3.5 stars
Furniture at this price point doesn't differ much between retailers. In other words, you're unlikely to be saving much money by shopping around. My guess is that these manufacturers require retailers to sell at a certain price. So what makes one retailer better than another? I think it's mostly their procurement choices and of course, customer service. Staying current and educated on the greatest and latest furniture is a full-time job, so you're choosing a retailer whose taste aligns with yours.
Design Within Reach is an odd name for a furniture store that is out of reach for most people. I believe they are selling the same furniture at mostly the same price as other retailers. But if you're a fan of mid-century modern, you'll nonetheless want to reach out to DWR. I prefer quality over quantity anyway.
Of course, any MCM retailer worth its salt offers the iconic Eames Lounge Chair (and yes, DWR's are authentic, not cheaper reproductions, which adds to the irony of the store name). Even if you're unfamiliar with the name, you've seen the chair. And yes, it's as comfortable as it is striking. DWR offers the chair in multiple finishes and fabrics--just like most other retailers. You'll find other MCM classics here like Nelson lamps, LC3 Grand Modele Armchairs, and Hang-It-All wall hangers.
Customer service is expectedly friendly. Not all floor staff is as knowledgeable as each other though, but that's also expected.
You may have noticed my emphasis: The name of this store implies that it's exceptional. The furniture certainly is. My only quibble (or point of amusement) is the misleading irony of the store name. But design junkies are likely already familiar with the franchise, as it's practically a household (pun possibly intended) name in MCM.
For modern and minimal furniture, visit Hold-It Contemporary, another furniture store with arguably a more perplexing name and definitively less competent service. Ever since Danish retailer BoConcept closed shop, Hold-It has been enjoying competition-free apathy. That may have changed as DWR attracts old and new fans of modern and minimal rediscovering and discovering, respectively, mid-century modern. Modern and minimal are often criticized for being cold and sanitized (as if that's a bad thing, especially in today's times); MCM offers the best of both worlds: clean and minimal but also warm and playful. I wished I had discovered MCM earlier. On the other side of the mall is another household name--Room & Board--but I don't consider it to be distinctly modern, minimal, or MCM, but it nonetheless is dipping into Hold-It's clientele. Maybe Hold-It has changed its tune in response to competition.
I did not see the furniture being sanitized when customers leave, and I don't expect them to. That would be an inordinately tall order, and I visit these stores with an understanding of this risk. Don't lick your fingers or pick your nose after caressing the Volo leather on the Barcelona Chair. Do that after sanitizing your hands with the storefront hand sanitizer.
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Disclaimer: I don't pick my nose in furniture stores--only when no one is looking. read more
