apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Many DWR customers love Artocity.com for original, contemporary artwork to go wtih their fabulous modern furniture. Prices are affordable, between $49 and $700.

You go Barbara! :-)

Their prices aren't just a little high. They are outrageous.

I agree - prices are on the higher side. I have been eyeing their cubitec and sapien book cases - but cannot afford to spend that kind of money on bookcases! Can anyone recommend stores that carry similar designs (not copies - but light-clean-modern designs in metal, plastic etc.) that are not so pricey?

Thanks,
V

I recommend DWR as a window shopping exercise, and for the occasional floor sample or sale item (I bought a wonderful bathroom mirror and a credenza from them for insanely good prices this way). I have used them to find interesting designers and items which I have bought elsewhere. I bought a sofa they bill as an "exclusive" from a place in Florida for about $1300 less than the DWR price. Given, it took three months to get instead of two weeks, but I couldn't justify the added expense.

The prices are pretty decent seeing that you can get just about everything they carry in only a few days. Sure you can get an eames chair elseware for less, but you better plan on waiting (8-10 weeks I've been quoted.) Also, if you haven't noticed, they only have about 5 pieces that are NOT produced by the licensed maufacturers (just brought in Knoll...) It's hard to price compare them to other outlets since no one else seems to stock all that great design...

They used to have a warehouse in Union City, about half an hour from where we live, and had warehouse sales twice a year. We picked up a bed, a CD storage unit, a coffee table, and a lamp for incredibly good prices. But then the warehouse moved to Kentucky... I'm still in mourning.

Their prices are not really that high FOR WHAT THEY OFFER. They just do indeed offer relatively high-end stuff (but, believe it or not, NOT the highest end out there...) And yes, you can get some of the stuff elsewhere, but as exhibited above, with longer lead times. They also opened the doors to design accessibility on pieces formerly only "to the trade." Sure, lots of other people jumped on board, but give the pioneers their due...

I think they still need to work on shipping charges, since in that category they seem to come up short versus other web-based competitors.

But I remain a big fan of their approach, philosophy, educational bent, the caliber of people they hire, and good-guy founder Rob Forbes.

Vidya--
CB2 used to have-- and Hold Everything still has-- alternate versions of the Sapien. Not *much* cheaper at those places though... The Conran Shop's version is even more expensive. Consider also Topdeq, Oriac and Chiasso for the type of pieces you describe.

Oh, do rush out and buy lots at DWR--I own a tiny tiny piece of their stock, and it's falling.

Vidya- I bought the Sapien bookcase only to discover Hold Everything has something virtually identical (except only available in white or black); I will say that I'm pretty pleased with the Sapien as a very compact way to store a ton of books.

I agree DWR is expensive, but in my experience, with their customer service has been great. On the down side, because they are now everywhere, they have lost some appeal for me.

Even when their prices are OK, they get you on shipping, often increasing the cost of the item by 15-20%, before tax. There are now many smaller places that offer fast and FREE shipping. It can be a nice place to shop, but buy elsewhere.

I completely agree. I've been that close to ordering soemthing from them only to discover I may be paying $100 plus for shipping. That kills it for me.

Reef

Good:

- Great place to look
- Fantastic marketing
- Frequent catalogs
- Good newsletter

Bad:

- Shipping is outrageous and insulting (can easily find many quick-shipping items elsewhere, like www.highbrowfurniture.com, with no tax and free shipping)
- Overpriced (you can get lighting direct for Artemide for a lot less with free shipping)
- Becoming the 'Pottery Barn' for modern - need more interesting pieces and a broader range
- Still need to purge the knock-off stuff they are selling (e.g., the Eileen Gray table); nobody I know is interested in buying a 'fake Fendi' and they are willing to pay more for the real thing

So, what are the (cheaper) DWR alternatives for classic modern furniture that everyone is obliquely referring to?

That's the fun: Finding them. Some of it is easy. You can get Herman Miller stuff all over, most of DWR's lighting online (or in some cases $100 cheaper at Crate & Barrel). Other pieces you can find directly from the manufacturer or find links from their sites to alternative retailers. Read Blogs like this one to find new and more exciting vendors.

1. www.highbrowfurniture.com
2. www.roomandcompany.com (free shipping on many items, including Flor tiles)
3. www.crateandbarrel.com (Marina lamps way less expensive here)
4. www.y-lighting.com
5. www.artemide.com
6. www.conran.com (Leggero bed is $250 less, though there are plenty of places to get this bed - this is not an exclusive at DWR)

I don't see the Leggero bed on conran.com...

I was referring to lamps:

Marina Table Lamp $60+ difference plus cheaper shipping or in-store pick up:

Crate & Barrel:
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=1220&f=10547&viewall=1

DWR:
http://www.dwr.com/productdetail.cfm?id=2214

According to both websites...

Marina, DWR = $238, $20.30 shipping, $21.64 = $279.94

Marina, C&B = $179, $20.50 shipping, $16.71 tax (NYC) = $216.21

Difference of only $63.73, but note that DWR actually has lower shipping than C&B.

I actually did some research recently to find an Offi Bench box, and found virtually identical pricing web-wide. Much pricing these days is set by the manufacturer, as was the case here.

The problem with comparison-shopping the shipping is that you have to go virtually through the entire checkout process to determine what your shipping total will be.

Hey webmacher..............
Union City used to be the Big City to me.......lived in Fulton when i was little and my grandad was there. There was Moderne home furnishings in Union City and i didn't know???

Sorry, the Tennesee is coming out........there were Moderne home furnishings..........

Hey patrick... a difference of $63 on a $216 lamp is over 25%. I think the point is that DWR is a great concept, just not necessarily the best place to buy.

Conran - Leggero Bed (oh, sorry, SOTTILETTO on this site)

http://www.conran.com/conranshopping/showMoreInfo.do?productid=460

What, do you work for DWR?

TeoNYC--
Oh, definitely agreed. I was just curious to see what the whole story ended up being.

But I don't think you can make a blanket statement about DWR's (or anyone's) pricing. Also, since I think my own time is worth something in the mix, I find the exhaustive comparison pricing process that the web enables does not always yield a huge savings, and doesn't always warrant the time spent researching.

i was at the 14th st location last thursday and saw steep discounts on floor stock. the staff was friendly and helpful.on the other hand this past winter the had a lamp that was less expensive at moss, go figure.as marci syms says "an educated consumer is our best customer.

Nope, I don't work for DWR but wouldn't refuse a job for them if offered.

With so many DWR showrooms opening up in and around larger cities, convenience is definitely another factor to take into account. It's great to go to one of their showrooms to "test-drive" a piece in person. Also, if you're willing to put down a credit card deposit, you can generally "memo" a piece of furniture overnight to try it out in your own home. Mail-order only places and the other chains don't let you do that.

I've known some DWR locations to offer a discount if you are purchasing a large amount of furniture, and they've also recently added a DWR credit card, which offers 25% off shipping.

Patrick (the other one) & Meva, Thanks for the tip about the Sapien book case at Hold Everything.

I was meaning to buy just the Sapien book case at first - and the price didn't hurt much. But then I saw the cubitec shelves and started craving for not one - but two of them for my cabinet-less kitchen. It all adds up. Maybe I should buy one at a time.

Thanks to everyone who suggested similar places to look.

The problem with DWR is the name. The prices are definitely out of reach for too many people and I think it's a rip to name your franchise that, send out your catalog to a thirsty audience thinking they are in for a deal because of the name and then take their breath away for the price. This is only design within reach (lower case) for decorators. Don't get me wrong, I love their stuff, but you can get lots of vintage modern pieces from the original manufacture round on e-Bay. I've often seen the chairs and tables they re-issue available for less elsewhere.

I think they originally meant not only price, but accessibility, with the "Within Reach" part, but the public's expectation has been all about price.

They have really succeeded in getting these designs more into the mainstream, and speed up the process considerably.

I've also seen vintage pieces priced higher than new.

I bought most of my new furniture from DWR. The service was excellent and I went back many times to look at things and make sure that was what I wanted.
I dont have the time to shop all over to find the very best price.........my time could be better served making money than saving a few dollars here and there. And I have seen much more expensive funiture at other stores.......it is all relative.I was very happy with my experiences there.

during the herman miller sale i got the george nelson platform bench at highbrow.com for $599 less the 10% sale discount, no tax, no shipping so $539 final price.DWR had the same sale, charges tax and $70!! for shipping for a grand total of $654
Screw them

I just purchased a Serralunga "New Pot" from a Luminaire, a high-end temple of modern design here in Chicago, for $178. The same pot at DWR is $210.

to the person asking about other good sites that have better prices -- try www.circa50.com -- no tax and free shipping.

i agree strongly with those who say DWR's shipping prices are sky high. for example, just about NO ONE ELSE who sells cherner chairs, including the cherner chair company, charges shipping, but DW does, and for the longest time, their prices on cherner chairs were 15% higher than anywhere else. i thought they were gouging. they are great for window shopping, but if you live in nyc, or probably any other major city, you can definitely do better on prices elswhere.

Design Within Reach was started by Rob Forbes because he was not able to get the items he wanted without a designer or an architect buying them for him. The "Within Reach" is meant that normal, non-trade type person can now get pieces like Knoll and Herman Miller without having to wait over 4 months to receive them. The items are within reach if you are willing to pay their prices. And since the company only started a few years ago, they are still working out the kinks such as shipping and product line. Design Within Reach is a really great concept and cool company.

You go, Sarah!

Yeah, hi I live in Santa Monica, CA but this was the best interior design blog with active readers.

Anyway, saw the Twilight Sleep Sofa by Flemming Busk(?) and thought it was great but expensive. I've tried each suggestion on this thread but so far no luck finding it other than on DWR. I'm not in the design "industry," so I'm willing to wait--as long as the price and shipping is good.

To all you Los Angeleans, The Sofa Co. on Culver City has a knockoff for $895, but I checked out the hardware and it looks pretty shady, plus the sales lady was kind of a *itch. And she totally evaded my warranty questions. Kinda shady, I know.

Help! Thanks.

I've had the worst experience at DWR. Their customer service is on the most part non-responsive and when they do respond, they are rude. For the high prices I paid for their furniture, you would think they would make an effort to at least be respectful.

Wanted to chime in with my two cents. I ran across DWR's website a few years ago when I lived in the middle of no where, USA and was excited to learn of a one-stop contemporary shop. Sure, others have jumped on board and have thrived, but I have still yet to find as clean and professional a site as DWR's which is an aspect I really appreciate. And yes: I've seen the other websites listed above.

My first online purchase from DWR was for a set of closeout chairs that were by all accounts a steal; many of their closeout/on-sale items are great deals. I subsequently have received biannual mailings from DWR for 20 to 25% off purchases over $1K which brings their regular item prices in line with other retailers even after shipping. Shipping prices per item drop substantially with multi-item purchases, but I do agree that DWR could do better on shipping charges in general.

A lot has been said about customer service, and I agree with the vast majority of posts here: DWR goes above and beyond the call of duty. For example, I purchased a bathroom accessory suite which has since been discontinued by DWR. A simple email asking if they could point me in the direction of another vendor produced a series of very helpful emails.... I don't know many other large retailers who are willing to point their customers to other vendors.

Rob Forbes also frequently sends out extensive customer surveys on behalf of DWR, which confirms his commitment to customer service. For filling out the online survey, the customer is typically awarded a 20% off coupon. I do ding DWR on shipping prices in these surveys, but the point is that there are ways to save with DWR.

Which brings me to a final point that has been touched upon above. Let's face it: if you are looking for furnishings such as those offered by DWR you recognize that quality comes with a price tag. I'm glad to see everyone out voting with their feet (or at least, with their mouse pad) and my vote is to reward a company with excellent customer service who sells quality items that will last a lifetime and at prices that are not unreasonable, especially when accounting for sale items and rebate coupons.

Anyway, for those of you who want to spend the time searching for a better deal, here is an excellent resource: http://www.livemodern.com/Members/cfcek2/index_html#furnacc

I have found that when shopping with DWR, it is best to actually order from a studio for the personal touch. I ordered a few Bottega chairs for my dining room and when there was a shipping problem, my sales person went above and beyond so that I could have my chairs for a dinner party. If I had ordered through the catalog or online I do not feel I would have received the same customer service. Even if you don't live in the same city as a DWR, I would recommend calling a studio and ordering from an actual sales person! They are very helpful!!

hi all,

yet again looking for a dwr item a bette price. the items themselves are well prices but shipping... so, looking for the lula storage system. has anyone come across this anywhere? THANKS!

DWR has a very nice selection of high end designer reproductions (i.e. Eames, Herman Miller, etc) and newer designs. It is a VERY pricey store really geared towards collectors of designer modern furniture. Since DWR has stores in New York, the expensive delivery PLUS the sales tax comes out to a very expensive purchase. DWR, though, has excellent customer service. Shop around on-line just to save on the delivery charges/taxes but expect long waits for the pieces.

I have really enjoyed DWR...it is a great place to get an education on modern design. It seems as if their Herman Miller prices have fallen to the lowest that Herman Miller will allow. Highbrow is where I buy the majority of my furniture. (Tip...email Highbrow and ask for a break and you will be given a password for 10% off on the majority of stock even outside of the twice yearly sale authorized by the manufacturers as well as free shipping and no tax outside of Tennessee. Then you can use your password anytime thereafter.) I think I got an even better price from retromodern.com on a specific upholstered piece.

I love this resource.

Great store. You may call it a benchmark for style. You always get great ideas even looking through a catalog.

A very good store, although, I have a few criticisms.The first is the extortionate shipping costs(though I`m sure it can`t be cheap to transport relatively bulky items from Europe) and secondly, the designs offered haven`t evolved over the years to keep up with changing styles.I probably won`t use them again, now that I`ve stumbled across an excellent site, www.modenza.co.uk (Not cheap, but quality & styles are amazing)

DWR seems to be the exclusive retailer of Blu Dot's Chicago Media system ($1299) (click my name for the link). It's *almost* perfect for my needs. I've got a 27" (I think? Maybe 32? Who remembers...) tv, big receiver, DVD player, cable box, CD burner...does anyone have any suggestions for something to hold all that so that I can finally get rid of the clunker that I have? Preferably in the same price range as the Blu Dot? Thanks.

Every day I look at a LeCorbusier knock-off from DWR and realize I've been had: the origianl cushions sent by DWR were clearly not the ones Corbu (or anyone else) would have intended. The cushions' stuffing consisted of muslin bags cotaining the sort of chicken feathers that made one designate the entire enterprise a HazMat condition: we shuddered as if the thing were a bird flu breeding ground. Our small dachshund managed to deform the limp cushions so that the chair resembled a giant misshapen paper clip onto which a huge, dirty marshmallow had been pressed. Recently I spent several hundred dollars and had new upholstery cases made [the original fabric was a manmade, plasticky "burlap"] and durable, firm foam cut and now the chair is reasonably comfortable. It seemed wiser to invest the money after having spent $1100 on the faux original chair in the first place. But the wisest decision I've made is to, immediately upon its arrival, toss the latest DWR catalogue into the trash. There are some many fine design stores and so many talented designers; why is DWR ever considered a basic resource? That the book "Apartment Therapy" includes DWR has caused me to pause and consider the rest of the advice contained therein. DWR doesn't yet seemed to have matured into a responsible retailer.

I was going to purchase the DWR case study bed. I called their store on 14th Street (I live on 94th Street). DWR wanted more than $200 to ship the bed 80 blocks - with "white glove" service. Good grief, I could have taken a taxi home with the thing. I was on the verge of placing the order when I realized that it was easier to hang up the phone. I bought a bed from CB2 and another from parent Crate & Barrel, and we're quite pleased with both.

DWR has great looking items that are way over-priced. Take a look at the random light by Bertjan Pot (the big fiberglass globe lights). The medium-sized light costs around $700. At my last job we made some of these. They turned out great--looked exactly like the ones they sell. Materials cost about $20 per lamp and they take about 2 hours split over 2 days to make. I figure DWR is either making a ton of money, or someone is getting paid over $300/hr to make lamps.

Checkout their twilight sleep sofa. Great design.

I never really understood how a brick and mortar establishment such as DWR charges for shipping and handling when some of their competitors do not charge for shipping at all. I guess it keeps their inventory low. Why go to a store and not be able to walk out with a purchase? Sillyness. Either way I know their prices are standard for their authentic pieces such as HM and Knoll. However, their shipping prices in my opinion, detract from their sales.
For example, I just bought an authentic 48" Nelson bench for $567 at highbrowfurniture.com with their promotional 10% discount and free shipping.
I know DWR sells this bench for the same price as Highbrow, except for no discount and the shipping charges.

Highbrow and Circa50 offers most of the same products, but at a better deal.Simply because they have free shipping. Who cares about getting a piece in a few days? It's furniture, if you can wait for months or even years to save up for something, you can surely wait a week or two for it to ship to your door.

Advice to DWR: Lose the Shipping charges, and it will be made up in more sales.

Love DWR - I've had great service at their Minneapolis and Boston stores, but had horrible service with Rob in the Soho store. No customer service and no personality. Additionally, the store was unkept and felt like a warehouse.

Free shipping now through September 6!
I love their Kyoto Counter Stools - friends of ours have them and they are very comfortable and good looking. Compared to the prices on everything else in their catalog, the counter stools aren't too bad.

great

Re the Sapien bookcases, i took advantage of the free s/h and ordered two of the large versions. I don't know if the DWR rep, Dave (Georgetown, DC store), gave me a better deal for buying two bkcases but they came out to be $225 each. Being that I live in VA and there aren't any DWR stores in my state, taxes were not charged.

I had previously purchased the spine bookcases from Hold Everything (exactly the same version as Worst Elm -- being that they were the same company -Robbery Barn, Will-Sonoma-) and was very disappointed with the quality as well as how difficult it was to assemble them. The Hold Everything cases were indeed less expensive but if you saw them in person you would understand why. They do not stand upright while empty (a bit wobbly) and once you fill them up with books they bend forward. In fact, with the cases comes this strap to attach to your wall (goes around the top of the case) so as to prevent the tipping forward. Two things, I do not want to perforate my wall to attach the strap and once you attach the strap the cases become stationary.

When the DWR cases came in and I placed them next to my Hold Ev cases, the difference in presentation and craftsmanship was unbelievable. The Sapien cases stand upright and feel firm while the HE version was wobbly, shaky and the material felt cheap. Also, I ordered the 80" version while the HE case only measures 68". The individual shelves that hold the actual books in the DWR version feel firm and made to withstand around 20 lbs while the HE version's shelves get weighed down with the books and makes them look droopy.

"You get what you pay for" is such the cliche but true. The reason why I purchased the HE cases was that I happened to be a Robbery Barn associate at the time meaning I received a 40% discount PLUS the 25% discount for the HE liquidation sale. What was originally around $149 ended up costing me close to $70. Boy, oh boy, $70 was still too much for those crummy things. Why bother getting cheap stuff that will not last you a long time vs spending a few more dollars and buying much, much better quality merchandise?

Let's do the math, if any mere mortal goes into Worst Elm to purchase the spine cases you will end up spending as much as the DWR version. Let's see, the WE case is $149 PLUS $21 s/h PLUS $15 extra s/h (heavy item) PLUS taxes depending on state coming to a grand total of $194.25 (going by VA's 5% tax)

The DWR version happened to be $225 (no s/h and no taxes) when I bought it meaning that anyone could have bought the better of the two cases for an additional $30 +/-.

I am not knocking down Worst Elm as they do cater to their own niche. When you're 25 yrs old (at least when I was that age), you don't care about quality as much as price. I am now a 37-yr old male that is past his Ikea, Worst Elm and "temporary" furniture prime.

Bottom line is that DWR does carry a lot of unique and easily accessible merchandise but you, as an educated customer, should make it your business to research prices and lead times. There are many other choices out there besides DWR from which to choose. Room & Board has been one of my favorite stores which sell the same modern/contemporary ideas as DWR and will ship a house-full of furniture for $199 (www.roomandboard.com).

Ok, mis amigos, those were my thoughts for the day.

P.S. The cb2 spine bookcases are made by the same designer as the Sapien cases (Bruno Rinaldi) and also manufactured in Italy. I do not know if the material is different but the color seems to be more of a stainless steel tone vs the natural steel of DWR. Also, the cb2 case is 60" high ($149-) while the WE is 68" and DWR with two versions, the 60" and 80".

Sorry, DWR does have nice stuff, but they are a total rip-off and a bunch of liars. They say some of thier items are "exclusive" but they aren't. They even have a tendancy to rename items and claim they are exclusive. Example.., the Leggero bed is really the Sotilleto bed from Horm.it. the MSRP is $1500, wholesale is 50% of that. DWR has since increased the price from the original 1600 to now 1900!

Have a problem and need to return? You'll be in for a surprise. Do your homework, go elsewhere!

i really like their designs but feel that price points are 30% above what i would consider within reach.

I have multiple pieces in my home from DWR that have been purchased in the past few years. The quality of the items are good but their shipping prices and policies are criminal. Yesterday I was looking to purchase the Matrix Extension Table. In order to get it delivered and set-up in my mid-rise condo, the shipping charge was 40% of the table cost. Needless to say, I am looking for something similar elsewhere.

This is a great store - wonderful items.

Different pieces than your regular furniture store. High quality also.

no better price on emeco

Prices at DWR are absurd but you can look on Craigslist or Ebay for lightly used pieces

We have purchased the Reve bed, several chairs and are planning to buy the Min Bed.
Your East Hampton and 62nd St. stores are very well run. The sales help is terrific! And your merchandise is beautiful and well constructed.

It would be great if you could have sales more often and at a higher discount!

I've been looking for a sofa and the Freja sofa at DWR is exactly what I've been looking for, but unfortunately it's almost 1 and a half times more than I wanted to spend. The shipping is absolutely killer as the total price for the sofa will end up over $4000! Does anyone know if this sofa is sold anywhere else or if there are any sales on the horizon?

For the Toronto based lurkers on AT, DWR just opened a store here (at King & Spadina) last Friday. I just happened to walk past.

A little late coming to the comments here, but it looks like someone's been doing some recent posting.

My experience with DWR has been two-fold. First, I walked in looking like the scruffy college kid I was (read: poor) and the gentleman who ran the store was amazingly helpful. He sat down and talked me through the Offi Mag Table, which may be the cheapest thing they sell! He was also very friendly in talking about other designs, including Eames stuff. I looked at the Eames LCW in red, sat in it, then went home and ordered it online for free shipping.

When it finally came (10 f**king weeks!) I had wandered back into DWR and talked to the guy again I felt a little bad and confessed buying it online because of the free shipping. He explained that DWR doesnt do free shipping BECAUSE they have brick and mortar stores all over the place. DWR has way more overhead than an online retailer, who's got basically a warehouse and a website. Sure, you can get an Eames chair at highbrow for a little bit cheaper, but you CANT sit in it first. Overall, I'm very impressed wit DWR. I know they have a higher end product line, and everyone likes a deal, but its worth it to me to go in and try things out, talk about whats happening in the design world ets. And folks in Boston should wander into BoConcept, or Montage to see what expensive furniture REALLY looks like - makes DWR seem like a bargain basement!

You can actually find a similar copy of the Sapien Bookshelf at West Elm: http://www.westelm.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=17001&langId=-1&catalogId=17002&viewSetCode=E&partNumber=WE-PRODf299&retainNav=true&parent_category_rn=&cmsrc=SCH&parentId=bookshelf

Much less expensive.