In July 2022, Pottery Barn launched a new furniture collection, consisting of 150 best-selling styles that were adapted, in consultation with experts from the Disability Education and Advocacy Network, to be more accessible and accommodating to disabled, elderly, and injured individuals. The line is called Accessible Home, and it provides consumers with functional and stylish options for home furniture.
The inspiration for the line came from Pottery Barn’s president, Marta Benson, who realized that the Pottery Barn store’s bathrooms did not contain Pottery Barn furniture because their bathroom furniture did not comply with the ADA standards. After that, Benson asked the brand’s designers to create modified versions of their furniture that are safer, more comfortable, and more accessible, and consulted people with disabilities and designers who specialize in designing for disability in the process.
The Accessible Home line consists of existing products whose designs have been adjusted. Mirrors which have been redesigned so they can tilt. Popular office furniture has new dimensions to better accommodate wheelchairs. Many pieces replaced traditional drawers with open storage and shelves, reducing the need for gripping and pulling. Popular armchairs were modified to include power lifts, and chairs were redesigned to move in all directions.
The pieces will be available online and in some stores, sold for around the same price as the original versions. Benson ensured that along with being safe and accessible, the pieces were also visually pleasing and fit into the Pottery Barn aesthetic, as she placed great importance in making Pottery Barn’s disabled users feel comfortable and stylish in their homes.
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