West Elm Will Let You Rent Its Pillows Now

Right after we’ve all just finished Marie Kondo-ing our spaces, it was announced Thursday that West Elm is partnering with Rent the Runway. The rentable range expands a collection of home goods and decor which, again, you probably just cleared out your living room. Perhaps these items will spark joy for a limited time, and then you can send them on their way.

The Rent the Runway and West Elm partnership includes 26 exclusive bundles of pillows, throws, shams, quilts, and coverlets. They’re designed to spruce up your living room or bedroom, now baren from all your KonMari-ing. To finally be able to afford that West Elm pillow you’ve been eyeing, you’ll need to sign up for Rent the Runway’s unlimited subscription. For $159 a month, you are allowed to rent out four items at a time, choosing from Rent the Runway’s full collection which spans designer clothing, shoes, and now, West Elm’s home goods.

The West Elm bundles, which have a retail value ranging from $75 to $480, will only count as one item through the subscription. Each will include a curated selection of items, both new and seasonal, ranging from quilts to blankets to decorative pillows. Plus, if you fall in love with something you rent, you’ll be able to purchase bundles at a discounted rate through the Rent the Runway subscription program.

Per a press release, this marks a first for both companies: it’s the first time Rent the Runway has expanded its offering beyond apparel and accessories. The release also notes that this is the first time West Elm has made their products available to rent. However, as BuzzFeed News noted, West Elm has been renting out furniture with Feather, a furniture rental service, for about a year. Though, the selection available on Feather appears to only include furniture. So, if you’re looking to try out some new throws and blankets, you’ll need to go through Rent the Runway.

“People think about their homes as a reflection of their personal style,” Maureen Sullivan, chief operating officer of Rent the Runway, told BuzzFeed News. “I think our subscribers are really embracing the rent lifestyle and removing the burden of ownership, and home has continued to pop up for our subscribers.”

“We see home goods as similar to your closet, where there are investment pieces along with design-based seasonal changes you are always wanting,” Jenn Hyman, Rent the Runway’s CEO, told Vox. “I think that the customer today wants flexibility to decide when to invest and when to play.”

Hyman also noted to Vox that she hopes people begin to look at their service like they do Amazon Prime. “We believe that millions and millions of women are going to have an Unlimited subscription, and so we want to increase the utility and the joy that comes from the program on a daily basis, the way Amazon started offering entertainment and music content to make us more loyal to Prime,” Hyman told Vox. “So Rent The Runway won’t just be stuff that you wear, but also the things that you use.”

Rent the Runway and West Elm are certainly catering to a demographic with more disposable income than Amazon Prime. A Prime subscription is $12.99 a month, significantly less than Rent the Runway’s $159/month cost. However, that doesn’t seem to be a deterrent for the service, which has previously boasted over millions subscribers. (In a recent interview with the New York Times, the company declined to give specific numbers. Analysts told the Times Rent the Runway likely has around 50,000 active subscribers.)

“I think we’re going to learn a ton,” said Alex Bellos, president of West Elm, told BuzzFeed News. “It’s still unknown. This is forging new territory for us as a company.”

The partnership between the two companies is mean to emphasize both brands’ mission “to encourage sustainable living,” according to a press release. So, if you've got $159 a month to spare, you too could live a little more sustainably.