Design Within Reach

DWR has poor customer service, and it’s so poor that it’s in danger of losing repeat customers. DWR offers great products, but their utter lack of timely follow-​up from store sales agents, and the lack of shipping notifications on expensive items is pretty inexcusable.
We ordered a top end Eames Lounge Chair & Ottoman last year from the Santa Monica location. There were issues with our lounge chair, and we were always the one to follow up with them and ask what’s going on? Luckily everything worked out and we were happy with our chair, and that process took over a month. But it’s not fine that the store sales agent wouldn’t give us timely updates like «we’re working on it and waiting to hear back from the manufacturer.» Instead we were just left in the dark unless we reached out for more information. We even thought about just cancellng the credit card charge because the customer service response was so poor.
We also can’t recommend buying online from
. We recently bought a Louis Poulsen light on sale from
. We bought another Louis Poulsen light from
at the same time. Lumens sent us tracking info and we knew exactly when the light would arrive. DWR NEVER SENT ANY DELIVERY TRACKING INFO, which is unheard of these days. The DWR light just showed up out of the blue on our doorstep without any notice. The fact that DWR doesn’t have the courtesy to send shipping notifications on their expensive items is absolutely ridiculous.
We are trying not to shop at DWR if we can find the item for the same price elsewhere. Like another reviewer said, we will try ordering directly from the manufacturer in the future.

Great open large place. Steven K. was entirely professional, patient and helpful with his input. We were seeking what was just right for a couple of rooms — he talked us OUT of a more expensive piece for one more appropriate. That kind of objective salesperson keeps us coming back, and we do!

My go to DWR was the one on Beverly then when they moved to Melrose, it seems their heads grew along with the size of the store. The staff at the Beverly location are awful, which is why I started coming to the Santa Monica location (read beverly dwr for further).
The staff here are very friendly and helpful, I wish I had their names so I can put them on blast about how great they are. They are neither pretentious nor snobby like their counterparts on Beverly and most high end furniture stores. I’ve been to this DWR several times now and staff here are always so polite and nice.

Buy from Herman Miller directly online or another online dealer. Just walk into DWR to look at the pieces you want IRL, then go home and order online. After buying 4 chairs and fighting like hell to get what I paid for, I made later purchases from Herman Miller directly and Hive Modern. Do your research — I regret not doing mine!
I should have looked at the Unilocal reviews first, becuase I would have saved a lot of time and a lot of phone calls. I wanted to give my local DWR store some business instead of ordering directly from Herman Miller. This is what I get for not doing my Unilocal research first!
— They straight up sent me the wrong chair
— No apology
— Several phone calls to escalate. I started to file a chargeback
— Customer service is an abomination. You’ll have to chase them all down. No one will ever call you back
— West Hollywood is where the area manager is based. No one in Santa Monica has any power and they’re a bunch of pssies scared of their bosses. Start harassing WeHo from the get go.
— Their systems always seem to be down, so no one can conveniently help you
— I got the customer service email survey from DWR corporate. When I responded to that, someone at HQ got involved and that seemed to move things along.
— Gabe, the area manager, straight lied to me several times. He promised I would have a replacement before the holidays because they would overnight the product. Lie. Then when they shipped via regular FedEx and I noticed and called to ask, he said he would reroute it to his store for me to pick up when I got back to town. Lie. Then they sent a random delivery company to my apartment without notifying me and banged on the door, disturbing my guests at an early hour.
Calling headquarters was slightly better. I highly recommend calling hq, Santa Monica and WeHo.
Actually I recommend avoiding them altogether and ordering online. There’s an Eames showroom in Culver City if you want to see some pieces IRL first. Do that and steer clear of any DWR.
I also have other pointers for getting through their BS — DM me if you’re banging your head against the wall.

Buyer’s beware… They carry no stock in their stores. U can’t pick up orders at store. You must pay a curbside delivery fee. I will give you an example. I was going to order a 8×10 rug from the Chicago store. Curbside delivery was $ 150. If I wanted them to bring it into my house and place it on the floor it would be $ 300(as they call it) white glove service.
It is frustrating that a store that has no inventory in their stores would charge a customer so much for delivery. When I see other companies having free shipping or affordable options.
Be willing to pay $$$$$ for receiving their products.
I will NOT Shop their again. The competition has much better delivery prices. Why pay more when I can get it for less.
Goodluck

Jordon helped us navigate a big purchase for a dining room table. I found the same product on another website and they matched the price for me. Woa! I was super satisfied and I also got the white glove service b/​c of the purchase price. They kept providing me solutions and there was no reason to go elsewhere. I have always been a fan of DWR for the good design but now I’m a loyal promoter and advocate as you have demonstrated that you are more committed to winning over customers than any one sale. I need to start saving now for my next purchase. ;-)

Well, I Unilocaled for help and after an initial prompt response from DWR service reps, nearly seven weeks and half a dozen emails later I’ve still got a broken couch in my living room and no idea when I can expect a replacement. At this point I’m ready to ask for my money back and go somewhere else.
So much for my holiday party seating. Anyone know where I can get some yellow caution tape?

The salespeople in this store are beyond indifferent to being rude. Since there was particular deck chair that I like and it was on sale, I decided to order online instead of giving the rudeboys my business and a commission. Turns out the online DWR system is also awful. No way to track a shipment, stuff took forever to arrive and the customer support was basically nonexistent. Avoid this store and their even worse website.

Worse buying experience ever.
The sale guy knew nothing about american midcentury design and talked to me like if I was some turd he wanted to avoid walk in. I wanted a chair, found a nice one, but will buy it online.
I like design, but I also like to be treated decently.

Design within Reach? DWR’s merchandise is not within reach for 91% of the world. I’m fine with capitalism and selling stuff that very few people can afford, but let’s skip the «for the people» vibe, shall we?
The staff here was friendly enough.

Before shopping here, you should be aware that by «within reach» they mean physically, you can reach it. Price-​wise, this is among the more expensive stores in a very expensive area.

5 stars for their products. 2 stars for their prices.
i’m giving them a 4-​star, because if I could afford to furnish my entire home with their items, I would. I think they are overpriced, but I guess that’s pretty standard for designer modern furniture. Staff is nice and friendly.

Don’t waste your time! Apparently, looks matter, and you CAN judge a book by its cover. My husband and I decided to purchase some furniture while spending a lazy day in Santa Monica (thus, dressed in shorts, flip flops and «beach» clothes). We walked in and were not greeted. So, we looked around, and thought, «Maybe the sales people are busy.» But no, they were not busy. We were the only ones in the store. Finally, I was so bold as to: gasp: ask for help. The sales person acted busy, typing on her computer, and straightening papers. I asked a question about chairs. She proceeded to tell us that the particular chairs we asked about were «very expensive,» then gave a nervous laugh, and went back to looking busy. I guess our skin color, and casual attire told her we were… poor? Their loss. I even wrote to the company. No response. Rudeness must be a corporate mission statement.

Seriously … Design within Reach… who found the name for the company… a $ 1500 coffee table is definitly not within reach… except if you wanna be in debt for the next year of your life…
Honestly, everyting in there is way over priced… there are way more other places to shop for furniture and not end up broke…
Concerning the staff… well not even a Hi… or may I help you… if I am going to spend that much monney on sthg… I would really appreciate a staff that cares more…

I have to say that I’m very surprised that DWR has gotten some good reviews. My experiences with them have been horrendous. The pieces I bought from them were defective, and customer service was completely aloof. Further, as other reviewers have noted, most items found at DWR can be found elsewhere… sometimes for less money.
Contrary to what one poster stated… I wouldn’t count on your furniture purchases from here increasing in value. Sure, these are «works of art», but most of these items are not limited runs. Some Eames chairs are «originals», but are now constructed of different materials than when they were first issued.
If you like the mid-​century aesthetic, it’s worth looking at the pieces in DWR’s showrooms, but I’d purchase elsewhere.

Design certainly not within everyone’s reach; completely overpriced for what it is, but I can’t help myself. They do carry some of the trademark items that you’d want to have in a loft space, or any sort of contemporary-​finish home.
Definitely worth a look, but don’t pull the trigger before going to check a store like Plummers in Culver City which, every now and then, gets some kind of version of designer-​furniture that at least looks identical to what they’re selling here, at a fraction of the cost.
I was actually a much bigger fan of this particular location back when they had the «HOME» section which carried little odds and ends of the modern persuasion… Guilty admission: I usually went here to buy Christmas presents for myself. ;P Usually hinoki accessories or stainless steel staplers, that sort of thing…

The showroom was very nice, and although they didn’t have a floor sample of the Eames chair I was looking for they did explain to me how to ordering process for that goes and explained shipping, etc. The staff wasn’t pushy at all and were quite helpful with my questions. I was also greeted when I entered the showroom, which is always nice :)
I will be back in the next few months to order my Eames Eiffel chairs!

If you accept the fact that you’re buying a work of art (which will likely appreciate in value), then the prices are slightly more understandable but you still feel like Herman Miller’s bitch when you plunk down loot for this stuff. But I have to admit, I’m a sucker for things MCM and I give 4 stars out of the gate due to DWR’s friendly and attentive staff and their elite selection of design genius.
Note: the «Within Reach» part has nothing to do with affordability and accessibility but merely your geographic proximity to the goods. Like how, technically, Van Gogh’s «Irises» is «within reach» because it’s at the Getty.
Let’s face it, DWR’s prices are definitely inflated — for example, Target (yes, Target) now sells an Eileen Gray table for $ 169. I paid over $ 1000 for it at DWR a few years ago (they still sell it for over $ 1000). Another example: the Noguchi table at Modernica is $ 695, the HM one at DWR is $ 1349. So do your homework. If only Target sold the palisander Eames lounge and ottoman.
One generally cannot waltz into the showroom and walk out with a piece of furniture. While disappointing, it also means that you will have to pay additional fees for shipping. In my experience, after placing your order, it can take between 6 — 12 weeks to arrive. I recently ordered an Eames rocker in July and received it last week directly from Herman Miller. I was told it would take this long when I ordered so the wait was expected. It came very well-​packaged, delivered to my front door with a certificate of authenticity (so my children can sell it easily moments after my death.)
Next door to the DWR showroom is a small boutique with non-​furniture items that one could buy and carry out of the store (like toys and kitchen stuff.)
Sometimes it’s daunting to walk into a place like this because you expect to find the Bronson Pinchot «Serge» character from Beverly Hills Cop ready to thumb his nose at you. But I think the staff can tell who’s serious and ready to buy and will do everything to make you happy. I’ve been happy with everything I’ve bought from them. My only knock is that I feel like a douche when I see something selling for 50% less elsewhere.

What a great concept?! Leave it to the Design Within Reach to come up with a showroom like boutique that has something for anyone who has EVERYthing! Officially, I think the idea was to provide tools that help solve a need –like how do I transport food & water for my hound while hiking (the Charlybox of course!
) or what do I buy for that couple who just got re-​married and already have 2 sets of everything — the environmentally friendly Iousen water filter pitcher that creates its own odorless mineral water (
). All sorts of cool accessories for the kitchen, tabletop, the office, travel and more.. . like a cookbook devoted The Pig (my favorite protein). If you are a design buff, you will love this place! Service is fantastic, all of the associates know every detail of all of the cool products!