apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Another problem is that every single item has to be shipped to you, at your cost via Fed Ex. Nothing is in stock, not even the lamps.

For Toronto based AT lurkers, DWR just opened a store here last Friday (At King & Spadina).

yes, the service at DWR is excellent. Prices can be high but occasionally they give discounts to regular customers (around xmas time).

Hi John Mac - I'm looking forward to going next week. And Crate and Barrel opens at Yorkdale fall 2008. In the meantime I like the Leslieville strip - especially http://www.studiopazo.com/

I have to admit - I really do like DWR. Yes, their prices are high; however, they do have pretty good online sales, which occasionally includes free shipping, even for large items.

I bought a coffee and side table on clearance from DWR for 90 and 150, respectively.

I really appreciate & like DWR a great deal. Every person I've worked with there has been bend over backwards helpful, friendly, & very easy going. The studio in Santana Row, San Jose were particularly helpful when I was trying to find house numbers that were on sale. I think they're a rare breed that not only sell stuff (which anyone can do by the way), but have done a pretty awesome job of educating the public & making intelligently designed merchandise a more widely understood cultural phenomenon. I think they take a good share of the credit for this, & I hope that they don't deviate from that particular formula because I think everyone would lose if that were too happen. If DWR had not been created, I wonder if modern design would get the attention it deserves in the marketplace. Sure buying stuff is of course fun, but I think they've also made learning & educating ourselves as equally enjoyable as well. No business is a zero risk endeavor but we try to mitigate the risk to a manageable degree, kudos to them & Rob Forbes.
p.s.-I don't work for them in case you're wondering, nor am I a shareholder.

DWR is more often than not the best place to buy what they offer. Try the other places - Unica, Hive Modern, etc. - and they will tell you that it takes 10-12 weeks. Why? Because they do not actually have any of the items. At least DWR has the stuff in their warehouse.

Their prices are high but the service is great. I used them (Minneapolis, MN) to redo my office a few years ago and they were fantastic. Since then, I've purchased a number of items for my loft. No complaints. Prices are high but... Excellent service.

Everyone has mentioned that their prices are high, but no one has mentioned how relatively low the quality can be. Many times I've eyed something I LOVED in the catalogue, only to go to a store and see it in person and think it looked shabby and poorly constructed.

I've also always found their name laughably ironic--within whose reach exactly, those with immense disposable incomes and even more immense apartments? Don't get me wrong, most of their stuff is gorgeous and of impeccable quality. Just wish it was within MY reach!

What puts DWR "within reach" today is that they're a chain, so they have shops in places like Scottsdale, Arizona, which -- despite the beneficent influence of Frank Lloyd Wright -- is not known for being awash in modern design boutiques.

Phoenix has a bunch of excellent MCM vintage shops now -- as well as a professional woodworker who does contemporary designs with an organic modern feel -- but if you want modernist basics new, then without DWR, your choices here would be Copenhagen (also a chain), the knock-offs at Eurway, and one little home store at Biltmore that's mostly accessories.

Do I love DWR? No. Do I shop there? No. But they perform a useful function here in the provinces.

One thing that is interesting about their business model is that they ship everything because shipping is a source of income for them. You get a break on the shipping if you have a credit card account from them (high interest offsets the discount), but otherwise you would be better off sourcing something locally or from a place that has a flat rate shipping fee such as room and board. I've noticed their prices have increased significantly sine I purchased stuff from them. The LC4 chaise has actually doubled in price from when I purchased it (gulp!).

I bought most of the furniture in my home from DWR in Soho and the people there are the best. Furthermore you get what you pay for. Quality stuff and good service. If you desire less than you can pay less elsewhere.

Doesn't "within reach" mean they have it in the warehouse, but also that great design can be within your reach - like art you can touch. I've always thought it had nothing to do with price.

"...spread like Starbucks"?? Hardly.

I will only buy small items (since their shipping costs are ridiculous) and only online I have been to their flatiron store at least 6 times and have never yet been able to get anyone to wait on me, despite the fact that there were more people working than there were customers in the store. About a year ago I went in intending to order 6 Starck chairs I'd picked out online ... failing to get the attention of the chit-chatting salespeople yet again, I got on the subway and went up to Conran's where I was waited on by two people.

(Excuse the run-on ... I missed typing the period after "online") ;-)

Just bought a Min Bed from DWR, and they were flexible enough to have me ship it to the store, so I could pick it up at my convenience instead of having to take a 1/2 day or day off of work to wait for people to deliver a box.

Bed frame is *fabulous*, fairly easy to put together, and is insanely well made & stable. There is zero movement, creaking, loose ends, anything.

DWR Annex in Secaucus is AWSOME!!
You pay for it and take it home with you.

i stopped into the san francisco dwr last saturday before the chinese new year parade. i love their panton selection :)

I beg to differ re: customer service. During the DWR mattress sale in August I ordered a mattress. I called to double check the online delivery estimate of 4 to 6 weeks. I was assured that that was the ship time from the manufacturer, so I ordered. Four weeks later I called to check with DWR to see if they had a ship date yet. The rep said that the lead time had been changed to 7 to 8 weeks and I could expect the mattress on Oct. 21. I was irate that the company did not contact me about the change and because they did not, it felt like a bait and switch. However, I calmed down knowing that perhaps it is not the company's fault when a vendor is late. On Oct 21 when I did not hear anything regarding my mattress delivery, I called and was told by a customer service rep that there was no tracking number in the system, but she would contact the manufacturer and email me within 24 hours. Again, I'm annoyed but what can I do. A week has passed and again I have heard NOTHING. I called again, only to be told by another rep that the one last week did not record my call and that is why no one contacted me. She said there was still no tracking number, but she would contact vendor and then me by email in 72 hours.

We were planning on ordering furniture, but clearly I will not be doing that- which makes me sad because some things are so great.
If this is typical of their service, in this economy this company will not be around in two years.

Okay, I've been shopping at DWR for years. Expensive, yes... but I've liked the products I've gotten so far. Usually, these were fairly small purchases (accessories, sale sheets, etc.).

But now that I made the plunge to make a large purchase: an organic bed set.... I find out that they are NOT "within reach"!! The order was placed nearly three months ago and nobody at the store can tell me anything about it. They know the order was placed, they have even charged me for it, but they have no idea when if ever it will arrive, and apparently no way of finding out.

I'm getting pretty angry about it. So far three people at customer service have promised on three different occasions to call me back about this, and not one person has done so. Ugh. Any suggestions?

I see that the comment above me details a similar experience....

brrrlington, did you ever get your bed? Do you recommend I get my money refunded and bail out while I can, or did the bed eventually arrive and are you happy with it?

Needless to say, I won't be making any more large purchases with DWR either. Is there a comparable store people recommend?

Sea

I had the same mattress experience. Mine was on order for 13 weeks. As above, customer service was most unhelpful. I went to the store last week and found out that they will no longer carry the be well mattress. I was given a roundabout and uninformative answer as to why. It took 2 calls and 5 days to find out if I could even cancel my order and eventually they said that the mattress could ship out in a week. I cancelled.

The most annoying part: they sold my address to a marketing firm. I included my apartment buzzer (the first and only time since moving here) and am suddenly getting all sorts of junk mail in exactly the same format. Does DWR stand for Design Without Respect?