apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I noticed the same thing with the latest catalog! They seem to be staging the photos better -- more color, more patterns (with wallpapers). It gives the products a more real feel to them, not so sterile. If that makes any sense?

Two things: First the new catalog is problem/solution based. It is themed around storage solutions for media (well at least the cover and first few pages).

Second: Took a trip to the DWR outlet (not worth it unless you want 10% of really beaten up furniture), and the manager was saying that strategically, DWR is moving to exclusive products. This is because you can get most of the classic stuff cheaper and/or with free shipping through other places like Highbrowfurniture.com. He said that by the end of the year you will see a huge amount of new and exclusive stuff.

Given that their stock has been in the toilet and they've had another senior management change, I wonder if this is an attempt to pump up sales...

I agree with Teonyc. According to a friend of mine who works at DWR, they are teetering on the edge of insolvency, with their high shipping costs, they just can't compete with the internet shops that offer free shipping and often allow you to avoid the tax as well. Truth is that even during a sale, DWR is rarely a good deal for most products.

Yea SuzyQ, it should be called Design Out of Reach.

Teonyc: thanks for saving me a trip to New Jersey this weekend. I suspected that a visit to the warehouse could be useless, and your post just confirmed my fears.

i agree. don't bother with the DWR warehouse outlet. It was such a let down. Unless you were planning on buying something at full price already and wanted to try your luck at finding it there for 10-15% off, it's a waste of a trip. No good bargains there. I really don't see how it can be called an outlet.

I know what you're saying about the shipping costs, but I like having a showroom to go to so I can test out the things. Plus, they give me personal attention and I don't have to wait four months to get my furniture.

Just fyi, the name Design Within Reach does not speak to the price - it speaks to access. Before DWR came along (long before it's competitors who now offer the same access), you could only buy the furnishings available through designers and architects and then you had to wait 8, 10, 16 weeks for delivery. Design Within Reach brings access to the best in design to the everyman, and delivered in 7-10 days.

As a big DIY fan of not having to hire a designer (and pay an extra premium for their services) I applaud.

And on the point of outlet shopping - outlets are designed for seconds, damaged items and overstocks. If it's offered at less than the regular retail - it's a bargain. Not sure why everyone wants something for nothing in this world.

Clearly H works for DWR... and you're wrong about outlets, incidentally. Some shops (Crate & Barrel's outlet comes to mind) have great stuff that isn't damaged AND it's greatly reduced.

And I agree about how the shipping alone puts DWR out of my reach. I shouldn't have to pay $500 to get a couple of tables delivered a mile. That's just insane. Every other store on the planet has flat shipping ($50-$90 usually) unlimited truckload if you live in the area. But the DWR reps (when I was actually able to GET their attention) wouldn't budge on that standard (high!) shipping per item.

I've never understood why posters are assumed to work for DWR just because they know the accurate history of the company's strategic focus and how it got its name. Perhaps this is because DWR has done a lousy job of keeping its mission in consumers' consciousness? Or they've strayed from it?

Ridge has clearly never endured the back (furniture) room of the C&B outlet in Berkeley, if he believes C&B outlets are a haven for undamaged furniture at heavy discounts.

Sorry, but I'd rather pay a little more for furniture that's high quality and well designed that I'll keep for a long time. C&B, PB and Restoration Hardware charge a good amount of money for furniture that is not as well constructed or designed.

And, no I do not work for DWR. I simply got tired of buying crap.

C&B furniture is not crap. Neither is all the stuff from PB or RH.

I've never understood why posters are assumed to be men, Wende ...

And my reply had nothing to do with DWR's mission and strategic whatever ... I know exactly why the company was started, etc. but that was a long time ago ... they clearly should have adjusted their game plan when a dozen other such services came on the market. I've worked in retail product development for a long time and I can tell you their inflated prices and shipping fees are completely unwarranted. My reply was based on the total ad that H laid on ("Design Within Reach brings access to the best in design to the everyman, and delivered in 7-10 days") which incidentally is a complete lie. A friend at work has furnished most of her apartment from DWR, and all I hear about is how they screw her over on shipping every time ... never telling her something's out-of-stock, etc. and just letting her wait a month or so. Quite frankly, I don't know why she keeps shopping there.

Their customer service is the worst, as well. I've been to the flatiron store on a couple of occasions ... being only one of maybe three people in the store ... there are like 10 people sitting around at various posts yet they won't even look at you if you need help or are even READY to order something.

And yes ... I know and love the CB outlet in Berkeley ... in fact, a regular monthly shop there was my first experience with outlet shopping and I've missed it ever since I moved out to the East Coast.

And Patrick (the other one) ... right on, brother.

So I went out to the DWR outlet, against what would be a LOT of bitter judgement on this site, and bought some really great pieces: a Neo Sectional sofa by Niels Bendsten for 60% off the regular price and an Emaes Lounge Chair in Walnut and Black Leather for $2378.
I am not sure why there is so much dowerness towards DWR. The staff was cool and laid back, the local delivery company they use charged me $210 dollars to delivery all 3 pieces and the delivery company even arranged the furniture!!
This eperienced rocked! DWR is an option and the outlet in Jersey was a goldmine of great experience.

It just amazes me that people in the design field or retail customers in general think that buying something that DWR sells from another source is going to vindicate some feeling of not getting 'ripped off' Stop comparing the original source for iconic classics and brilliant home design to copy cat businesses that bounce from one extreme to another. DWR studios are small and intimate for the most part and the staff, especially in the Philadelphia Pa studio are genuinely interested in what their customer base wants. Did you ever Attend on of their events? these guys are always open and always up and out of there chairs-They work hard and are Design gurus, not disgruntled or atitudinal Dress Shop employees that could care less if you are coming or going. So the next time that you buy a sofa on the internet from some unclaimed trans-shipped back alley distributorand it shows up in a million pieces or is uncomfortable-See how fast you get customer service.The guy with the pink carnation who sold it to you will have run out of minutes on his pre-paid.

Highbrowfurniture.com is killer. Being here in Nashville, not only is most everything in stock with lots of fabric options, but you don't pay tax! (or shipping here) They are nice, helpful and knowledgeable. Down here, we generally don't have the access to the hip, clever stuff you all can get 'round dem big cities, but highbrow really gets it done and done well. eBay is always a great option, too...not for seating necessarily, but for most other stuff.

I can see both sides of this argument. Having worked for several design firms, and being a designer, I have seen the five - six month lead times. I have seen replacements for defective items taking over a year. I have had a replacement under warranty take several months, and been charged for re-delivery.
The simple fact of the matter is that what DWR, and other companies similar are doing is bringing design into the forefront, which is good.
Buyers in the U.S. have always had one thing in mind: I need a sofa, I need a chair. Often price, NOT design has been the deciding factor.
What these companies are doing (Including C&B PB and their lesser lines) are bringing design as a factor in these decisions. The Italians and other Europeans, as well as a great many others in the world have known for some time is that design can change your mood, outlook, life. No one looks at their furniture from Levitz and smiles. Someone who has treasured an Eames Chair and finally purchases this item certainly will forever be glad they did.
This is the power of Design. It is why design magazines inspire, and people keep their design magazines for years. Some pieces are considered works of art. None of the items sold by C&B, PB or others like them can make this claim. And yes, art costs money.
Finally, as a design professional, I am smart enough to know that there is always a charge for delivery and shipping - it may be an additional cost, or more likely, it is built into the price of the item you are buying.
Finally on the free shipping and no tax sites; they can be a good alternative, but they do have their downsides - the most obvious being no showroom to see or test the item you are purchasing. Look into their return policy as well. They can afford this as their costs are low; not a large selection of stocked items, and use the advantage of that to offer free shipping to gain market share. DWR has taken a different track, gone public, and opened many showrooms - unique in the United States.
Either way you decide to look at it, better choices, better design is going to give you better choices; and this is what design is about; informed choice that allows you to make better decisions, and ultimately, live better.

Is someone really comparing Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel to Design Within Reach? That does not make sense to me at all.

YES BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE WOULDN'T KNOW QUALITY IF IT FELL ON THEM- They don't sem to realize that companies are in the business to MAKE MONEY, and that they are entitled to bartering in a retail establishment-Crate and Barrel has bottom fed on Barbara Barrie, Rachel Ashwell and the original concept of Mitchell Gold and if most people really went shopping or had an appreciation in participating in the total true design exerience instead of shopping in GAP like stores that sell the basic maylasian mediochre quality that is based heavily on our mall like culture that most of these stores are represented in.Most people in our culture are not reared to appreciate culture,quality and individualism. Everybody became a hipster groovy pretentious wannabe without having all the backup-That is why they compare a Herman Miller piece to something from Raymour's-

Uh, "bottom fed on the original concept of Mitchell Gold"?

CC--
I think it is you that needs the primer.

Mitchell Gold, for the most part, is a manufacturer/distributor, so C&B carries them. There is nothing "bottom feeding" about that arrangement.

I'm a huge fan of design. But BEING a fan of design also allows you to appreciate ALL varieties of quality from ALL varieties of retailers. One of the reasons you still see names like Ikea, C&B and Pottery Barn in the credits of even the most high-end shelter pubs (alongside vintage galleries and to-the-trade-only sources).

And I'd argue with j about the comment "Some pieces are considered works of art. None of the items sold by C&B, PB or others like them can make this claim." To some people who prefer the style sold at C&B, they have the potential to treasure what they've purchased just as much had they purchased an iconic piece from DWR. (for the record, I love DWR, too, and no, I am not an employee of any of these brands). Granted, there may be more resale to a licensed piece from DWR, but the resale market is also tied to how much stuff is flooding it, and how the taste-tide turns.

And NOBODY here is comparing Herman Miller to Raymour's.

I don't understand why, to argue a point, you have to slander the taste, slam the "culture", or question the education of those with whom you don't agree.

The original mitchell gold was not carried by CB and he almost went under because he couldn't keep his high quality and mission pumping-So lighten up and get out from in front of the computer and go clean something-your place is a wreck!!!!And also did you get a tatoo when everyone else did to be original? And also most people don't see the value in things that is why most good modern design went out on the curb in the 1970's

HERE IS THE DEAL....

things make sense to me when I think it through in the fashion sense.....

on the DWR vs. PB, CB, RH....

you either buy a jimmy choo and bite the bullet on the cost (because it's an original design, it's well made, and well....it's a jimmy choo) or you buy a Steve Maden (cute little knock off pleather shoe that will last until the next trend, and you lie at every coctail party and say it's a Jimmy choo (wink wink).

well my friends...DWR is a Jimmy and all the Pottery Barn's (which I think is more like KEDS) and the Crate and Barrell's of the world are all the cheap knock off shoes that have no character, quality, and history.

As both a Fashionista and design Savvy individual; I take pride in investing in great classic pieces that are filled with history (of course to chat about over martini's) clean lines, and authentic creativity and design. CB PB, RH, and so on... are just a "catalogue look"...DWR's product goes beyond the vingets and highlights each piece of furniture as a piece of ARt.

and that my friends....is the bottom line.
It's very telling that europe has zero CB's,PB's, and RH's....cuz clearly it's just not chic.

Ciao and sorry if I offended you with my spelling.

Happy bickering!

Maybe they're trying to be more like Moss, a move that I would welcome. Even if the furniture ends up being more expensive, at least it'll be more creative, innovative, and inspiring. Who says design has to be affordable?

I don't work for DWR either, and I don't even shop there (owning only 1 item), but I am sick of people calling it "Design Out of Reach" thinking they're all snarky. The phrase is old. Retire it already.

If you call yourself a fashionista, chances are you are NOT. But anywho...

But, um, Keds for example have come in and out of vogue when some editor or celeb decides it so (and the "fashionistas" blindly follow), so I think your fashion analogy falls apart pretty quickly. Any true fashionista will tell you it is about personal style, the mix, and not the label, which you are getting totally hung up on.

And DWR hawks just as much a "catalog look" as any of the other vendors. It's just a different look, and a different price point. Some would argue the look will have more staying power due to investment caliber of the pieces, but some would argue it is a look that will date just as fast as some of the other retailers... maybe faster.

Am I saying buy only C&B or only DWR? No. But each vendor has something to offer if you search their wares with a design eye. And not everyone can afford even Steve Madden, either.

And no, you did not offend with your spelling.
Your European snobbery, however...

Cookie Crisp, my place is just fine, thanks. And if you'd like to make a date to carefully check me for tattoos, let me know. I know the first place I'd like you to look.

Amen jlt!

you have a genuine point! completely agree.

ciao!

No, I am sorry I seen enough diner billboards

good one.

Cookie Crisp you are a mess!!! and Patrick I think he haas a thing not only for DWR but for you as well darlin'

I have a "thing" for just about any furniture purveyor!

a true design lover would appreciate an object for what it is and not where it comes from or what everybody else thinks about it

The DWR saga continues...What has caused the changes in DWR can be directly attributed to the fact that they went public. The shareholders want to see a return on their investment and has led to advertising and changes in the product line in an attempt to increase sales and profitability. Not that there is anything intrinsically wrong or evil about that. And although Rob Forbes in interested in design and making it available to the masses, upper management now thinks in terms of units and margins.

And the reason their shipping/delivery prices are so high compared to some others is that the pieces are handled at least twice. Trucked via common carrier (one shipping charge) to a local delivery service and then delivered (yet another charge) from there.

Anyone who would lie about a Steve Madden shoe being a Jimmy Choo is clearly insecure and stupid, to boot (excuse my pun).

And there's PLENTY of tacky stuff in Europe, as my good friend in Rome could show you. I love Italy, but it's a complete myth that everyone there is fashionable.

I am surprised that you would have any friends and especially in Rome.....is she annoying as you are? you are already too late to comment about shoes you probably BOGO Starr!!! And as far as tacky- I am sure you go out of the house telling yourself that you look awesome stuffed in Juicy couture. JUUUUUUUUUIIIIIIIICCCCCCCCY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

belly shirts are out girl they went out when you put one on!!!!!!!!!!!

Interesting ranting going on here.

I've been to DWR once. The staff was making snide comments about a woman who regularly came in, hoping for a floor sample sale. The customer was really nice about it - but the staff were jerks.

We also saw the same dining room chairs there for approximately 3x the price of Room and Board down the street. And R&B will ship all 8 chairs to us for a low flat price.

Just curious... what chairs do both R&B and DWR sell?

I've had great experiences with DWR staff, myself.

Room & Board sells all the Herman Miller chairs that DWR sells as well as Flos and Artemede lighting.

DWR will always have nice, classic modern furniture. Although I no longer feel that any of their pieces feel special. Years ago, when their first studios appeared, I used to walk through and ooh, and aah over things. Now I just think... "looks like hifalutin Ikea, seen that at R&B, can get that cheaper online... etc." I also think your experience at their studios is hit-and-miss depending on which studio you are in. Generally my experience has been very bad, with terrible salesmanship, customer service and poor product knowledge.

I think that criticizing someone's favorite store, or critiquing a store's policies can be insulting to people who shop there. So I understand why people can get so up in arms over this thread.

In terms of quality, I have to say that many of their "exclusive" pieces are no better made than any other specialty retailers. And for the same price, a company like Desiron blows them out of the water.

Finally to answer the question on why Europe doesn't have Crate & Barrel, etc. its because they have their own mid-level specialty retailers like Habitat or John Lewis. And unlike the U.S. department stores are still a credible place to buy well designed furniture.

I just found this post, and every single one of you are complete morons for arguing about this crap. It's furniture, if you like it, buy it...if you don't like it, don't buy it.

Everyone one who posted above this needs to burn their apartments down with everything in it and start over. Anyone who continues to post below this could not be more of an idiot for continuing this pointless ranting.

It ends here,...get out of your aeron chair, or liberty chair, or chadwick chair or eames chair and GO GET A LIFE.

And oh by the way, Crate and Barrel if I am not mistaken is owned by the German retail giant, the Otto group. It would help to research facts before people post. I use hoovers.com before I initiate any kind of investment.

It's impossible to have seen Herman Miller chairs at R&B for 1/3 of the price at DWR - everyone knows that HM regulates their prices, silly.

I didn't say Herman Miller. Could have been different "designers" or brands - but virtually identical chairs nonetheless. And since I am buying style and not a name, that's all that matters.

They're the leather chairs with the flexible back. Love em.

i think it's really elitist to insist that just because something is from DWR, it's inherently better than anything you can get anywhere else.

somebody decided a few years ago that shopping at DWR is 'cooler' than shopping at Crate & Barrel. mainly because DWR carries certain pieces which are easily recognised status symbols for the home. If your side chairs are from C&B, nobody at your dinner party is going to notice or care. If they're the Eames' molded fiberglass, everyone is going to comment on them and think you're cool. thus DWR is "better" because they carry the furniture equivalent of the Chanel handbag.

we all know, if we are honest with ourselves, that there really isn't a whole lot of difference between an authentic Chanel handbag and something you could buy at Gap or Macy's or wherever it is people buy no-name handbags these days. both hold your cellphone, wallet, and lipstick comfortably and with a certain degree of style. except when people see that Chanel handbag, they are expected to make certain assumptions about your high-end jetsetting lifestyle. just as, when guests see your Bertoia side chairs, they're supposed to make certain assumptions about your hip designer lifestyle. it's the furniture equivalent of namedropping or bragging about the fancy vacation you just took.

as to the question of quality: just like in the case of the Chanel handbag, it's either nonexistent or it doesn't really matter. nobody buys those bags because they'll last 20 years. and very few people buy an Eames chair because they want to never go furniture shopping again. they are often of very high quality and that's a great thing. but my grandparents still have the exact same furniture they had when my father was a child going on 50 years ago. and most of it is from the 1950's New Orleans version of Levitz.

and you wanna know a secret? just because they sell something at DWR doesn't mean it's automatically heirloom quality. half their side chairs are molded plastic which will eventually cloud and scuff, if not bend outright. that cubitec shelving stuff people like so much is about the same as what you'll find at target or the container store at back to school dorm room time.

none of this is to say that DWR is bad or that you shouldn't shop there or that people who have Noguchi lamps or whatever are automatically shallow people. sometimes it's fun to have the trendy stuff. I have an iPod and a macbook and a timbuk2 messenger bag and designer sneakers and all kinds of cool trendy stuff that's more about status than quality. and i'd gladly shop at DWR if i could afford to. i just think we need to be honest with ourselves about why we want what we want.

Some of us do prefer to spend more for quality in classic designs because we hate shopping and aren't into re-doing our homes and closets by shifting trends (and it is less expensive to do so in the long run). Shopping is about as much fun for me as an afternoon at the dentist. Not trying to impress anyone, just trying to satisfy my own preferences and desires.

Design With A Reach-Around?

I enjoy browsing, but the prices are insulting. It's the worst distortion of modernism to charge an arm and a leg for mass produced stuff originally intended for, of course, the masses.

If DWR's fortunes are falling, it's because the gobs of funny money from the housing bubble are nearly gone. Call me when they hold the going-out-of-biz sale.

Not all of us shop for the status symbolism.

Not all my guests know that the chair on the way to the bathroom is a Phillippe Starck. And I don't really care. I just like the chair.

Ironically, more people have asked me where I got the pillow *on* the chair. The POTTERY BARN pillow, egads!!!

Richard--
DWR is not the most expensive purveyor of furniture around, believe it or not. And I think some of the MCM pieces intended to "design-ize the masses" was cheap at the time because the construction (innovatively) fit the production methods. Now, I think some of those inventive-for-the-times methods are cost prohibitive by today's standards. Plus, DWR is hardly mass market (as DWR-saturated as ATers think the world is), so they can't work up quite the same production volume of an Ikea or a Target to bring prices (or shipping costs) down.

But "Design With A Reach-Around" made me laugh. But then again I love the reach-around, whether reacher or reachee. ;)

I think this thread did touch on part of DWR's problem. Room and Board does sell the same Eames merchandise, plus more middle-of-the-road furniture in terms of prices. DWR never used to have product exclusivity, but it was one of the few nationwide chains where you could go look at Eames furniture and Tolomeo lighting. No longer. Now you can go to R&B for many of those same pieces, and can pick up other pieces of reasonably priced quality (but not designer) furniture while you are at it.

HELLO I WILL BE IN NEED OF OF YOUR GOODS ...........AND WILL WANT U TO TELL ME HOW MUCH IT WILL COST ME TO HAVE THE GOOD AND THE PAYMENT WILL BE MADE TO U THROUGH A CERTIFIED CASHIERS CHECK SO U CAN GET YOUR PAYMENT FOR IT SOONEST,AND WILL GIVE U MY AGENT INFORMATION SO THE AGENT CAN GET INTOUCH WITH YOU TO BE ABLE TO PICKED IT UP AS SOON AS THE PAYMENT HAS BEEN CONFIRMED.............
MUCH REGARDS
jimmy

modern furniture looks like it's easy to make

WOH! How'd this thread wind up being a flame war?

As to DWR, the only time I've been able to get what I think is a good bargain (30%+ off list) is when they stop carrying a particular line or item and want to sell out the remaining stock. It pays to check the Sales link on their site occassionally. I agree that their outlet as well as their annual Outlet sales are not worth visiting.

I wanted to watch this thread develop for a day or so before posting comments. I also noticed that someone up above was accused of working for DWR (as if it mattered anyway). I'll preface what I'm about to say however, by letting you folks know that I don't work for DWR, although I wouldn't mind:) Nor am I a shareholder.

I've been a huge fan of DWR for quite some time. I casually noticed a review in the SF Chronicle in their home/garden section one afternoon & was really curious about what their schtick was about. I never, ever imagined that the educational aspect of their marketing efforts would spark an interest in furniture, interior design, etc (in addition to many architectural classes I've taken). The reason I mention this is because I see that ppl. often equate value with the bottom line which is okay, however I just wanted to point out that I think they offer to a degree some cultural value to the community at large & did so at a point when no one else was doing anything of the kind......... Of course I can't speak for anyone else in here, but to me this has value & has the effect of re-calibrating ones brain & the way we see things, & what we value & choose to spend our time looking at, etc.
I get a lot of catalogs in the mail, & I NEVER throw out the DWR catalogs, ever (their website is also really great). They're a continued source of visual info, inspiration, etc. & I think they're worth hanging onto. Their newsletters also have value, I really have enjoyed reading many of them, & have fowarded many of them to friends & family who also found them interesting. In addition, I've Googled many of them when I've wanted to re-read something. I've carefully bought quite a few things from them & have never at any point encountered rude or indifferent service. Actually, quite the contrary, everyone I've spoken to there either in stores or on the phone has been really cool, patient, friendly & always returned calls with info when I was asking a million questions regarding a particular product. I always felt like a welcome customer. I think they're a really cool company & I know they're trying to straddle a happy medium between Ikea, & the upper echelons of Moss & B&B Italia. I think this is valid & I'll continue to support them as long as they maintain an edge which I think they do in many ways. Interestingly, it was in a DWR newsletter, that Rob Forbes mentioned Apartment Therapy, in other words if it wasn't for the newsletter I wouldn't be here:) He's a very cool guy & independent thinker, he actually returns e-mails as well.

Good to hear from another Rob Forbes fan!

My experience with DWR has been at the Georgetown, DC location. The times I've been in the store I've felt welcome without being pushed around. Being a smart consumer, I take advantage of their annual "no shipping" promotion to purchase any items.

My last purchase, heck, my ONLY purchase, from DWR was a pair of tall Sapien bookcases. I was able to snap them up for $225/each with NO shipping, NO handling plus NO taxes due to there being no DWR in VA, my home state. The bookcases came in around a week later with no glitches.

Dave, my sales associate, couldn't have been nicer or more helpful. One thing I like about DWR is that you are not followed around the store by a pesky salesperson. If you have any questions any associate will help you out.

Speaking of s/h prices, DWR is no worse than what Pottery Barn will charge you. At PB, you pay 10% of the price of the item (if over $200) PLUS any additional s/h in parenthesis if it's a heavy/bulky item. Look through any PB catalog and see how many of their items have additional s/h fees (it's usually a # in () i.e. ($75) after the price). Add all the numbers and you will see how truly expensive PB's shipping is compared to DWR. I am not trying to justify DWR shipping fees but rather showing how they can be equal to other stores' rates.


Speaking of DWR and R & B having similar items, here is one example: DWR sells the Allegro half-back chair for $358 EACH and only comes in two colors, black and red. Switch over to R & B and you will find the Dorian dining chair for $179 EACH and it comes in black, chocolate, white AND red. Two chairs, similar (if not exact) look, both leather-wrapped steel and one is HALF (not 10% less, not 25% less, but 50%) the price of the other. Guess where I bought my chairs?

As for someone saying that their friends commented more on the PB pillow on their P Starck chair more than the designer chair itself, it just goes to prove that quality and price do not make a better or nicer product per se. How many of us have worn clothes from Loehmann's, Daffy's or even Marshall's and gotten more compliments than when wearing the latest fashions from Neiman's, Saks or Barney's (full-price, to boot!). We sometimes (if not most times) get more oooh-aaahs from our "cheap stuff" than our "good stuff". I guess it all comes down on how you wear it or how you have it placed in your home.

The vast majority of us do not necessarily care about owning a genuine Barcelona, Eames or Le Corbusier chair or sofa. The vast majority of people do not care if you own "designer" furniture or if you bought them at PB or CB. The vast majority of people still consider PB, C & B, Storehouse (since closed), RH or Ethan Allen one of the "better" furniture stores. Most of my friends would be more "impressed" (in quotations) if I were to mention I bought a certain item at PB, Pier 1, CB, cb2, Zgallerie et al. Are they a mass-distributed store? You bet! Do they sell inferior quality items than DWR? Yes and no. What is inferior to you may be superior or adequate to me. What is superior to a design-guru may be useless or ugly to me. Having a house-full of junk from DWR is no worse or better than having a house-full of junk from the PBs and CBs. Again, it all comes down to how the owner carries him/herself and how they present their home.

P.S. Patrick (the other one), i love reading your messages. You are a hoot!

So I needed to buy a sofa and I wanted one that was a sleeper. I went into DWR and saw the Lino in black. I liked it and it was nice but it's $3998.00 PLUS $458 TO SHIP!!!! So I decided to look around and walked into Room & Board and what do I see?!! The Dawson! The same sofa but its $3100.00 and guess how much to ship? $70 bucks! That’s it!
I went back to DWR and they would not explain why the piece cost so much and why shipping cost so much. All I got was that they give a year warranty and are the largest seller of Herman Miller (so?) I asked about my sofa and again got that they give a one year warranty.
I went back to Room and they stated that they will stand by the sofa for as long as I own it as long as it is a manufacturing issue. So I can pay $460 or $69 bucks for white glove. Guess where my cash went?

Oh by the way since I was saving so much cash I bought a Tolomeo Floor lamp and took it home that day as opposed to getting taken for more shipping.

Back in the day DWR was the only place to buy certain things and I think they still feel that way. Is it that they just do not get it? Why should I have to pay to ship a lamp I can pick up at almost any other showroom? Is it that they do not get it? heck, C&R does flat fee shipping!!

man
cookie crisp i feel you dog

i found a wood chair in the gutter
they were selling one jus like it for $10000 at dwr
what a gip!!!

girl you scandalous