From the CEO: To list or not to list?

After our announcement last week that we would be delisting from NASDAQ, I have fielded a lot of questions from DWR folks, investors, manufacturers and just plain curious people. Generally I believe that for every one who asks a question there are 10 or 20 people who have the same question but won’t raise their hands. Kind of like high school but with older people – you get the idea, and I am sure many of you have experienced the same human phenomenon. So, for all who have asked (and for all who want to ask but are too shy), I thought it might be good to provide a very simple and hopefully concise review of our reasoning and intentions relating to this step. So here it goes: 

The people behind (and in) the chairs.

Over the next few weeks we'll introduce you to some of the folks at Design Within Reach. In the "hot" seat this week is Ben, who’s in charge of choosing Outdoor products.

"When I came on board, I realized we had no classics in outdoor, which was weird. The Adirondack is the classic outdoor chair. This one by Loll is an awesome, all-weather, totally post-consumer material chair. It is so classic and so modern. You can leave it outside year after year and all you have to do is hose it off after the winter. I'm partial to the green one, and the guys at Loll are totally about being 'green' – they use recycled materials, their facility is all about the environment and, as I discovered recently, they also like green beer. I had a few Green Flash IPAs with these guys on a recent trip. They’re totally magnetic, very human guys. I wouldn’t be comfortable doing business with a designer or manufacturer who I don’t trust. These guys, and their Adirondack Chair, are the real deal."

- Ben G. DWR Outdoor Dept.

Who needs Paris?

Here at DWR, we’re blessed to have the best sales team on the planet. In past years, the salad days if you will, we would reward the highest sellers with a trip to Paris or a BMW for a year. With belts tightening all over, our CEO instead invited them up to his place in Marin, California, for decadent barbeque instead. Grey Goose + corn on the cob + an Eames La Chaise. Not surprisingly, hilarity ensued.

M+D+F in San Francisco.

I sell modern design. It is a career that brings me pleasure every time I walk in the door of my Studio and see the brilliant and beautiful designs that I am surrounded by all day long. Some look at a cubicle wall eight hours a day, or a half-dug ditch, or a stack of paperwork – I stare at Bertjan Pot, Poul Kjaerholm and Nani Marquina. Much like when I drool over clothes by Thom Browne or Raf Simons, I am in awe that there lives a flesh and blood human able to create something so stunning, so refined, so intelligent. There is a reason that artists should be exalted: They are genuinely rare. Very few people can do what they do, creating something out of nothing, bringing life to pedestrian materials. To most of us a chunk of wood becomes firewood. To a designer it becomes something the world has literally never seen before. To a brilliant designer it becomes something breathtaking and, yes, life-changing. This is why I feel it is truly an honor to work with the designs and designers that I work with every day. 

All that lofty introduction is to say that hosting an event such as M+D+F at Design Within Reach was two tons of fun. 

Celebrate design – with a discount.

If you’re going to be in New York for ICFF, you’ll be immersed in cutting-edge design, going to fabulous parties, hobnobbing with the design elite. (If you are in New York this week, stop by a DWR event or two.) If you’re like most of us though, you might be looking for something a little more…accessible. Perhaps you live near Palm Springs or Cleveland, Ohio. Perhaps you’ll be in New York, but don’t even like hobnobbing. Perhaps you want to save up to 70% on seating, dining, bedroom items and Tools for Living. Perhaps then, you should check out a DWR Annex Warehouse Sale, this Saturday and Sunday only. Learn all about them here.

M+D+F in New York.

The Modern + Design + Function is an annual design contest that DWR has rolled out across the country. The winning entries were celebrated at Studios at the end of April and we thought we’d share some of the results with you. At the Flatiron Studio in Manhattan, more than 50 entries were received. The winning design was the grandly scaled Excel Floor Lamp by Rich, Brilliant, Willing – three young designers who create with the end user in mind. Winner for best sustainable design was Karl Zahn, whose Vladimir Mirror was made using two partially destroyed shipping pallets. The scars on the lumber tell a story of its travels. While the form is reminiscent of old Victorian mirrors, its origin is far from gold leaf. 

Pictured below, top to bottom: John Fondrisi, Proprietor of Flatiron, with Rich, Brilliant, Willing. Karl Zahn in front of Vladimir. M+D+F juror Ondine Karady with Cue Bench designer Matthew Bradshaw.

Posted by Kimberly Oliver

San Francisco’s super springtime Sample Sale.

Now that it’s spring (you can tell by the crocuses), save on samples in San Francisco (ok, enough with the alliteration). For two days, this Friday and Saturday, at our Potrero Warehouse, save up to 75% on Studio floor samples, photo samples, overstocks and customer returns. We’ll have items in every category, including unique pieces that never made it into our assortment. Even some iconic task seating that you don’t normally see on sale. You never know what you’ll find, so come early (we’re expecting lines around the block). Learn more here.

 

DWR rocks.

During South by Southwest, Austin turns into a giant live music venue, with bands playing anywhere they can fit. It’s the highest revenue-producing special event for the Austin economy, so we were thrilled to be a part of it – offering up the Studio as a stage. We partnered with record label Everloving, out of L.A., to host seven bands on Friday, March 20. We had about 700 people come through the Studio that day to check out the diverse acts. The gracious musicians commented that our Studio was by far the most fun and relaxed set of the festival. We were honored to have them. One of our favorites – Herman Dune, a duo from France – is in the video below, playing amongst the Eames and Nelson classics. Call it “modern rock.” 

 

Posted by Vickie Collins, Proprietor, Austin Studio

DWR’s best kept secret goes national.

If you live in or around the San Francisco Bay Area (and you’re a fan of our brand), you might remember the mythic DWR Warehouse Sales of times past. Big discounts. Lines around the block. Heated battles over discounted Eames chairs. With the opening of our first DWR Annex in Secaucus, New Jersey, we aimed to make the DWR Warehouse Sale a thing of permanence. It worked out so well that we’ve opened two more Annex locations – one in Cleveland, Ohio, and the latest spot in Palm Springs, California. For four days this weekend, the Annex locations, as well our fulfillment center right outside Cincinnati, will be transformed into Warehouse Sales. You’ll find coveted pieces in every category, all up to 70% off. And if you’re not located near any of the four sales, you can even shop our online clearance, where you’ll find deep discounts on brand new overstock product. It’s about time we got the rest of the country in on our sales. Come early. We’re expecting lines around the block. Learn more here.

 

Cheers-ing chairs in Berkeley.

The Champagne Chair tour is underway. During the Studio events to honor these miniature examples of iconic modern design, hilarity often ensues. At the Berkeley Studio event on February 12, Jesse Menayan – designer of the Judges’ Pick winner, the Kub Armchair – was on hand to enjoy some spirits and take in the other winners. The 50 best entries are still on tour: Find an event near you here.