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Hot or Not? Pottery Barn's New Look

2008-01-15-potterybarn.jpgWe did a double take after getting the new Pottery Barn catalog...and then again upon visiting the website. It's a totally different vibe graphic-design wise. What do you think of their new style?

Comments (22)

Way to look like a discount internet merchandiser, PB!

posted by wende in phoenix on 2008-01-15 11:16:15
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I voted NOT mainly because the new colorful lamps etc. look much better in the catalog than they do in person.

posted by GlamGirl on 2008-01-15 11:21:47
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I voted "NOT" for the amateurish typography. Bad kerning!

posted by aaron on 2008-01-15 11:24:54
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Hmm. I always think of PB as the place to go for basics in beige. They're good at that.

Most of the new, colorful items look like trendy things I've seen elsewhere. They're already looking a little "out."

posted by Lisa Hunter on 2008-01-15 11:27:34
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Agree with Wende - the website looks cheap n trashy.

posted by Pixie on 2008-01-15 11:27:52
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Don't like the look either, but it seems to be cosmetic and the home page only.

posted by JonathanB on 2008-01-15 11:35:27
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I agree: the site definitely looks like one for a discount place. I give their little redesign a lifespan of less than a month.

As for the "bright bold colors," it looks like it spans the spectrum from white to beige to camel to burgundy. Not a whole lot of bright and bold there.

posted by gpark on 2008-01-15 11:35:49
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Wowsa, what a design mess. Cheap, cluttered, non-user-friendly, bad type...just about everything one could do wrong with web "design". Disaster.

posted by designerny on 2008-01-15 11:37:32
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The website is pretty awful, but the catalog definitely grabbed my attention when it came in the mail, so I guess it did its job. Also, after what seems like 5 years of the same Pottery Barn catalog, it was refreshing to look at one with some different stuff in it.

posted by robyn on 2008-01-15 11:49:44
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The website is a mess, I agree. Too much on the front and no real focus. The catalogue did catch my eye though. I thought they were going after a kind of Anthropologie look as far as colors and patterns are concerned. And it is nice to see something different after so long!

posted by Linda from ::Surroundings:: on 2008-01-15 11:59:23
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The website is pretty difficult to look at--visually it's cluttered, which makes it hard to find what you're looking for.

The funny thing is, when I clicked on the different styles they feature ("Urban Nest," "Artists' Community," "World Traveller," etc.), they all look more or less the same to me.

posted by lindsey on 2008-01-15 12:19:10
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The "redesign" is home-page deep only, and they do this sort of thing seasonally all the time. It's basically a "campaign" not a redesign, so haters, look away briefly and I'm sure they'll give you something else to complain about in a month or two.

Relax, people. Jeez.

posted by patrick (the other one) on 2008-01-15 12:28:02
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I'm not a PB hater, but I got really tired looking through the latest catalogue, perhaps because I've been muting down my own bedroom palette. And, even as a non-PB-hater, I admit, the "artists' community" stuff really made me roll my eyes a bit!

posted by Christine (the one in DC) on 2008-01-15 13:11:47
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I was thrilled to not see the beach theme in the new spring catalog for a change. Other than that, I can't say there is much of a major change. There are a few new graphic changes, but they change every season a new catalog comes out. What I though was funny were the "style catagories" They make no sense. It reminded me of this post. http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/surveys/survey-is-this-a-dcor-conflicted-era-039469#comments

posted by dmstudio on 2008-01-15 13:44:13
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The website layout looks fine to me- much better than others that I have seen. That being said, PB continues to be a big snoozefest for me. There is nothing bold and bright about any of this. I really do wish they would move out of the early 1990's.

posted by hejiranyc on 2008-01-15 13:49:49
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Wende nails it on the head, again. And Christine, the "artists' community" makes me think of people faking the lifestyle, but with money enough to afford generic stuff from PB.

posted by kate on 2008-01-15 13:52:41
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barfy. i hate the orangey yellows.

posted by jamie* on 2008-01-15 13:59:20
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Oh my!
What have they done!
The creative people at PB have lost the battle.
This is what a catalog looks like when the suits at corporate get their way.

posted by dewi on 2008-01-15 14:37:43
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If you read past the (Artist Community) header, you might have discovered the inspiration for their new prints and color palettes.

I think ragging on Pottery Barn is the biggest snoozefest of all.

posted by patrick (the other one) on 2008-01-15 17:11:16
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I like the new look -- feels more fresh and modern... unforunately the actual furniture hasn't changed to match.

posted by mh330 on 2008-01-15 17:41:09
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nevermind -- i was referring to the catalog i got (not sure how i'm on that list).... just looked at the website and i agree with the posts above -- looks sale-tastic!

posted by mh330 on 2008-01-15 17:42:31
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Wow - I have to say that I think all of these comments are way off the mark. Pottery Barn stuff has looked the same for the last 4 years. Beige...beige...cranberry...beige. Take a close look at all of the fun use of canvas in the background. Ironically, they are not actually selling any of it (as far as I can see.) Regardless, I think the catalog is taking its cues from the bright colors we are seeing in window and wall coverings, paint colors and even clothing lines.

posted by wister5 on 2008-01-15 20:46:27
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