I should let you know right off the bat that this issue of Design Notes is a little different from the others. It's the last official newsletter I will be writing for Design Within Reach. While this isn't a major event in the world of design journalism, we figured it was right to alert you to some editorial changes happening here. DWR has grown into a mature company with a talented staff and its own set of business needs – my personal mission in starting the company has been complete for years. But in the interest of staying close, I will continue to write for DWR occasionally. I keep in touch with many of the staff in the San Francisco office, and I hang out in the Studios around the country whenever I get the chance. However, I find myself increasingly drawn to new pursuits, and it's time to close this chapter of Design Notes.
 We began the Design Notes newsletter shortly after our first catalog, which was sent out in July 1999. In my introduction, I thanked about 50 people in the design community who helped make DWR possible. I acknowledged Frank Gehry, who introduced me to Rolf Fehlbaum at Vitra. I also recognized many lesser-known designers at the time, including Giulio Lazzotti, who introduced me to the working Italian design community whose furniture became the foundation of DWR's business. I thanked Lazzotti in the introduction, but we were moving quickly at the time, making editing errors in haste, and I misspelled Giulio's last name. So let this be a final correction, Giulio. Into my lengthy list of acknowledgments, I even put a thank-you to one of our investors' dog, Cooper Willis, to see if anyone would actually read what I had written. It turned out that many people did read it, and, when they recognized the pooch's name, they emailed me to tell me so. This feedback inspired me to continue writing more substantially in what became our regularly published Design Notes. The ongoing feedback from our readership has been a personal treasure, as well as a motivating force in my work.
I would like to sign off with a broader thank-you to the numerous designers we have the privilege of representing, to our large community of readers and clients, and equally to the staff of DWR, who have made the company what it is today. If I have learned anything from the venture at DWR, it is that everything of value, other than the natural elements and beauty in the world, results from the special efforts of those people who go the extra distance to get things right or to make things better. This is what designers do ultimately: They make things better, and our world is a better place because of this.
 DWR is larger and more influential than I ever imagined it would be, and with this scale I continually experience special pleasures and surprises. When I recently came across a bold full-page newspaper ad for a Bertoia chair in The New York Times, I realized DWR has become an important force in the perpetuation of exemplary modern design. We received perhaps my favorite press mention last week. There was an article in The New York Times on the Freegans, an anti-consumerist urban cult in New York that elects to live off found goods and objects, and to recycle furnishings, rather than buy them for their dwellings. One Freegan commented on the high quality of discarded futons and chairs he had recently found in a Dumpster, saying, "I'm not talking about beat-up stuff. I mean, it's not Design Within Reach, but it's nice." When anti-capitalist foragers pay a retail company a compliment, it is a special source of pride.
Design Notes will continue under new direction from a terrific DWR creative team, so stay tuned. I have shifted my attention to the food and wine world, and a Studio Forbes website is now in place. Please sign up so we can continue the dialogue. As I said, I plan to stay involved with DWR and the design community, just in a different form, and I would like to maintain, and hopefully broaden, our conversation.
 Perhaps this range of photos of doors that I took recently is an appropriate exit. What are doors but invitations to new beginnings? And as such, they seem to represent the notion that the future holds countless surprises and adventures for those willing to open them. Is that too corny? And what is it about these doors that makes them so appealing to view as a group? Perhaps it's the human desire for diversity and hope that we see emerging in the face of challenges in the world. You tell me; you know where to find me.
Best,
Rob Forbes
Founder
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"I never think of the future. It comes soon enough."
–Albert Einstein
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Life on the Edge
Michael Hilgers' On The Edge Pots – ideally suited for urban dwellers with limited outdoor space – offer a modern take on the traditional flower box. Made from water-resistant polyethylene, they can rest on any railing with a maximum thickness of 60mm.
See the On The Edge Pots. |
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Fully Licensed Table
The Cherner Table was designed by Norman Cherner's son, Benjamin, to coordinate with his father's classic chairs. Lightweight but strong, the Cherner Table has a solid core of multi-ply beech wood, overlaid with a walnut veneer.
See the Cherner Tables. |
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DWR wins a Graphis Award
DWR has been honored with a 2008 Gold Award in advertising by Graphis magazine. The award acknowledges our print ad campaign, which you may have seen in fine publications like The New York Times, Dwell, The New Yorker or Elle Decor. Global in scope, Graphis documents the most significant and influential communication work being produced. Thanks to Graphis for the honor – and kudos to the DWR creative team for the stellar work. |
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Studio Events
There's a lot happening at DWR Studios. A sampling of current events include:
7.19.07
Charles Hollis Jones
Location: Beverly Boulevard
Meet Charles Hollis Jones, the pioneer of acrylic furniture and accessories. Twenty-five of Jones' best designs will be on exhibit.
7.27.07
Art of the T-Shirt
Location: Milwaukee
Join us to view historic photos, iron-ons, poster art, vintage and current T-shirt designs from Holoubek Studios and Heavy Rotation. |
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From the Blog
Is Julian Schnabel's new residence tower in Greenwich Village – which is bathed in what some might call hot pink – a "nightmare" or "playful and thoughtful?" Read the blog entry and weigh in.
Read the full post.
Read more from the Design Notes blog. |
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