apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

the wallpaper giveaway link is bunk!

I think it's inevitable that high end retailers like DWR are going to undergo a Darwinian thinning of the ranks- there's no more fictitious vapor-wealth to be found in the form of home equity lines of credit. I think DWR drank the Kool Aid a few years ago and gambled on the notion that we have entered a new era of prosperity fueled by a seemingly endless supply of cheap money and that, despite an economy that does not produce any goods, two major wars, a humongous trade deficit and quickly-mounting national debt, everything would be just dandy in the end. Sure, people will not mind paying $1500 for a table lamp because their tract home in Phoenix just went up 50% in value last year. Yeah, that's sustainable!

Sorry shminta, URL was missing one character when copied and pasted. Working now.

I won't mind seeing DWR go out of business. Their merchandise is grossly overpriced.

if you do the research, dwr is not overpriced - most of the furniture they produce are licensed reproductions and all of it is VERY high quality, with great resale value. the furniture they sell are investments. ikea furniture is cheap because its...well, cheap.
i'm really tiring of all the complaints on this site about how expensive furniture is - quality stuff is costly and time consuming to produce. and its great to have a balance between high and low cost furniture.
i think its very poor form to be happy that a furniture establishment that produces gorgeous, high end furnishings is going out of business. some people are interested in investing in real furniture they will have forever. at the very least, its something to hope for.

Apparently, "aspirational" retailing (i.e. the "good life" within reach) is hurting the worst of any retail category. So this isn't surprising.

Wow, Jaytee, hope you feel better now.

Yes, you get what you pay for, but sometimes quality just hurts the wallet too much. I doubt anyone will argue that IKEA is crap quality. I'd say the majority of us don't find it truly design within reach. $4000 for a sofa and lamps going for $500-$1000???? Stuff that I will tire of in 5-10 years isn't worth it.

I think it's fair that people here gripe about DWR prices. This is apartment therapy. I think the demographic tends to be people just starting out and to aybe 10 years out from that.

Sorry Jaytee, but while I agree that quality furniture is more time consuming to produce, there is a difference between exceptional quality (hand made furniture) and mass produced big name items. An Eames lounger is not hard to come by. A molded plywood chair is not made by hand. The Dover credenza, for example, has about the same quality as a Bo Concept piece and are pumped out as fast as people can buy them. Don't fool yourself thinking that you are getting exceptional quality from DWR just because the price is high. If you want quality, go to furniture makers who make one of a kind pieces- not something that you buy just so your friends recognize it from a magazine.

Is there really a DWR store currently goin out of business or is that just a photo shop creation?

Unfortunately, many of the mid-century (and even modern) licensed pieces that DWR sells have increased in price at many, many times the rate of inflation, when in fact the cost of manufacturing such an item in the US to the same degree of quality should be LOWER after accounting for inflation, considering the dramatic improvements in manufacturing technique since the 50's.
A friend of mine works for Knoll, and once told me that while the licensed pieces account for a very small percent of units sold, they account for a huge proportion of net revenue.

Wow! I would never wish any company to go out of business. I guess people are so stuck on DWR prices that they forget there are “real people” and “real families” behind the DWR brand. I think it’s a sad day when we wish for any company working hard to succeed, to go out of business. Sad day indeed.

Dey: that's a quicky Photoshop job...I was hoping the tacky signage would be an obvious giveaway ;)

Ugg... I really, truly hate the whining about how expensive things are. If you can't afford it - don't bitch about it & don't buy it. I want a Lamborghini...but guess what? I'll probably never own one.

Besides - its furniture - you're not supposed to redecorate your house ever 6 months. Yes, a $4000 lounge chair is an investment - one that will last your entire life (and probably your kids life too)

Seriously - think about how you realistically spend your money, and how quickly it's gone: Your $30,000 car will have almost zero resale value in a decade. Your $2000 MacBook will be obsolete in five years. Your expensive designer shoes will be out of style in 5 months. And the $7 you spend on a latte and muffin every morning will cost you $2500 this year alone.

Hell, good furniture seems like the only SMART investment these days! And - seeing as modernism is well over 100 years old - I doubt you'll get tired of it 'in 5 years'.

I'm not complaining about how expensive things are. Some furniture is worth it. But, as ChristopherB said, the huge margins on licensed furniture is completely insane. It makes me laugh that you can't open up one issue of Dwell without seeing an Eames lounger. It's like "the" chair to have if you want to prove something. Still, I hate to see people losing their jobs. I hope for their sake that DWR stays in business.

The only thing I really hate about DWR is the ridiculously ironic name they chose for their company. I have no problems with thier desire to sell $1500 coffee tables and $10,000 couches, but no one appreciates the level of disconnectedness with reality implied by calling these items "within reach."

It might be a better investment than a car, but I need a car to get to work (since I live in a city with essentially no public transport) I do not however need a scandinavian hand bent sofa with tweed upolstery that costs as much as my car.

I'm not surprised Design Within Reach is going out of business. Perhaps if ANYTHING they sold was actually within the reach of real people, they wouldn't be having such a problem.

I don't want anybody to go out of business because it means people losing their jobs, but DWR should have seen this coming.

Right on bonjourmiette, btw!

Thank you, Modfan. Nice to see someone gets it.

Thank you for posting this!

http://decor8blog.com/2009/02/05/giveaway-wallpaper-from-hygge-west/

And by the way, the value is $250 per person - it goes like this: 3 winners, 2 rolls of wallpaper each - they choose what they want from the Julia Rothman collection offered at Hygge & West.

The winners will be selected tomorrow so if you want free designer wallpaper you'll need to entry quickly.

Thank you again for slinking to this. :)

Holly

As an employee of the company, I am totally shocked and disheartened but some of these comments.

What is really at the root of this disdain and anger, that’s what worries me.

We are retail outlet the same as target or saks fifth avenue, ikea or room and board. People chose to spend their money in ways that are pleasing and important to them, not what others think. Some people won’t blink an eye at spending $1000 for a dress, some other people its that way for their furniture and accessories. I think we would all be better off, especially at this critical juncture in our country, if we all could re-route this hostility into doing something positive… lets build each other up instead of tearing each other down (and that goes for companies too; because, what are companies made up of ? Employees with families and friends and lives just like you))

ooooooooooooo people should save the drama for their mama's

Modfan's point is one I wish more people would consider, whether discussing a high end, mid-tier or discount business. Furniture as a disposable and fashionable purchase seems the antithesis of what is being sold at DWR from my perspective; although midcentury and modern is considered "trendy" in other parts of the country, it's just part of the decor vernacular here in California and I don't see it going out of style any time soon whether anyone is sick of it or not.

I think most of the contention here is rooted from DWR's name itself, "Design Within Reach", one that invites a bit of hostility and debate, unfair or not, since "within reach" seems highly subjective. I make a modest income, but I know if I wanted something from DWR and saved up over a certain amount of time, I could indeed afford a great deal of the products offered by the retailer. I think what people mistake is "affordability" being equated with instant gratification. In the scheme of things, DWR offers accessibility to many people who would otherwise not know about certain designs and designers; I contend remarks equating their quality to lower competition. No, it's not always the real, vintage era piece, but the products they offer can and will last a lot longer than your big box store. Ontop of that, I've only received the best service when dropping in, even if all I'm doing is window shopping.

DWR's actual stuff is fine, but the place could use a humbling up. The sales that aren't sales, the insane prices for accessories, the language of the catalogue, the "we precious few who understand" stance.

And Mayor Tony needs to find something else to do that raise more rates. I hope he gets voted out of office and has to get a real job.

I totally agree- it’s all about the retailer’s name. You’re completely justified being upset with DWR for their name. Design Within Reach? It’s so confusing. I recently went into a Crate and Barrel, expecting to find a store full of, well, crates and barrels and was totally disappointed.

The scary thing is the deception doesn’t stop there. Retailers everywhere are trying to pull of the same tricks with their pretty illuminated signage. I can’t wait to blog about how much I hate their name and wish they would go out of business;

West Elm- not a tree in sight
Pottery Barn- where does the cow sleep?
Saks- needed a woodwind for my kids first day of band
Safeway- well, there was a stabbing at my local Safeway. I think they should be shut down because their name is a totally lie, and their produce is sooooo overpriced.

re: friend - i sincerely hope dwr stays afloat and you & everyone else can keep your jobs. the service i have received from dwr is great - a quality place, for sure. they have a friendly, knowledgeable staff. and fantastic furniture.
its a real shame when people want places to go out of business simply because they cant afford to shop there. bitterness is ugly.
best of luck to you - and dwr.

does anyone know if retromodern in atlanta is out of business?

their telephone rings and rings...

their website says "new website coming soon"

http://www.retromodern.com/

Oh. My. GOD. Are we STILL belaboring the "Within Reach" part of DWr's name???

It was NEVER meant to imply a financial aspect at all... it was meant to address availability, and lead time.

We take DWR for granted now because it opened the doors to a now-ubiquitous MCM look that was previously only available to the trade, and after waiting 12 or more weeks.

And if you think DWR is still just MCM, then you haven't been paying attention to thier catalogs.

If ANYTHING spells the demise of this (and other) companies, it's the "going public" aspect of it.

And Expat--

I think your take on the AT demographic is off.

Reading these comments and the defense of overpriced items makes me realize some modernists don't understand the very tenants of the modernism the Eames and the other's pioneered. Such a shame. I feel sorry for the employees of DWR but this is what happens when your priced for the top 1-10% of the population.

As an employee of the company let me just say...We ARE NOT going out of business. We are simply a publicly owned company that is considering the option of once again being privately owned.

Yes our furniture is high-end, licensed classics...so guess what it costs more! So if you can't afford it shop elsewhere and buy knock-offs that will last you a month.

Our name...not sure how many time this must be said, but has nothing to do with price...but bringing furniture and design that was once only available only through designers, architects and the manufacturer's representatives, directly WITHIN REACH of the public.

And finally for those of you wishing for any company to go out of business simply because you cant afford what they offer is insanely unjust. Think about your friends and family and what would happen if anyone of them lost their jobs right now...and then keep wishing our economy gets worse.

Helloooooooooo. Anyone out there notice the above video link about a water shortage? http://www.insideurbangreen.org/2009/02/what-me-worry-.html

DWR's stock hasn't gone above a dollar in months, they're desperately searching for a buyer, their catalog is infrequent and on newsprint now, and they just laid off a bunch of people at their corp office. They won't be around much longer.

What?! I store where I can buy a small, ugly plastic end table for $1400 is having financial trouble? Inconceivable!

Devil's advocate here. I don't think high licensing fees are something to complain about. Contrary to popular opinion, creative/intellectual property doesn't "want to be free." If a designer creates something classic and enduring, then he/she (or the company that took a chance on the once-radical design) is entitled to profit.

It's not as if the Eameses had a monopoly on chairs. You can find something else to sit in if you don't value their design enough to pay for it.

I find that the main issue I have with DWR is the name.

Design Within Reach? Sure not as hell within mine!

I used to work for DWR - the reason why they chose their name was because they made it accessible for everyone to be able to purchase modern furniture by having an easy to use web page and quick shipping. It never had anything to do with price.

we all know WHY DWR chose it's name - but it's still a dumb name, considering their price point, and the natural conclusion 99% of people would jump to upon hearing it.