some customer-approved pieces.
Pottery Barn Chesterfield Leather Sofa Review
The Chesterfield Leather Sofa is an Edwardian furnishing made of top-grain leather designed with button tufting on the back and arms. These materials wear with time to take on a beautiful and unique patina. Plus, the cushions are wrapped in polyester for a firmer feel and a more comfortable seating experience.
This Pottery Barn sofa features a roll arm, removable tapered legs, loose seat cushions and a tighter back. It also has a corner-blocked, air dried hardwood frame with mortise-and-tenon joinery and no-sag steel sinuous springs for structural integrity.
You can find the Chesterfield Leather Sofa on the site in a variety of different color, fabric, and width options. Here are the three of the available sizes:
- 65”: $2,799
- 72”: $2,899
- 86”: $3,099
Pottery Barn Griffin Reclaimed Wood Dining Table Review
The Griffin Reclaimed Wood Dining Table belongs on a Pinterest board for picturesque holiday decor. This Pottery Barn review can just picture the whole family passing a gravy boat around this stunning piece…
A multi-step finish is laid over thick reclaimed pine that features ‘imperfections’ typical of reclaimed materials—such as cracks, stains, hue variations, knots, nail heads, and more, resulting in the perfect antique aesthetic.
The beautiful woodwork is held up by strong and stable wrought iron. The dimensions of the table are 86 x 38 x 30, and its weight limit is 660lbs.
This Pottery Barn dining table sells for just under $2,000.
Pottery Barn Rugs Review
Nothing sucks more than stepping onto a cold floor. Make sure you never have to freeze your toes off again by purchasing one of these beautifully-made Pottery Barn rugs in wool/ jute, or sheepskin.
Pottery Barn Chunky Wool/Jute Rug Review
For the rooms in your house that have the highest foot-traffic, you need floor protection that is thick and durable. For this, our Pottery Barn review encourages readers to consider the Chunky Wool/ Jute Rug. It is 100% handloom made with bouclé-woven wool set over a two-textured base.
Best of all, the jute is sustainably sourced from India, which is where the rug is made. It is offered in seven different sizes and three color options between the prices of $229–$1,499. As a side note, the brand also sells rug pads that can add extra stability.
Pottery Barn Single-Pelt Sheepskin Rug Review
This Single-Pelt Sheepskin Rug is just what I’d imagine opulence to feel like, as embodied in a soft floor accent. Surprisingly though, it is one of Pottery Barn’s more affordable rugs.
As the name suggests, it’s made of natural sheepskin hide that has been carefully washed and finished to best showcase the gorgeous, heavenly hues of the material itself. You can find it in ivory/cream or grey on the website.
Pottery Barn suggests you use it as a small floor rug, or even as an accessory draped over your sofa. It sells for $99.
Pottery Barn Bedding Review
The bed is where the magic happens, so make sure you dress it right. The Pottery Barn bedding line consists of duvet covers, sheets, and more. While you’re always welcome to browse the catalogue until you fall asleep, we’ll pick out two bestsellers below for readers to compare.
Pottery Barn McKenna Paisley Percale Duvet Cover Review
The paisley design is delicately patterned on the 100% cotton fabric that features interior ties and hidden button closure. This Pottery Barn review can easily imagine snuggling into bed on a rainy Sunday morning, wrapped up in this soft Paisley Percale Duvet Cover.
The duvet itself and the insert are sold separately, as are the matching shams, which feature an envelope closure. Pottery Barn sells the Paisley Percale Duvet Cover in two sizes: $99 for a full/ queen and $129 for a king/ cal. king.
Pottery Barn Down Feather Pillow Inserts Review
What’s a pillowcase or sham without its pillow? These Down Feather Pillow Inserts promise optimal comfort and durability, with their 100% duck feather fill being lovingly encased in 200 thread-count cotton.
Given that the inserts use natural materials, Pottery Barn assures buyers that they are extensively disinfected via a cleaning process that guarantees hypoallergenic comfort. Depending on your preferred size, the price for these ranges between $14–$44.
Pottery Barn Curtains Review
Unless you are one of those people that just loves to have an open-concept home, you could probably benefit from taking a stroll down the Pottery Barn curtains aisle. For this review, we’ve picked out two styles to explore in depth: Emery Linen and Belgian Flax.
Pottery Barn Emery Linen Rod Pocket Blackout Curtain Review
The Emery Linen Rod Pocket Blackout Curtain is made of a 73% linen and 27% cotton blend. It features a blackout liner of 100% cotton for optimal light filtration, and 100″ wide panels detailed with blind-stitched hems. These have a visible vertical seam down the middle of each panel.
This one is definitely for those night owls who need the room to be pitch black in the morning. You can hang the curtain in one of three ways: pole pocket, hanging loops, and ring top. Available in eight colors and six sizes, it retails for $159–$339.
Pottery Barn Belgian Flax Linen Curtain Review
The medium-weight fabric is the key feature of the gorgeous Belgian Flax Linen Curtain. These are composed of 100% Belgian flax linen, finished and softened with an enzyme wash that gives it a rustic, lived-in feel.
The Belgian Flax Linen Curtain can be bought with an optional cotton lining for a lighter aesthetic, or an optional blackout lining for optimal light filtration. Hang them in one of three ways: either pole pocket, hanging loops, or ring top. Available in eight colors and six sizes, they sell for around $109–$300.
Who is Pottery Barn For?
Pottery Barn’s main catalogue includes products for people with all kinds of tastes. Their site features furniture, outdoor and garden items, bedding, bath, rugs, windows, lighting, pillows and decor, mirrors, art, and more.
Plus, eco-conscious shoppers will be happy to learn more about the brand’s sustainability efforts—such as their mission to plant 3 million trees in three years.
This Pottery Barn review would say that the collection is considered to be geared more towards homeowners or adults, but there are really no limitations being imposed on their products. Anyone could take a liking to the Pottery Barn lighting selection if they felt one of those elegant lamps belonged in their office, for example.
Pottery Barn also carries specialty catalogues for kids and teenagers. The teens line features many of the same essentials as the brand’s standard selection, plus a dorm, desks and study, and Harry Potter collection.
Comparison: Pottery Barn vs. Crate & Barrel
Crate and Barrel was founded by Gordon and Carole Segal in 1962. The lovers were on a mission to provide Americans with simplistic, beautiful, yet practical home furnishings. The designers actually used crates and barrels as display pieces in their Chicago’s Wells Street storefront.
To this day, Crate & Barrel has 89 stores and 8 outlets across the United States and Canada, along with 15 international franchise locations. They also have two branch catalogues—Crate&kids and CB2.
Crate & Barrel, much like Pottery Barn, is focused on social responsibility and doing better for the planet and its customers. On its site, the brand advertises its commitment to a whole host of environmental initiatives, along with partnerships with Vow for Girls, Good360, and Feeding America.
Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel seem to align pretty well with each other, but let’s see how their prices compare. On C & B, you can find the Gather Petite Leather Sofa, which is a 2-seater made with genuine leather, for $4,000. The comparable Turner Square Arm Leather Sofa from Pottery Barn, purchased as a 2-seater loveseat, costs $4,409.
Sofas are expensive though. What if we looked at something a little less pricey, like a rug, for instance? On Crate & Barrel, the solid doormats cost anywhere between $40 for the smaller ones to $140 for the larger options. On Pottery Barn, the solid doormats appear to hover within the range of just under $200 for smaller pieces to nearly $3,000 for larger pieces.
With many similarities between the two companies, this Pottery Barn review believes that it all comes down to personal taste and accessibility, along with which brand supports the causes most important to you.
Pottery Barn Reviews: What Do Customers Think?
This Pottery Barn review wouldn’t be complete without looking at what customers were saying about their purchases! Unfortunately, the brand doesn’t showcase ratings on its own website. So, we decided to dive into comments left on Trustpilot, Sitejabber, Slumber Search, and Consumer Affairs.
We uncovered the following ratings from the third-party sites mentioned:
- Slumber Search: 7.8/10 score from 123 reviews
- Sitejabber: 6.5/10 score from 24 reviews
- Consumer Affairs: 3.7/ 5 stars from 2.3k reviews
- Trustpilot: 1.2/5 stars from 825 reviews
Although there are some criticisms about delayed orders, positive reviewers applaud the company on its helpful assistance and quality materials. For instance, one Trustpilot customer writes, “I went to the store and the associates were very helpful and knowledgeable…Also, the product fits my lifestyle perfectly…”
Another comment on Slumber Search reads, “Love Pottery Barn! The employees are very attentive and helpful. I bought a new couch that should anything happen to any of the cushions they can be replaced individually. That is a real plus! And my sofa will come slipcovered so all I need to do is pop the cover in the washer! Great value!”
The praise continues on Consumer Affairs, where one buyer writes, “I like their furniture decor as related today in era. I believe that style evolves, but quality is timeless. The original designs, premium materials and artisan craftsmanship that Pottery Barn produces can be loved for a lifetime.”
This Pottery Barn review noticed that the ratings were quite low on Trustpilot and decided to investigate. It seems that some customers are unhappy with the delivery times and the pricing of some items.
For instance, a few people found similar products to Pottery Barn lamps at their local department store for a lower price point. All in all though, the quality of the pieces is still praised, and the company does respond to customer complaints.
Is Pottery Barn Worth It?
After taking everything into consideration, this Pottery Barn review has concluded that the brand is worth checking out. While strolling through one of their stores, it’s easy to get swept up by the rustic but modernist charm of the collection. Their furniture pieces are versatile enough to create a strong foundation for the rest of your decor.
Yes, Pottery Barn is pricey; in some cases, much pricier than its competitors. That being said, the brand has a long-standing history of delivering on quality craftsmanship. As a bonus, they offer design services to make remodeling a breezy process and have solid sustainable measures in place.
If you want to splurge on a piece of furniture that will last and be a beautiful addition to your home, why not take a look at what Pottery Barn has to offer?
Pottery Barn Promotions & Discounts
The company offers free shipping on eligible US orders over $99. Make sure to use the Pottery Barn promo code FREESHIP at checkout! Unfortunately, this offer is not valid at Pottery Barn outlets, Pottery Barn Kids, or Pottery Barn Teen.
Our Pottery Barn review also found that the brand has a rewards program, or a PB credit card. Members earn 1 point for every dollar they spend with this card. For every 250 points earned, they receive a $25 reward which they can redeem at any of the outlets.
The company states that for transactions over $750, buyers may choose between earning rewards or promotional financing. If you want to know more about the terms and conditions, we suggest heading over to Pottery Barn’s website.
Where to Buy Pottery Barn
Looking to get your hands on some Pottery Barn duvet covers? You can shop the entire collection over at potterybarn.com. Additionally, their retail locations are dispersed all over the United States, Canada, the Middle East, Mexico, Australia, and the Philippines.
FAQ
Where is Pottery Barn made?
Pottery Barn’s home furnishings are both imported from various countries and made in the US. Their upholstered pieces are allegedly made in North Carolina, according to online resource Slumber Search.
What is Pottery Barn’s Shipping Policy?
For the contiguous US, Pottery Barn has three shipping methods: standard (front door delivery), next-day (front door delivery), or truck delivery (unlimited flat rate delivery). As mentioned the brand offers free delivery on orders over $99.
Pottery Barn also ships internationally. Rates and expected delivery times will be available at checkout, and the brand will issue tracking information in a confirmation email.
What is Pottery Barn’s Return Policy?
So your Pottery Barn desk arrived and it’s too big for the room? No worries. You may return eligible items within 30 days of receiving your order, or 7 days for Quick Ship upholstery items for a refund of the merchandise value. The original receipt or gift receipt is always required.
You can return your items to Pottery Barn in one of three ways:
- Making a return at a brick-and-mortar store
- Bringing your items to a UPS location
- Calling the customer care team
This Pottery Barn review would like to note that online returns are only allowed for US customers. To start a return process for UPS drop-off, provide the company with some details by using the form on the ‘Returns’ page and they will create a shipping label for you. Pack your item(s) in the original manufacturer’s box, then ship away. Remember that delivery fees are non-refundable.
