Even before employees cut the ribbon on Friday, November 19, to officially open one of the most elegant retail locations in Northeast Florida, the public had lined up patiently waiting to enter the gallery RH Jacksonville Center in St. John’s Town.
This expectation actually dates back more than 20 years, until 2000, when the idea for the Jacksonville store was born.
In the words of Kirk Windland, Executive Director of the Jacksonville Office of Economic Development, "We have been waiting for a long time."
Speaking to the people attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Wendland used words such as "gorgeous" and "amazing" to describe the new facility.
"This place is amazing," he said.
DeMonty Price, president and chief operating, service and value officer of RH, said that he is proud to attend the opening of this store in Jacksonville and is excited for those who gather to see what the company provides for them.
"Our employees return to their home office in Corte Madera, California, and work tirelessly day and night to bring these amazing concepts to life," he said.
"I think their choice of us is really a tribute to the city of Jacksonville, they chose this place, and they see us as a growing and innovative community that really connects their brand with what they are trying to do," Windland Say.
In a letter written for the 2020 shareholder meeting, the company's chairman and CEO Gary Friedman wrote that the core of RH is taste. A look at this new store proves this point.
RH Jacksonville is located at 4831 Village Shops Way, in a 70,000 square foot three-story building. It is partly a luxury homeware store, partly an art and interior design gallery, partly a restaurant and so on.
People can buy RH online, but experiencing the furniture in a high-design environment will greatly enhance the appreciation of craftsmanship and material quality.
From the moment you step into the threshold of the 25-foot-tall retractable fiberglass door and enter the central hall with the 14-foot-tall ceiling, it is clear that this is not an ordinary furniture store. In fact, customers in other RH locations have actually told the company on their behalf that they want to live there.
In fact, the central hall showcases the advantages of furniture in an environment reminiscent of the most luxurious residences. Natural light enters the hall from the large skylight on the three floors above and is enhanced by the light of the hand-blown Serenella chandelier. A magnificent double floating staircase invites visitors to the second floor.
On both sides, barrel-shaped arched passages take visitors to the sample room where the famous designer RH interior design collection is displayed, as well as unique antiques and handicrafts that Friedman has collected from all over the world.
Here, customers can find furniture suitable for all areas of the home, including award-winning assemblies and other works from The Cloud Collection.
Some of the characteristic lighting is the work of glass master Alison Berger (Alison Berger), her award-winning works have been exhibited in some outstanding art and design museums.
[Read more about Alison Berger here. ]
The first floor is dedicated to RH interior design, and the second floor is dedicated to the RH Modern series of furniture, displayed in a 9,000 square foot space. Here, in addition to furniture, customers can also find compatible lighting, textiles and decorations.
RH interior design is also located here, and designers are always ready to work one-on-one with clients to determine the best method for them, whether they want to decorate a room or an entire house.
Interactive RH Design Ateliers has a large selection of fabrics and leathers, as well as furniture and lighting finishes.
The RH carpet showroom focuses on hand-woven and hand-woven carpets.
Throughout the exhibition space, visitors will find works by famous artists. Many works are prints made with the new 3-D technology, which can capture the true brushstrokes, textures and techniques of the original. These works were displayed in collaboration with art collector Portia de Rossi, who is the founder of GENERAL PUBLIC, an art curatorial and publishing company. When the company announced an exclusive partnership with RH in 2018, Frey Deman called it "the first platform to truly amplify artists."
[Read more about general public works here. ]
Continue up the stairs from the second floor (or take the elevator, if you prefer), and visitors will come across the rooftop restaurant. The seats are mainly located in the steel and glass atrium, with French doors leading to the garden courtyard and terrace, inspired by Europe.
[What's on the menu? Click here to get a sample. ]
Opposite the restaurant is the Wine Bar, which offers 60 selected wines, 40 of which are sold by glass. Enthusiasts will recognize the wines produced by several highly regarded vintners, such as Antinori, Caymus-Suisun, Perrier Jouët and Silver Oak. In addition, there are also rare wines from Napa Valley-usually not available in northeastern Florida.
RH Jacksonville is open from 10 am to 9 pm daily. The phone number is 904-730-1474.
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