Pottery Barn

Pottery Barn sells furniture, bedding and home decor for people furnishing a house in a fairly traditional American style. By our assessment, it does that job well when the room needs matching pieces rather than a lot of hunting around. The downside is the familiar one for this sort of store: the look can feel safe and the prices sit above basic chain furniture. In practice it is a place for sofas, tables, lamps and seasonal extras that are meant to coordinate, so the visit is more about planning a room than chasing one object. Pottery Barn sits between plain mass-market furniture and more design-led brands, with less edge than the latter and more polish than the former. The catalogue is broad enough for a whole room, but not where you go for the cheapest fix.