The home design and lifestyle giant is taking travel luxury by storm
Words by KELSEY McKINNON
Climb aboard RH One — a custom-designed Gulfstream G650 with a metallic exterior and the words “Carpe Diem” inscribed just below the cockpit window. It’s a phrase that RH Chairman and CEO Gary Friedman lives by. Now, after more than 20 years with the luxury home brand, Friedman has set his sights on turning the California interiors company into a fully integrated global travel and hospitality power player. “[We started] at the bottom … and made the climb to the top. … It’s where the air gets thin and the odds get slim,” says Friedman, the visionary behind RH’s experiential retail galleries and restaurants.
RH One, a custom 12-passenger Gulfstream G650. Photo by Douglas Friedman.
The cabin features linen-upholstered lounge chairs and hand-tufted floor coverings. Photo by John Vogler.
RH One and its twin, RH Two, will be available for charter through the World of RH concept launching this year, along with RH Three, a 130-foot explorer yacht originally designed by Vripack that’s kitted out with three tenders and an assortment of action water-sport amenities. The trio of luxury toys was given the RH treatment — think warm minimalistic interiors with organic materials, including Italian leathers, European white oak and brushed stainless steel. Importantly, the company’s jets can easily make the nonstop trip from California to RH’s debut international gallery, a 17th-century estate in Oxfordshire, and forthcoming locations in Paris, London, Dusseldorf, Munich and Brussels.
The RH Three luxury yacht will also be available for charter.
Stateside, the brand is about to launch its hotel concept, RH Guesthouse, in New York’s Meatpacking District as it readies an entire “ecosystem” in Aspen, comprising an RH Bespoke Gallery, RH Guesthouse, RH Bath House & Spa, RH restaurants and the first RH Residences. But no matter how far Friedman takes RH, California will always be home base. Says Friedman, “I’ve been lucky enough to travel the world, and every time I return, I feel blessed.”
Feature image: RH One in flight over San Francisco. Photo by Greg Wilson.
This story originally appeared in the Summer 2022 issue of C Magazine.
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