• Design Within Reach

  For locations, visit dwr.com

  Four years ago, this San Francisco–based start-up brought highbrow design to the masses with a furniture catalogue that made all others seem excruciatingly banal. DWR offered one-stop worship of all things sharp and modern, from Eames Case Study furniture to Karim Rashid’s lime-green plastic sofas. But there was always one small hitch: It’s one thing to dream about a sofa you’ve never sat on and another to actually order it. Which is why we’re thrilled that DWR has gone live in Manhattan. One showroom is open, another’s in the works, and it’s a sexy mix: blond-wood platform beds (some with storage drawers, from $1,295), bright pompom rugs ($1,500), colorful plastic chairs for indoor or outdoor use (from $90), sectional sofas (from $3,475), and sharp lighting galore. So head over to the store, sit down, take a load off—and see how much you actually love that love seat that looked so fabulous on paper.

From the 2003 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine