Design Within Reach General Design

National Retail Studios

Client

Design Within Reach

Role

Design Architect

Program

Commercial Retail

Status

2011-Present

Size

8,000 - 20,000 sq ft

About the Project

DFA was selected through a design competition in 2012 to serve as Design Within Reach’s strategic architectural partner as part of re-imagining of the brand and its physical presence into an immersive lifestyle format. The company, which was acquired by Herman Miller in 2016, needed to expand its marketing and communications strategy beyond the pages of its carefully mounted catalog, and DFA’s approach was to convey the same thoughtful, clean and fully executed design aesthetic in its retail spaces. The architecture simply supports the beautiful products – much like exhibition design.

Rather than think of retail as stores, DFA set out to create an immersive design-oriented environment as “studios” with a strong bias towards merchandising: to rethink the flow and circulation as thoughtfully conceived, fully decorated ‘home vignettes’ tailored to the specific context/market of each location. Each of DWR’s Studios features a bedroom, a living room, and a dining room, allowing consumers to experience the exceptional products as they may appear in their own personal spaces. Like the furniture itself, DFA keeps the architecture of the store streamlined and classic.

The collaboration between DFA and Design Within Reach continues to evolve, with the first Studio to integrate the broad range of new ideas that have been tried on a case-by-case basis into one comprehensive brush-stroke.