You Can Do Way More Than Shop at RH’s Gigantic New Flagship Store

The cult of the “cloud couch” has a new place of worship: An 80,000-square-foot RH retail mecca that just opened on Pier 70 in San Francisco’s historic shipyard. Five floors clad in opulent marble, limestone, massive chandeliers, hand-forged iron doors, and coffered ceilings put a luxury spin on “brick and mortar” furniture shopping.

Courtesy of RH

Four floors of retail space—each with two 100-foot long corridors—will be filled with the brand’s signature sleek lighting, accessories, and furniture in a sophisticated neutral palette mixed with art and artifacts sourced across the globe. And the fifth-floor “roof park,” with its mature London plane trees, sculptural hedges, fountains, and retractable glass walls, offers show-stopping views of the downtown skyline—and the iconic bay.

Courtesy of RH

The building itself might be enough to lure architecture buffs to this museum-like space. Constructed in 1917 at the corner of Illinois and 20th Street, and designed by prominent architect Frederick Meyer, it’s a meticulously restored example of Classical Revival style. RH chairman Gary Friedman has a thing for historic buildings. He devoted his sizable resources toward revitalizing the Three Art Club in Chicago, and the former site of the Museum of Natural History in Boston’s Back Bay before taking on this multi-year restoration project.

Courtesy of RH

With the shipyard project in San Francisco, he’s bringing back the more glamorous days of in-person shopping, offering two wine bars (serving more than 40 varieties of wine by the glass, many from local vineyards) and a swank garden restaurant, The Palm Court, with an open-fire kitchen, indoor date palm trees, and a massive fountain.

Courtesy of RH

Like Ghirardelli and Levi’s, the RH location is on track to become a tourist destination in its own right, and represent the success story of a hometown brand made good.