Our modern jack o lantern.

A DWR Luau Lamp and painters' tape. No carving required. Happy Halloween!

(I hope some kids don't try to smash my Luau Pumpkin.)

 

DWR Charlotte Hosts the Junior League.

Junior League ladies.

DWR Charlotte Studio recently hosted the Junior League of Charlotte for their Traveling Junior League Cocktail Party. After a stop at Salon 8 for hair and makeup, the ladies mingled and sipped cocktails among

DWR Grand Opening party photos.

On October 26, the DWR Studio in Stamford, Connecticut welcomed designers, friends and even our local Mayor as we celebrated our Grand Opening. Stop by and see our new space!

Scott Fellows, Jens Risom, DWR CEO John Edelman, Craig Bassam

Check out our new Stamford Studio.

Our Studio in Stamford, Connecticut is now open. We had the grand opening two nights ago, and party photos will be posted soon. In the meantime, here are some shots of this beautiful new space. Stop by and say hello. We hope to see you soon!

From our CEO: My favorite new products.

Dear Readers,

My favorite thing about launching new product is sharing our excitement with you. The passion that our team has put into this assortment is evident on every page. When I first saw how the Hex Copper Bowl reflects the light, I thought it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. When my team showed me the leather Tablet Portfolio, I declared it the attaché of 2012. The Foldable Star Sculptures from John Kostick are the most addictive objects I’ve ever held in my hands, and when I brought the Mohair Blanket home to my family, my son declared it “the coziest blanket ever.” And just wait until you see the modern Menorah by Brad Ascalon, and Lucy the Crocodile by David Weeks. At Design Within Reach, we continue to make authentic modern design accessible, whether it’s accessories, gifts, or what we’re best known for, furniture. Please read the stories and enjoy the beautiful pictures. I guarantee they will make your holiday, as well as your life, aesthetically happier. Call us, chat with us at dwr.com, and please visit us at a Studio near you.

John Edelman
President and CEO 

 

DWR lighting at Whole Foods.

The market Whole Foods recently opened its first location in Oklahoma, and to set the casual, hip tone they were looking for, they chose our Coral Pendants for lighting. Designed by David Trubridge, this Pendant was inspired by the repeating patterns of ice crystals that Trubridge saw in Antarctica, and by the patterns he saw in underwater coral. Such

Grand Opening Reception Tonight: Join Us.

Design within reach invites you to a grand opening reception: Wednesday, October 26, 6–9pm. Please join us as we celebrate the opening of the DWR Studio in Stamford, Connecticut. Mingle with design enthusiasts, and meet the principals of Sayigh+Duman, the architects behind our new 6500-square-foot space. We'll be serving cocktails and hors d'oeuvres while you test-drive the best in modern design. RSVP to pr@dwr.com. Co-sponsored by: a dash of salt.

A big fan of Wally Pockets makes mini versions for her dollhouse.

Check out the talented work of Kara Bartelt, who writes the MilkWeed column at Design Milk. She's a big fan of our Wally Living Wall System, and recreated the wall pockets at a 1:12 scale for her mini modern home. She even planted them with air plants — a smart choice since aerophytes don't require water and her dollhouse lady in the striped shirt (I think I tried that on at J.Crew last weekend) doesn't look like the type to have a green thumb. Kara is participating in the I'm a Giant dollhouse decorating competition and we look forward to seeing her mini modern house when all the entries are revealed on December 15.

$4.8 million raised for DMA and amfAR.

Design Within Reach was proud to be part of this year's TWO x TWO for AIDS and Art event. The auction was held on October 20, and the items we donated included a Nube Chair, Eileen Gray Table, LC4 Chaise Longue and Onion Lamp. We want to thank our Dallas team and our customers for their extraordinary support of this important organization. TWO x TWO has raised $4.8 million this year for the Dallas Museum of Art and amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. Shown in photo: Front row from left to right: E. David Goltl, Dow O'Neal, Matt Wilkerson. Second row from left to right: Alexis Bourn, Debbie Smith, Eileen Maxey. Back Row: DWR CEO John Edelman.

Stunning Saarinen: The TWA Terminal at JFK.

Last Sunday, Eero Saarinen's TWA Terminal at JFK was open to the public for the first time in a decade. It is the most beautiful building I've ever been in, and when you are wrapped in its swooping, elegant curves, you experience the incredible genius of Saarinen. How he conceived this structure and its stunning interior, is beyond me. As the light changes, the interior follows suit, giving you gifts of surprising beauty in the most unexpected places. I took more than 500 photos and will share more in the days to come. Enjoy! (P.S. I'm still using a camera that David Pogue suggested I buy ten years ago. If you have a digital camera you love, please let me know.)

Our biggest sale of the year ends today at midnight (PT).

Save on all your favorites at dwr.com and DWR Studios. You can also place orders by calling our Connecticut-based sales team at 1.800.944.2233. To find a DWR location near you, go to dwr.com/studios.

Guggenheim paint colors for your walls.

If you're like most people, you go to museums to see the art hanging on the walls, and not the actual paint on the walls. But did you know that a lot of effort goes into getting that wall color just right? The goal is to highlight the works of art without competing with them, and the Guggenheim Museum has decided to share some of its secrets with you. Fine Paints of Europe, a company based in Woodstock, VT, is now offering Guggenheim Paints. The collection includes the original colors chosen for the museum by Frank Lloyd Wright, as well as the favorite colors of generations of Guggenheim curators. And if you're a fan of fan decks, this one is pretty cool.

As seen in today's New York Times.

Our Restore Basket made the Style section of today's NYT, and was singled out as a smart solution for storing athletic gear. The basket is named "Restore" because it is constructed of felt made from recycled PET bottles (e.g. water bottles dropped in the recycling bin after working out with said athletic gear - quite yin-yang if you ask us). Restore comes in three colors and is included in our Semiannual Sale.

111 Navy Chair®: Visual Narcotics.

Street artist Visual Narcotics is one of the 111 architects, designers and other industry professionals we asked to comment on the 111 Navy Chair®. He got his start stickering the streets of L.A. with blown-up, Xeroxed pills labeled “Visual Narcotics” – which also stands for the massive amount of information we are confronted with as a society. Learn more about Visual Narcotics at 111 Chairs Project.

Test your skills.

We love this! Think you have what it takes to be a typographer? Take the Kerning Game and let us know how you score. The Kerning Game was designed by Mark MacKay for Method of Action.

 

 

111 Navy Chair®: Peter Kallen.

We asked 111 architects, designers and other industry professionals to comment on the 111 Navy Chair®. Peter Kallen was one of them. As the design director for Nau, an outdoor clothing company based in Portland, he finds the engineering of the 111 Navy Chair fascinating, and his favorite chair is his bicycle. Learn more at the 111 Chairs Project.

Wright Auction results: Modern Design.

Earlier this week, Wright held its Modern Design auction, where a vintage Grasshopper Floor Lamp sold for $11,250 (estimate $3,000-$4,000). Designed by Greta Magnusson Grossman, this lamp was recently added to the DWR assortment. It was out of production for more than 50 years (the lamp that sold at auction was a vintage piece) and we're very proud to be bringing you this authentic lamp, produced by Gubi in Denmark, and reasonably priced at $875. Grossman was a powerhouse and we're very excited to be sharing her story. Other auction highlights included a Ball Clock for $1,063, and this eye-catching Vanity Set by Paul McCobb (hammer price $6,875).

What do you know about post-modern art? Watch, write and win tickets to a special event.

Impress us with your knowledge of post-modern art and you could attend Conversations in Context at the Glass House. One winner will receive 2 tickets to the October 13 with David Salle. Winner is responsible for their own transportation, parking and any other costs. Ticket value $300 ($150 each).

Here’s how to enter:

• Watch “The Pictures Generation, 1974-1984,” a short video review of the 1999 Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibit to learn about David Salle and this artist collective, ­whose work appropriated pop culture images and photography to create dramatic social commentary in reaction to the rise of mass media in the late 70s.

• Write a brief statement about which piece of artwork featured in the video review is your favorite and tell us why. 

• Email your entry to pr@dwr.com. Include your name, city and state of residence, as well as your age, phone number and email address. 

• Must be 21 to enter.

111 Navy Chair®: James Victore.

James Victore is an author, a self-taught designer, an SVA professor – and also one of the 111 architects, designers and other industry professionals we asked to comment on the 111 Navy Chair®. He has won several design awards including the Grand Prix from Brno Biennele in the Czech Republic and has exhibited at the MoMA. Learn more about him at 111 Chairs Project.

Solar Decathlon: First Place in Architecture.

Congratulations to University of Maryland's WaterShed Team! First place in this U.S. Department of Energy competition went to the solution with the best mix of affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency. Design Within Reach is proud to be a sponsor of the WaterShed by the University of Maryland. The WaterShed shows how the built environment can help preserve watersheds everywhere by managing storm water onsite, filtering pollutants from greywater, and minimizing water use. Find additional photos at inhabitat.com.