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Design Within Reach

DWR

Design Within Reach is the source for smart solutions. Our business started when our founder tried to furnish his apartment with the classics he'd come to appreciate while living in London. What he discovered was that acquiring these clean, simple and well-designed products was neither clean nor simple.

There had to be a better way, so in 1999 we bought 20 containers of product, mailed out a catalog and waited for the phone to ring. (It didn't for 24 hours, until we realized the nighttime answering machine had been accidentally left on.) The rest, as they say, is history. By giving customers access to these items, which are brilliantly conceived, simply executed and consistent with the enduring principles of modernism, we made design within reach.

Visit any of our DWR Studios or Tools for Living stores and you'll never see a “do not touch” sign. We invite you to linger, bring your dog or kids and join us for design events. Continue the experience here, at dwr.com, where you'll find everything we carry, plus additional finishes and styles not shown in our catalogs or Studios. And, of course, you can always call or Instant Message our San Francisco-based office. Whether you experience DWR by Studio, phone or online, you'll receive knowledgeable assistance from people who come from design backgrounds.

We stand behind everything we sell and we're proud to offer you our satisfaction guarantee.

Hay Dot cushions, pillows, Danish design, Design Within Reach, Kvadrat Hallingdal, fabric, textiles

Dot Cushions

Hay, the Danish tastemakers whose collection is slowly filtering into the U.S. retail market, offers these wool pillows in 11 shades of Kvadrat's Hallingdal fabric.

Era chair by Michael Thonet for the TON Factory

Era Chair

Pros
This is the iconic bentwood chair, evoking romantic visions of Paris sidewalk cafes. It comes in classic brown, white, and black, as well as a gutsier fire-engine red. It’s easy to tote and super-lightweight—–it’s fewer than eight pounds!

Cons
From a distance, Era looks great, but upon closer inspection, some of the details feel a bit crude, namely a flimsy-feeling seat with a ridge along the edge and exposed screw heads. Did value-engineering price out wood plugs?

Marais Chair by Xavier Pauchard

Marais Chair

Pros
Another quintessential cafe chair—this one sturdy and suitable for sidewalks (it used to grace the decks of ocean liners). Made of galvanized steel, it's available in either a metal finish or in a wide variety of colors, thanks to an epoxy or powder coating. We're partial to the 'vermillion' hue.

Cons
The chair is heavy. And the metal finish does show scratches. Just call it patina.

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Salt Chair

Pros
The slim bentwood seat lends an impression of solidity without adding actual heft: The chair weighs fewer than eight pounds. The narrow profile and small footprint makes it ideal for tight living quarters, and the timeless design ensures it won’t date.

Cons
The curved back piece comes to a sharp point at the bottom edges; wild gesticulations may result in dented triceps. Despite the seat’s carved-out, anatomically correct imprint, those on either (rear) end of the spectrum may be bummed out.

Toolbox, Arik Levy, Vitra, plastic, carryall

Toolbox

Levy's plastic carryall is extraordinarily versatile: It can keep tabs on live-work necessities, from notepads to sewing kits.

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w081t2

The design inspiration for this 2008 piece came from the precise lighting capabilities of a surgical lamp.

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