Yesterday we had a chance to check out the new Pottery Barn Holiday 2010 catalog and see a few of the items items in person. They're going with a shiny metallic silver-and-gold look this year, and they're trying to step into the void left by Smith & Hawken's closing with some mid-range traditional garden-style décor.
Right now, it's mostly topiaries, wreaths, flower pots, and lanterns, but the greenhouse look is definitely there, and it's a hint of more to come in spring. You'll also find a lot of Hanukkah decorations in the mix. I like the Brass Menorah, which has an antique pewter finish. At $200, it's pretty expensive, but it's also a classic piece that's a good size for a mantelpiece. The candles and silver-plated dinnerware are also tasteful and classic, just sparkly enough but not too holidayish.
I'd stay away from the glittery ornaments. They look good in photos, but in person they feel flaky and cheap. And there are a few things — like the Reindeer Candelabra — that are just too over-the-top holiday.
To see the full Pottery Barn 2010 Holiday Collection, click here.
Pottery Barn 2010 Holiday Decor
• Brass Menorah with Antique Pewter Finish, $199
• Reindeer Candelabra, $149
• Etched Mercury Cachepots, $10 - $19
• Addison Party Bucket, $99
• Antique Silver Cocktail Shaker, $39
• Stag Bottle Stopper, $12
• Twelve Days of Christmas Party Settings, various prices
• Live Amaryllis, $49
• Faux Sheepskin Stockings, $19 - $24
• Glitter Ornaments, set of 6, $16
MORE HOLIDAY SNEAK PEEKS 2010
• IKEA Goes Red, White, and Blue
• West Elm: Holiday Collection by David Stark
Before & After: Emily Henderson Transforms a Senior's Studio Space
Monica & Austin's Charming Bungalow
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Ercol Bar Stool
How To Cook Fluffy, Tasty Quinoa
True Greek Recipe: Paximadi Bread Salad with Tomatoes, Feta and Capers
I looove the look of mercury glass in any kind of setting.
Have yourself a commercial Made-In-China Christmas!
Beautiful Menorah.
Isn't this pretty much exactly what PB had last year (and the year before, and the year before...)?
These are all beautiful, especially the Hannukah stuff. But for some reason, forced bulb flowers always make me feel sad.
This looks exactly like what PB offerred for the holidays when I last shopped there, 5 or 6 years ago. Boring...
If I wanted to spend $200 on a menorah you can bet it wouldn't be from PB. Seriously, what ever happened to promoting interesting handmade stuff.
How is this different from the crap they sell every "holiday season"? I think this is the fifteenth time I've seen that deer candelabra.
Instead of buying new silverplate that's pretending to look old, why not look for actual antique silverware at flea markets, thrift shops, or online shops & auctions? It's easy to find lovely, interesting, useable antique silverplated flatware for pennies. If you hunt a little it's not that hard to find solid silver spoons that were made by hand when Ben Franklin was alive--in gorgeous, classic, simple patterns--for less than $10.
Same with the glassware. The genuine antiques that this stuff is trying to imitate are easy to find and often cheap. Why go ersatz when you could have the real stuff?
Agree with everyone on this, a bit expected. However, I might need that bottle stopper.
I think this is a dot different from what Pottery Barn had in the past: more rustic and British looking, less city-for-country people.
You have to say that the Reindeer Candelabra has become a commercial classic?
PB usually has some purple decorations, but I don't see them using that color here.
No animal prints?