The entrance hall at RH England—The Gallery at the historic Aynho Park in Oxfordshire, which displays pieces from the RH Contemporary collection.
Photo: Courtesy of RH
Creative Mind: Gary Friedman
The chairman and chief executive officer of RH has built the furniture brand into a global powerhouse incorporating hospitality spaces, private planes and yachts, and an innovative design studio
Gary Friedman Photo: Courtesy of RH
Having established RH as a household name in the U.S., Gary Friedman has now set his sights on making the same true around the globe. As chairman and chief executive officer for over a decade, he has expanded the brand’s reach, introducing massive design galleries in England, Belgium, and Germany, as well as a location in Paris opening soon on the city’s Champs-Élysées.
“It is a jewel box of a building where you enter through magnificent gates that lead you to a secret garden where the experience begins to unfold like no other retail store in the world,” says Friedman, who has also launched boundary-pushing projects such as Guest House in New York City and private yachts and planes in the past few years.
Although the company is set to unveil a venue in London—done in collaboration with architectural firm Foster + Partners with an otherworldly rooftop garden dining experience conceived alongside Anouska Hempel—and seven more domestic galleries, RH sees its growth more in terms of service than square footage. In the first part of 2025, the brand debuted an interior design studio in Palm Desert, California, and outposts consistently incorporate hospitality initiatives like fine dining.
“Usually, when people try to do more, they actually do less,” muses Friedman. “We believe our ability to curate and integrate is really our greatest strength. You will generally always see new contributors to our cause.”
RH Newport Beach—The Gallery at Fashion Island in Orange County, California. Photo: Courtesy of RH
Guiding force: “My main sources of inspiration have been the great thinkers, philosophers, and leaders who have reimagined and redefined the status quo. I am also influenced by my travels, keeping my eyes and ears open and not on my devices. The best ideas generally come from someone else, and the future belongs to those who demonstrate the curiosity and critical thinking to reimagine and redefine the current reality.”
“The experience begins to unfold like no other retail store in the world”
Gary Friedman
RH Three yacht. Photo: Courtesy of RH
Design philosophy: “Everything we do begins with our design ethos, which is inspired by the work of Marcus Vitruvius,” says Friedman of the 1st Century Roman architect whose groundbreaking tome De Architectura is the centerpiece of the Architecture and Design Library in RH England. “Vitruvius believed the most pleasing design is a study of balance, symmetry, and perfect proportions. We like to say, we don’t build retail stores, we create inspiring spaces that blur the lines between residential and retail, indoors and outdoors, home and hospitality. Spaces that are filled with fresh air and natural light. Spaces with garden courtyards and rooftop parks. Spaces with restaurants, wine and barista bars. Spaces that activate all of the senses, and spaces that cannot be replicated online.”
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2025 Spring Issue under the headline “Creative Minds.” Subscribe to the magazine.
Cover: The entrance hall at RH England—The Gallery at the historic Aynho Park in Oxfordshire, which displays pieces from the RH Contemporary collection.
Photo: Courtesy of RH
