Pottery Barn, maker of America’s most tasteful (yet occasionally bland) decor, just sent me an email advertising their new wall art: iron gates. Let me be the first to raise my hand up and shout to the design world: “I’m CONFUSED”.

I’ve always depended on Pottery Barn to provide suburbanites with the clean, unimposing, generally mute style that allows homeowners to personalize to their own taste (or, heaven forbid, pull a Rachel and buy the entire group as shown to pass off as your own doing). The iron gate threw me when I saw it because this style of artwork is a complete departure from PB’s normal line. In fact, I generally see PB as a trendsetter in the world of decor, not a trend follower. Ballard Designs, the leader in the industry for shabby chic/french country decor, has offered said iron gates for years. So why is Barn branching out to the ‘chic’ers now?

I want your feedback! What’s up with Barn? Are they trying to reach a wider audience, or is French Country leaking into other decorating styles? Please note that I worked for (and very much enjoyed) Pottery Barn a few years back, so I make a habit of following their trends and offering their products to clients who enjoy PB’s reputation for great customer service. Post, peeps! I want to hear your ideas!

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 22nd, 2007 at 11:03 pm and is filed under Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.