At RestorationHardware.com, simplicity, elegance and romancing the shopper are in. On the outs are product information overload and the hard sell. Five years ago Restoration Hardware began transforming itself from a middle-of-the-road housewares and home furnishings retailer into a store and web merchant that caters to affluent shoppers who don't mind spending $8,000 or more on a Belgian textured wool sisal rug. At RestorationHardware.com the ample space on the home page to feature a single image of an annual light fixtures sale or the front cover of four digital catalogs is meant to draw customers into shopping for a home lifestyle and not just buying a new kitchen rug or cabinet hardware. Digital catalogs also let shoppers click and buy, leave notes on particular pages and share pages on Facebook and Twitter.

• Date Launched:1997
• Unique Visitors:400992
• Web-based Sales:Order the Hot 100 issue