Best Restoration Hardware Outdoor Furniture Review

Living in California has made it easy for Jeff and I to become obsessed with the indoor/outdoor way of life. Our San Francisco Bay Area weather is mild most of the time and even in January/February, when it’s the coldest.. we can sit outdoors with a throw and fire on. I can’t imagine not having a cozy spot outside to sit in to enjoy my morning cup of coffee or glass of wine with friends during the evening times.

Our new home is 1900 square feet and quite a bit smaller than our previous house. Because of this, it was very important to have outdoor living spaces that are comfortable for all. (If you’re new here – please click here to check out our home renovation story) We were faced with 2 outdoor living areas that needed new outdoor furniture. (All the previous furniture we owned was sold with the sale of our home) One space sitting directly outside of our family room, and another that sits adjacent to the dining room. You can imagine all the scenarios I had to run through to figure out what look and style I wanted to go with in terms of furniture to fill these spaces. They sit so closely to the interior, it was important that everything mesh properly.

When I first began looking for new furniture, I looked everywhere. Online, in stores, etc. The hardest part for me was considering purchasing pieces that I had not seen in person or sat in before. Most stores don’t have the luxury of space to show off their outdoor furniture. Luckily for me Restoration Hardware does and I took advantage. I have tried out every collection possible. (This is not a sponsored post)
While I entertained the idea of ordering other furniture, sight unseen.. I decided to follow my gut and order pieces that I had the opportunity to try in store. I just didn’t feel comfortable winging it with expensive furniture… especially because I had to buy so many pieces and once it’s made in custom fabric, you are stuck with it. As a result, all of our outdoor seating is from Restoration Hardware . To be honest, I was fine with this… I have owned it before and I was familiar with their customer service, etc.

Today I’m going to be sharing my thoughts on 3 of Restoration Hardware’s outdoor collections: the Antibes, which I owned at my last house, the Provence, and the Carmel collection. All of these collections have a different look and style. I think it’s important to mention that Restoration Hardware can be more expensive than some of the other companies out there like Wayfair or Amazon… however, I do find them comparable to Frontgate, Pottery Barn, Serena and Lily.

One of the ways to receive lower pricing at RH is to become an RH member. By paying $100 you receive 25% off on everything full price plus an additional 20% off on sale items.. To learn more about the membership, click here where I discuss it a little further in my Restoration Hardware Indoor Furniture Review.

In this post I’m going to be reviewing each item on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the best ever!) and I’m going to give specifics based on: appearance, quality, fabric, and pricing.

The Antibes Collection

If you read my Restoration Hardware Interior Furniture Review post, you may remember that I discussed a little about this collection. This is what I said:

“A few years ago I fell in love with RH’s Antibes collection. I ordered a couple of sofas, chairs, coffee table and side tables. We LOVED all and found everything extremely comfortable. After several years I noticed that some of the iron was chipping and rusting on a couple of the pieces. (btw, I used their covers religiously during the winter months so that wasn’t the reason behind the chipping) When I called Restoration Hardware to complain about this (this occured before I was active on IG) they asked for a few pictures then immediately told me they would switch out every piece. We couldn’t believe it! The next thing I knew they were delivering an entire new set to me. I was shocked. This is why I shop at Restoration Hardware.”

One of the first things that I would like to add about the Antibes collection is that we think it’s one of the most comfortable seating collections we have ever owned. The seat-backs on both the sofas and chairs are angled slightly back which provides a little extra room, allowing for a deeper seating. We purchased this collection in the “classic” depth (because the angled backs really take up quite a bit more space. It still felt luxe because of the angled backs. When measuring for yourself, make sure to keep this extra angled back in mind space wise.
While I loved this collection, I really felt the space outside my dining room was too tight for the angled backs. My friend was telling me recently how they got something similar, when they purchased it they got some fantastic furniture delivery that made the process so much simpler.

The different pieces that I owned in my older home include: 75″ Sofa, 2 of the Classic Lounge Chairs, 54″ Sofa (Loveseat), Coffee Table, and 2 side tables. I also made sure to purchase furniture covers for all pieces.

Image via RH

Appearance: 5/5. I love the classic style of this collection. It’s elegant without being too fussy, and traditional without being old-fashioned. The chairs are wide and deep which everyone appreciated. To accessorize I think they would look great with some bright Yellow Cushions patterned or plain but nothing to busy to distract from this simplistic classic style.

Quality: 4/5. I’m only rating this a 4/5 because we had an issue with our first Antibes collection showing some rust. The second grouping (they replaced due to the issue) showed no rust after 5+ years. It’s hand-constructed of rust-proof cast aluminum. The finish on the aluminum stands up to weather and UV rays, which I really liked.

Fabric: 3.5/5. My Sunbrella fabric faded after 2-3 years which was a bummer. In RH’s defense, this was 12 years ago and outdoor fabrics have come a long way since then. I had the Sunbrella canvas in the grass color (Wow! So different from my current choices). It’s 100% acrylic. Unfortunately when it faded, it went from a pretty green to a pea soup color which I hated!

Pricing: 3/5. This collection is extremely expensive.. so if you’re on a budget, you might not want to look long and hard at this one. I didn’t shop around enough when I first ordered this set and swore that I would never do that again if I had tons of pieces I needed to purchase.

Overall thoughts.. if you have an unlimited budget and love this elegant Mediterranean style set – then I would say.. go for it. I don’t know why the first set rusted through, I think it was a complete fluke. I have a girlfriend who has had the same set for 10 + years and they have never had an issue. I really like the look of this set, and the comfort level is amazing.

Speaking of money, I was talking to my friend on my lovely furniture and she was telling me about how she recently was shopping around for great business energy quotes for her business. She decided to look at websites such as Usave. I hear they saved her a ton of money on her energy bills. find out more info here.

The Provence Collection

When I first moved into this new home last year I had always planned to order two sofas for my backyard. I really loved the idea behind an “outdoor living room” or… an outdoor living space if you will because of the coziness it provides and the ability to entertain many comfortably. I knew that two identical sofas placed opposite one another would create the atmosphere I craved. I felt the sofas positioned in this way would allow for better conversation while still keeping the space open. When we stumbled upon the Provence collection we knew we had found the perfect set. We fell in love!

I have to note that not every piece you see in these photos is from Restoration Hardware. With this new home.. I made a concerted effort to mix furniture from everywhere. No more matchy matchy. Next to my new sofas I have side tables and coffee tables from a wide range of places.. Homegoods, Wayfair, ZGallerie, consignment stores, antique fairs, etc. So much better!

Image via RH

Appearance: 5/5. This chic set appears a little more contemporary than what I usually purchase which makes me love it all the more. The faux woven rattan adds the perfect amount of texture, and I’m obsessed with the chalk color. Unfortunately for those who love this color, the chalk color has since been discontinued. I’m not sure why.. I love the soft light gray color. The good news for me is that the price of the chalk furniture was cut by 50%, which made buying the sofas not as painful. The low profile and sloping arms kept it clean and contemporary.

Quality: 5/5. Excellent. No wear and tear so far.. the long-bench seat cushions are holding up perfectly. Very firm.

Fabric: 5/5. For this set I went with the upgraded Perennials Performance Textured Basket Weave in Fog. It’s a luxury superior stain-resistant fabric that is known to “shrug off” red wine and stands up the bleach! Emma loves it because it’s softer than the typical canvas that you find with most outdoor furniture and I loved the basket weave design. The “Fog” color blended with the chalk-colored sofas.

Pricing: 5/5. Expensive normally but I purchased my pieces at a deep discount (50% off) because they were discontinuing the color that I chose. Sofas are normally a larger purchase anyways, but because of my great deal.. I was extremely satisfied with the pricing for me in the end. That being said, this sofa is worth saving up for.. everyone who comes over comments on how much they love sitting on them.

Final thoughts… like I said above, this is expensive but this is my all-time favorite set. Another added bonus is the long bench seat on the sofas. No uncomfortable crack for anyone to sit on. ;)

The Carmel Collection

The outdoor seating area that sits directly outside my dining room is very small and awkward in shape. So much so I asked Emma and Jeff to contribute their thoughts on different variations. We even dragged out some of my interior furniture to visually see how the sizes would look outside. Different ideas included: 1 sofa and 1 chair, 4 chairs, and 1 loveseat with 2 chairs. The reason we never considered a sectional is because of the way the sharp angle came in toward the space.. it just wouldn’t fit. As a matter of fact, many of you had suggested a sectional or even a half rounded sofa but we simply couldn’t make it work.

images via RH

What we ended up settling on was the loveseat and 2 chair option.. I like how it fits the space. I still feel like maybe I could have chosen a larger sofa and 2 chairs, but we felt like we already had enough sofas with the other two in the back and I wanted a completely different grouping. Plus, this would save us money in the long run.

I actually didn’t sit in The Carmel Collection before I purchased it online, but having read reviews and knowing how RH’s outdoor furniture is made, I felt it would work. We purchased: this loveseat and 2 luxe chairs.

Appearance: 5/5. Love the light and airy look of this furniture. The “X” style back looks really beautiful from the opposite side of the backyard. On Instagram stories I asked everyone what color they preferred between the Black iron and Graphite (I really wanted the Graphite) and almost everyone loved the gray as much as me. I chose the white fabric with the gray piping because this space sits just a few feet away from my dining room, and I knew it would compliment the space. I’m so happy with my choices!

Quality: 5/5. The chairs and sofa are made out of a powder-coated aluminum which makes them smooth and very light-weight. The cushions are deep and thick. Very similar to the Antibes in terms of quality.

Fabric: 5/5. I went with the Perennials Performance Textured Linen Weave with Contrast Piping in White/Fog. The color of the cushions was a big debate amongst my readers and family. While everyone thought the white with gray piping would look the best, they were concerned about the longevity factor on keeping it clean. What helped me decide on the white even more is that many who owned white cushions stated they kept them clean by using scotch-guarded and they washed well. I did this with all of my white interior slipcovers in the past, so I felt like this was something I could control, vs. a fabric that is full of color and could fade, etc. The trade off was well worth it. I can mix the white with any rug or pillow combination that I like.

Pricing: 4/5. Not as expensive as The Antibes Collection, but not inexpensive either. I’m hoping to have this set for a long time which will make the $$ amount a little easier to swallow.

Overall thoughts: Something important to note when ordering the Carmel collection is that it sits more up-right, causing it to not feel as deep as the Antibes collection. I like this set a lot.. It’s Jeff’s favorite area of the yard. It has a cozy feel and allows for 4 people to sit comfortably. (Emma prefers the larger sofas sitting by the family room however because she likes the longer and deeper seats)

Final Thoughts

The last thing I would like to mention is that Restoration Hardware provides “White Glove Delivery Service”. I LOVE this service. I don’t have to deal with opening large boxes then getting rid of them, plus… if there is anything wrong with any of the pieces, the delivery guys will take the furniture back – then and there. I can’t emphasize how great of a perk this is.

Overall, I’m extremely satisfied with all of the outdoor Restoration Hardware furniture that I have ordered. If you’re looking to purchase or replace outdoor furniture, I would suggest purchasing around this time of year because this is when all the sales hit. If you wait until February & March, more than likely the pieces won’t have any reductions.

Do you have outdoor furniture that you love? Would love to know your experience/thoughts/regrets/stories!
Let me know in the comments below.. :)

xo,
Kristy