Design Within Reach

The Beverly DWR location was my go to store, purchased my first Eames there. Once they moved to a larger store on Melrose, their heads grew also. The staff here are rude and not helpful at all. I’ve been here a handful of times since the move and the staff here seems to have changed their attitude, they are less helpful and come off as arrogant and pretentious.
The straw that broke the camels back, was when came here 1 hour prior to closing on a weekend a few weeks ago, the place was empty. Upon walking in, I see two sales person sitting, buried behind their computer. No one greeted me, asked me if I needed help (which I actually did) or made eye contact with me. As I’m walking around the store trying to find a piece of furniture, someone of the same race as the salesmen came in and was immediately greeted by one of the salesmen. They even went as far as bringing the other customer a bottle of water. What am I invisible?!? Once I saw this, I immediately walked out and ordered what I wanted online.
Mr. Edelman, you sell amazing products, the furniture in your stores are beautifully put together and I love visiting your showrooms, but this Melrose location must go, or at least the staff here needs to go!
Santa Monica store is my new go to DWR showroom and they are amazingly helpful there.

Wow look at all these fake reviews about Cara. She was really rude and useless on the phone. Her system was down, so she was like a helpless child and wouldn’t help me with my issue where the incorrect chair was shipped to me. I asked her to call her manager, or call another store, or call corporate and connect us all to figure out what was going on. She straight refused to do anything I proposed because she had to get off the phone to restart her system (you can’t press a button on the computer and talk on the phone at the same time homegirl?)
Her best idea was to have me personally call the shipping company, and of course she gave me the wrong number. Not surprised. I had to call corporate, then the area manager’s cell phone (he was off that day), then someone from Santa Monica called me. And still nothing was resolved.
Really cool that Cara got a bunch of people to post fake Unilocal reviews that personally praise her!

So far so good. We stopped in to sit on a few sofas recommended by our designer and were really well attended-​to by David. He gave us great information and then stepped out of our way so we could test everything out and talk about it. We picked out a few options and asked for prices… which we got, by email, right away. The style here is terrific… modern, substantial and inviting. Still need to do some research on the quality. Will post update after purchase!

My husband and I were in West Hollywood looking for a sleep sofa and walked into Design Within Reach. What a terrific store. It is quite large and has a tremendous selection of furniture and accessories to work with the furniture. It is by far their flagship store. I have been to their store in the bay area which is quite nice, but truly not much compared to the Hollywood location. Without a doubt we had a great experience, not only finding what we want, but meeting a sales associate designer, Cara, that was exemplary! She knew her products quite well and had a great eye for putting together accessories with the sofa that we were most interested in. Sometimes you get lucky and meet a person that is not only great on her job but could definitely be a friend. We are now waiting in the Bay Area for our product and I could only assume that all will go quite well!

Martin Mobley is superior sales person/​designer. I have been selling residential real estate for the past 28 years and appreciate and recognize customer service. Martin has been helping us along without interior designer completely refurnish our home. Martin has gone way beyond the scope of a sales person’s duties and has responded quickly to all of our questions, given us thoughtful design suggestions that we love, always been kind and courteous on the phone and in emails and just been an all-​around good guy in this entire daunting process for me and my partner. I would recommend him to any of my clients, colleagues and friends. He is awesome and I love DWR, this made us love it even more.
Michael Collins

I recently decided to checkout DWR on Melrose, after seeing several items online that I felt would be nice additions to my new place. First, let me just say the showroom itself is very impressive! It’s worth the traffic and some times difficult parking in the area.
Honestly, my only intention was to see, in-​person what I had picked out online before going back home to make the purchase. I was greeted promptly, but given the freedom to rome around without feeling like a salesperson was hovering about. When I had a question about the Grasshopper Floor Lamp I had been considering, one of their Design Professional’s, Kathalene helped me. Kathalene not only showed me everything I had saved in my cart online, but actually took the time to provide insight on some of the history, color/​size options; WITHOUT selling me on them. She was great with allowing me time to decide what I wanted to buy now, and what would be good fit further down the road. I decided to go ahead and place my order with her, there in the showroom. I left completely happy and satisfied with my purchase and experience working with Kathalene.
Fast forward a week later, I emailed her saying I wanted to move forward with ordering the remaining items. Not knowing she was out of the showroom for the next couple of days, I got a fast reply and received the same professional service once again, as if I were there in person. We were able to get shipping dates coordinated, as to have all my items arrive together (fingers crossed!) at the new address.
I know when I’m ready to add more DWR items to my home, I now have a dedicated person I can look to for assistance. I’m so happy I went in to take a look. Such a great shopping experience! Thank you, Kathalene! Thank you, DWR!

Great products but this place needs to figure out its customer service.

Cara Warner helped us. She has a good eye for color and design, and is very knowledgeable about design. A few days after we placed our order with her, she called and said that they just announced an upcoming big sale so if we delayed the order for a month we would save a couple thousand dollars. She always followed up to make sure everything was to our satisfaction.

I consistently have the best experience with Design Within Reach in West Hollywood. My latest experience was with Cara… a winner. She was personable, efficient, and knowledgeable. I highly recommend Cara and the West Hollywood store. BTW… everything in the store is well made and uniquely designed.

Recently moved to LA from NYC. Cara at DWR West Hollywood helped me with a number of items to settle in to my new home. She was helpful without pushing, and was adroit at assessing the client’s taste. Definitely will be purchasing more!

I have to say shopping at the West Hollywood DWR locations was one of the best experiences we have had since moving into our new house and looking for furnishings. Our intention was simply to browse and take pictures of things we were considering buying. We had recently loved and purchased two white leather sofas from their Santa Monica location, but the W. Hollywood store is closer to our home. As we casually looked at things, we were approached by a friendly woman who asked if we needed any help. We said we were just looking and truthfully, we really did not feel like engaging with anyone at that time. She did the unthinkable. She actually let us look through the store without following us around. We then realized we could some guidance and approached her. She was so friendly and likable it gave us an immediate feeling of trust as opposed to someone who was just trying to make a sale. We told her we had purchased the white leather sofas and were trying to figure out the rest of the room. She asked if we had side tables, and we said no. She took us to look at the Platner tables. As soon as we saw them, we knew they were just what we had been looking for. What was amazing about Cara Warner was that she knew before we did! So we ended up buying four of them, taking her card and being very happy that we now had a «person» at our favorite store.
She followed up with us, as promised, on when delivery would be and even checked in after to see if we were happy with our purchase. We had seen another piece recently online and called her. She immediately sent us a quote and let us know they had it in stock. We went to see it in person and bought it on the spot. Again we felt safe because we knew she had our best interest at heart.
We recommend the West Hollywood branch of DWR and if you really want top of the line, ask for Cara!
The star system for Unilocal is not working but clearly we would give it the highest rating possible.

I had a wonderful experience with Sara Zofko at Design Within Reach! Over the last few months I’ve purchased two tables, a total of 10 chairs and a couch and received nothing but very polished, very professional customer service. Even when I brought my three kids (under 7) in to «try» the couch, I never felt ostracized for doing so (not the case in many other design showrooms in the city). Sara was always completely on top of my order — very communicative, very helpful and really amazing! When the Milo Baughman couch I ordered arrived with a flaw, I took a photo of the flaw and emailed it to Sara. Within 15 minutes she had responded indicating that the flaw was unacceptable and that she would place a call to the company requesting an exchange. I never felt nervous or worried that I was going to be stuck with a flawed couch or get an exchange that wasn’t going to be appropriate. I had total confidence in Sara and Design Within Reach. Further, I called Sara back a few weeks after making the initial call asking if I could get the same couch, but bigger (and obviously pay more) and she made that happen too!!! Honestly, I’ve never been happier working with any other sales associate at any other store. My experience was dreamy!!!

My husband and I went to DWR about 2 weeks ago to check out the Saarinen Pedestal table. We wanted one for our kitchen that was recently refurbished, but it was a big decision for us as it is, quite expensive. A lovely guy by the name of Alfonso greeted us, gave us some waters and some time to look on our own.
When we asked if the table ever goes on sale (didn’t seem to) he said, «As a matter of fact, we are having a sale in February». He went to his computer and showed us exactly what it would cost (free shipping as well!) and told me he would email me the invoices for both of the sizes we were contemplating. He did just that.
My husband and I returned today to make a final decision on the size. Alfonso was not there, but another lovely salesperson, Diana helped us. She really helped us decide on the right size for the space, made suggestions and also checked on the time frame for shipping as this size is generally not stocked. Couldn’t be more helpful. We ordered the table and can’t wait to get it!

I stopped by this location to just get inspiration for a home I recently purchased in the Los Angeles area. The space, selection and customer service were above and beyond what I went in expecting. Below is a short summary of my experience.
One of DWR’s design professionals, Martin, gave you a tour of the impressive studio, while providing me with a brief, yet informative, background and history of many of the furniture pieces that caught my attention. I could tell immediately that he was the person that I wanted to help me achieve the vision for my new home. We discussed the space and Martin offered to provide me with full design services, including my requested 3D renderings.
I sent Martin the dimensions of my home and he had a presentation ready for me less than two days later, complete with fabric selections and space planning. His cost estimate was a little bit outside of my original budget, but after learning about the quality and history behind the pieces suggested, I decided to splurge on buying authentic quality pieces, rather than the knock-​offs I had seen online and in lesser studios.
I wanted my Los Angeles home to reflect my personal style but to also include new design elements that suited the particular space and California lifestyle. Martin completely understood my vision and was there with me throughout the process. While the delivery costs seemed a bit expensive to me, I received most items within about two weeks of my initial order and also special ordered some pieces that took a couple months for delivery.
While I was anxious to complete the project, Martin assured me that waiting for the right pieces was key to achieving the desired final product we were going for. Martin’s passion for his work is apparent and I was confident that suggested pieces would be well worth the wait.
Three months after my initial visit to DWR, all pieces had arrived. Martin has personally come out to my home on his own time on at least 5 separate occasions. I value his design expertise and feel quite lucky to have met him on my first visit to the studio. My new home is the perfect balance between my personal style and the wonderful outside influence I was looking for in my new city.
I will definitely be back to DWR for additional purchases on this home and will be consulting with Martin on future home projects.

It’s a shame that a place with such awesome furniture could also be so bad at customer service. Unlike the other reviewers here, I had a fine time in the store itself. It was the delivery service that was horrible. After 2 weeks of seeing my piece stuck at the «holding» area at LAX, I finally managed to arrange delivery 6 days later. On that day I was given a window for delivery, and they showed up 2 hours late after the given window. Given a single chair here costs $ 2000, it’s pretty disappointing service.
I’d look elsewhere for the same pieces before dealing with this place again.

Wow, just wow! I made a quick stop into this location today to see the finish of one of the Eames pieces. I was greeted by a really nice guy, but I made it clear to him that I needed no help and that I just wanted to see a certain finish in person and that would be all. He was really sweet and gave me a bottle of water as I shopped. He checked on me in a bit, and offered to show me samples of the colors. To be nice, I said sure. As I went to pick up the samples he had started working with someone else (which was perfectly fine). Like I said, I went in there just to see a finish and had been in there less than 7 minutes in total. On my way out, I was approached by the most obnoxious creature. It was the only female staff member working. She asked me if I needed help and I said «No thank you, I’m on my way out and will buy it online». She looked me in the face like a dead toad and said assertively. «NO. You need to give the store credit.» She was staring at me intently and shaking her head vigorously. She was also trying to block me from leaving. Thanks Officer DWR. Would you like to hand-​cuff me as well? I didn’t know online shopping was a crime! This rubbed me the wrong way so bad. Who was she to dictate the way I shop? She then said that if I don’t buy it then and there, that «Vas» wouldn’t get any credit as well. Although the guy was lovely, he did not spend anytime with me so I didn’t feel obliged to give him a commission. Kind of like having to tip the cashier at a to-​go place. What exactly did they do to deserve a tip? This woman was horrible. She is the complete opposite of a Brand Ambassador for DWR. Instead she has the perfect personality to suit being a Parking Enforcing Officer. Stay out of the Design/​Customer Service Business you awful & rude woman! Ugh! Or at least push your commissioned environment with a friendly smile. DWR, word of advice. If you do not want people to purchase online perhaps you should not offer that option. Or maybe you can change your business model, raise your staff salaries and not pay your staff commission. Than perhaps the service will become elevated.

It pains me to say that I will no longer be doing business with Design Within Reach. I have had a horrific experience dealing with several of the employees in the Melrose store over the last six months. In general, the employees were blithe and uncaring about a dreadful situation they created. This whole saga is centered on two chairs that it took six months to receive after numerous headaches.
My wife and I visited the store in March to buy a pair of chairs for our breakfast room. We had just moved and had no dedicated chairs for this room. A saleswoman there named Kathalene showed us a pair of great chairs we liked a lot. We were ready to buy them, and agreed to purchase them via Kathalene so she could get a commission. We are talking a $ 600 sale — nothing huge. But she made it clear that this would be helpful to her. Had we known then that this in-​person purchase would be the genesis of our problem, we obviously would have bought them online.
We paid for them in the store and Kathalene sent us an invoice via email. When we reviewed the invoice we noted that it had a very outdated address of ours (my old college apartment) that I had never mentioned as the shipping address when we made the purchase at the store. We immediately let Kathalene know this, and she acknowledged her mistake and corrected it and sent us a new invoice via email.
This was in March. Flash forward to early July. You guessed it — the chairs were sent to the wrong, outdated address. At this point we contacted DWR and Kathalene, but never heard back from her. Not one email from her to apologize or try to fix it. Instead, someone named Martin tried to help us. Martin found out that the chairs went missing. DWR couldn’t find them. (Martin’s role in this drama is minor, simply because he stopped responding to emails altogether.)
By mid-​July, Gabe (who I gather is the manager of Martin and Kathalene) became involved. He expressed some remorse, gave us a $ 100 credit and re-​ordered our chairs. (In my opinion, the $ 100 was a nice gesture, but small considering the severity of the delay we’d now be facing and the nature of the screw-​up.) It was clear it would take a few months for the new chairs to come, so Gabe offered to let us «borrow» replacement chairs. But DWR didn’t have our chairs to borrow. Still, we settled on a different style that would see us through for a few months. Then, we waited for then to arrive. And waited. The replacement chairs were supposed to come July 11, Gabe assured us. They didn’t come until the 17^th.
Meanwhile, Gabe and Martin didn’t reply to my emails asking for status updates. The next time I heard from Gabe was July 21. To be clear — we literally didn’t have chairs in our breakfast room during this time.
Flash forward to late August. I get an email from Gabe on August 19 saying that the chairs should be there soon — by early September at the latest. But, yes, you guessed it — they didn’t come in early September. On Sept 6 I emailed Gabe and Martin asking for an update. I expressed my continued extreme disappointment with how I was treated. I received no response. The chairs finally came today — Sept 10. As soon as they were delivered, I received a terse email from Gabe reminding me of the protocol for returning the «borrowed» chairs. No response to my email of Sept 6. No apology. We ultimately spoke on the phone a few minutes ago. Gabe seemed very confused as to why I was still upset. I complained about the continued lack of communication. He said he’d figured I’d been receiving automated emails about the shipping status of my order. Of course, I didn’t get those emails. And at this point, given how delicate of a situation this had become, should Gabe have left it to automated emails to keep me informed? Perhaps only customers who drop thousands of dollars get top-​tier service — the sort that DWR prides itself on.
Tired of the drama and poor communication, I told Gabe I just wanted the situation to end. We hung up. This was when I decided to never shop at DWR again.
Buyer Beware: DWR has staggeringly poor customer service. Its products can take half a year to arrive at your doorstep and if you put your trust in a salesperson, you could be burned. As I review this sad saga my feelings of displeasure are only heightened. What a waste of time and energy.