Factio Magazine Talks To Pottery Barn's VP of Product Development

MONICA BHARGAVA: At Pottery Barn, it's all about inspiring people to create inviting, comfortable homes that reflect their own unique sense of style. We work to keep things fresh and exciting for our customers by updating and offering new collections each season.

 

We take a lifestyle approach, providing decorating and style ideas in our stores and online that customers can use to determine there own unique ‘must-haves’. Our foundation pieces are anchored in an aesthetic that is comfortable and easy. Classics such as slip covered sofas, natural fiber rugs; great dining and occasional furniture with authentic finishes are all fabulous must-haves to layer seasonal fashion on. Even in dinnerware and entertaining we have a nice assortment of great white plates, serve ware and candlelight that are beautiful, yet basic enough to layer fashion and whimsy on. We are big on encouraging customers to infuse our pieces into their home, i.e. they do not have to buy the whole look—it can be a beautiful rug or a statement mirror that is also artful. Decorative pillows are a wonderful way to spruce up a home and you can change them throughout the year, creating a different look at little cost. Organizational pieces such as baskets and frames are also a great way to change the look of a room and an easy way to incorporate style and function, again, at a great value.

 

FM: Who is the Pottery Barn customer?
MB: The Pottery Barn customer is someone who appreciates quality design, and great value. Products that are built to fit their lifestyle; timeless, comfortable and casual! We love to surround our customers with beauty and style that is relevant that they can make part of their homes.Chicago is such a seasonal city making our enhanced seasonal section at the new store all the more compelling. With this we want to provide inspiration to our Chicago customers through our unique selection of seasonal items along with fresh ideas to update their homes throughout the year.
 
FM: What’s special about the new store?
MB: Location, location, location. This is Pottery Barn’s first location adjacent to a west elm store, and it really solidifies the North Avenue Lincoln Park location as a destination for the home furnishing and design communities in the Chicago area. The layout of the store is ideal in that it is a single level floor plan, which creates a more open environment allowing space for an enhanced assortment of key lifestyle categories including living room, bedroom and bath. The bedroom and bath section of the new store is extra special in that we now display bath consoles and six bedroom lifestyles, where previously we showed four—providing our customers with additional ideas to take back with them to decorate their homes.
-Emily Ekern