Urban Umbrella: a new direction for NYC sidewalk sheds.

Imagine if the more than 6000 sidewalk sheds in New York City received a makeover – the unsightly wood and steel structures used to protect pedestrians in construction areas, replaced by steel and polymer structures that resemble the tree-lined walkways of Parisian gardens.  

urbanSHED International Design Competition, a recent international competition charged designers to do just that: To rethink sidewalk sheds, which have remained relatively unchanged since first introduced in the 1950s, and create a new standard in infrastructural architecture in an effort to “improve quality of life, reduce construction impacts on businesses, increase pedestrian safety and increase available space for pedestrians on sidewalks.”

Great stuff at the DWR Outlet for this weekend's sale.

These photos were taken this morning at the DWR Outlet in Secaucus, New Jersey. Mark your calendar for this weekend's Big Sale at both DWR Outlet locations -- Secaucus, NJ (Free Shuttle from NYC) and Palm Springs, CA. We'll be taking huge reductions on already drastically reduced overstocks, customer returns and scratch-and-dent furniture. One weekend only. More details here.

Eva Zeisel debuts new lamp collection, featured in the Wall Street Journal.

Congratulations to our friend Eva Zeisel on the debut of her new lamps for Leucos, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. At 104, Zeisel is still designing her "things" as she calls them. A true game-changer, learn more about Zeisel in our Designer section.

Trucks are rolling in with great buys for this weekend's DWR Outlet Sale.

Truckloads of great items (many classics) are arriving at the DWR Outlets in New Jersey and Palm Springs. Mark your calendar for this weekend: July 30 and 31. We've taken big discounts on the already drastically reduced prices at the DWR Outlets. Save on overstocks, customer returns and scratch and dent merchandise. In New Jersey you'll also find dozens of first quality iconic chairs from one of our top vendors. If you can't wait until Saturday, check out the DWR Online Outlet.

Happy Birthday Alexander Calder.

Check out google today to see their tribute to Alexander Calder. The mobile master was born on this day in 1898. Another person who was inspired by Calder is Matthew Richards who designed this tabletop mobile for DWR.

Organize that stack of papers on your desk.

In 1924, Luthur Evans developed an expandable rack out of wood for organizing documents, magazines and folios. Carrying on that tradition – and updating it in recycled aluminum – the Collator 10 (1942) can be used to organize projects, collate papers or display magazines. The Collator can be hung vertically on the wall or placed horizontally on a desk or table for convenient storage of all your important paper items. Now just $98, the Collator is included in our Yard Sale -- quantities are limited.

A Romanian designer redesigns the classic Renault 4.

Designer Vlad Iorgulescu designed this concept car for designboom's RENAULT 4 EVER competition. It is one of the finalists, chosen from more than 3200 submissions. (The jury will announce the winner later this month.) Entrants were asked to redesign the RENAULT 4, a car that was introduced in 1961 and became the third bestselling model in automotive history -- 8,135,424 cars were sold in 100+ countries before production ceased in 1994. What do you think of Iorgulescu's updated version of this classic car?

Look what's at our Outlet right now...

Making weekend plans? Why not make a trip to the DWR Outlet in Secaucus, NJ and Palm Springs, CA. These photos were taken today at our New Jersey Outlet. Stop by to find great deals on sofas, tables, chairs, outdoor furniture, rugs and more.

Can you name this designer?

We had a special visitor at DWR headquarters yesterday. Can you name the gentleman in the pink and white striped shirt? How about the man on the far left (wearing the same shirt as John Edelman, center).

Diving into design at Hermès.

Having a coworker send me photos from their vacation could be problematic, but when the photos are of Paris and taken by our creative director, I am once again reminded why I love working at DWR. These shots were taken at the Hermès store on the Left Bank. The former home of the Lutetia Hotel’s indoor swimming pool, the space was transformed by Denis Montel of Rena Dumas Architecture who designed a dramatic selling floor with giant David Trubridge-like pods of bent ash wood and a sinuous staircase. “It’s both primitive and sophisticated,” writes Alain. “Richard Serra’s Cor-10 steel Torqued Ellipses reinterpreted in billowing wood mesh.” (My coworker is quite poetic when he writes from Paris.)

Announcing the Winner of the Nordic Design Tour Sweepstakes.

We’re happy to announce the winner of the Nordic Design Tour Sweepstakes. Linda Glazier and her very lucky guest will fly SAS Airlines to Denmark during Copenhagen Design Week and spend five nights at the stylish Avenue Hotel, courtesy of Mr & Mrs Smith Hotel Collection, where they will be treated to breakfast each day and receive two VIP Copenhagen city cards for free entry to more than 60 museums and attractions, free transportation, and discounts on shopping and restaurants. Additionally, they’ll enjoy factory tours of Denmark-based design companies.

We followed up with Linda, a Kansas City-based architect, to see how she reacted to the good news.

July 21: Conversations in Context at The Philip Johnson Glass House.

DWR is proud to be the sponsor of Conversations in Context at the Philip Johnson Glass House – continuing the legacy of what has been described as “the longest running salon in America” – established as a gathering of great minds in architecture, art, and design in New Canaan, Connecticut at the invitation of Philip Johnson and David Whitney. When the Glass House opened to the public in 2007, it extended the tradition to an invite-only Conversation series that took place at the property.

Tickets are available for the July 21 Event.

Conversations in Context
Hosts: Theodore H.M. Prudon, DOCOMOMO US + Shashi Caan, International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers
Evening begins at 5:30pm
2-hour guest-hosted tour and reception

Purchase tickets ($150 each) at PhilipJohnsonGlassHouse.org.

Four-piece set now only $89.

Our handcrafted Variopinte enameled-steel dinnerware comes in fun colors, is dishwasher safe and durable enough for outdoor use. Made in France, this four-piece set includes a bowl, large plate, dinner plate and salad plate. Enjoy this special price during The Yard Sale.

Save 50% on the Bardolino Collection.

The indoor/outdoor Bardolino Collection has lines that echo the forms of classic mid-century European furniture, but its materials are squarely in the new millennium. The collection includes pieces for both dining and lounging, with the latter being compactly scaled for a small outdoor space. Save 50% during The Yard Sale. Quantities are limited.

New York Times names new Critic of Architecture.

Michael Kimmelman will be replacing longtime architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff, who is leaving the Times to pursue other projects, including a new book. For the past four years, Kimmelman has served as art critic, foreign correspondent and "Abroad" columnist at the Times. "As for architecture," wrote Times culture editor Jonathan Landman in a memo to staff, "you may recall among other things his recent Times Magazine profiles of Oscar Niemeyer, Shigeru Ban and Peter Zumthor, his pieces in The New York Review of Books about Frank Lloyd Wright and the New York baseball stadiums, and this dispatch about the restoration of an old museum in Berlin. His writings in the field go back to his days between Yale and Harvard as a fledgling editor at ID Magazine and architecture critic for The New England Monthly." Congratulations, Michael! We look forward to joining you in your exploration of the built world in which we live.

"A Taste for the Modern" at Vassar.

Indulge your love of modern art at Vassar's "A Taste for the Modern" exhibition. The show highlights 48 outstanding paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures and photographs, including works by Cézanne, Picasso, Klee, Matisse, Marin, and Stieglitz. All 48 were gifts to the Art Center by three Vassar alumnae with names as intriguing as the art they collected: Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller, Edna Bryner Schwab, and Virginia Herrick Deknatel. Shown above: Le Chapeau Fleurs by Pablo Picasso.

Modernize your desktop with a virtual Vipp Bin.

Replace your ordinary desktop trash bin with a virtual Vipp Pedal Bin. Just go to Vipp.com and download the free desktop icon for your Mac or PC. If a real-life Vipp Bin is more your style, check out all the sizes and colors available at dwr.com. Lastly, a bit of trivia: In Danish, the function of opening and closing is called "Vipp."

Interior Design magazine celebrates 25 years of hospitality giants.

The 25th-anniversary celebration for Interior Design's ranking of hospitality giants included some familiar faces, including DWR employees and industry partners. Shown above: Moroso export manager Marco Cappelli and Moroso USA CEO George Kordaris; (8) Edelman Leather vice president of marketing Echo MacKenzie and marketing coordinator Rachel Parks; (9) Design Within Reach president and CEO John Edelman with Interior Design editor in chief Cindy Allen and Hall of Fame member David Rockwell; (10) the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, where the party was held; (11) Dedon marketing director Tom Wallman; (12) Patty and Michael Silver of Silver Associates with designer Jane Hamley Wells.

A letter-perfect way to celebrate Pioneers of American Industrial Design.

Featuring the work of Russel Wright, Greta von Nessen, Henry Dreyfuss and other pioneers of American industrial design, this new series of USPS stamps is a must-have for design enthusiasts. In keeping with the timelessness of these objects, these are Forever® stamps, which means they are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate.