RH Design Associate reviews

Very sales-driven role with limited creative freedom. High level of micromanagement. Due to the smaller Calgary gallery, there is no separate design atelier, so team members are often required to support the sales floor. This makes it challenging to focus on design work, as creative time is limited and sales remain the primary priority. Overall experience depends heavily on store leadership.

If you’re a professional designer, brace yourself. This company prioritizes sales quotas over design expertise. Many employees come from retail backgrounds and focus solely on hitting monthly numbers, while valid design concerns, such as incorrect sizing, colors, or materials—are ignored until unhappy clients return products. It’s a recurring blind spot that leadership fails to address. Internal politics only add to the frustration. At the end of the day, stock performance is valued more than people, and what you’ll experience often contradicts their mission and vision statements. That said, if you have tough skin like I do, you can see it for yourself and just take the experience. But be prepared, I’d recommend therapy sessions to keep yourself sane, because the gaslighting is strong here.