41 Savvy Buys From Design Within Reach’s Semiannual Sale
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Every room in the house is on sale during Design Within Reach’s semiannual event. While we had trouble narrowing down our wish list, here are the products we’d "add to cart" to build out our dream interior.
“The simplicity of the naked bulb is hard to compete with,” says Swedish designer Mattias Ståhlbom of his E27 Pendant (2008). Ståhlbom has distilled the idea of a pendant to its essence: just a socket, bulb and cord.
Designed with the artist in mind, this plastic toolbox keeps all your gadgets handy. It also makes for a great caddy for collecting other doodads that you need on the go, and comes in a range of hues from mint green to vibrant tangerine.
The Type 80 Desk Lamp (2019) features a unique halo-type light escape within the diffuser that helps it excel in low-light environments.
Charles and Ray Eames were known for being fascinated with certain animal figures—including elephants. Charles actually collected photographs of the animals from various inspirations around the world.
Through experiments in wood bending, Finnish architect and designer Alvar Aalto developed and patented a technique for cutting and steaming birchwood to make it more malleable.
The compact footprint of this chair makes it a smart choice for cafes or just about anywhere you need to maximize seating. Its lack of ornamentation and unnecessary excess lends this timeless, Shaker-style chair a modern feel.
Spun is a genuinely unique experience. Its sculptural form entrances the viewer with shaping and texture that recall the nuances seen in hand-thrown pottery. The scoop seating rotates on a pointed base so that sitters can sink into low seating to relax, and pivot or sway.
In 2001, renowned design studio House Industries partnered with the estate of late architect Richard Neutra – whose notable projects include the Kaufmann House (1947) in Palm Springs, the Lovell Health House (1929) in Los Angeles and the Kronish House (1955) in Beverly Hills, among others – to...
Book storage is difficult in small spaces. With a small footprint, and discreet frame, Story Bookcase was designed to make the most of your space and show off books and other collectibles. “We simply want to create things people won’t get rid of,” says Story designer Chen-Yen.
In the 1990s, Danish designer Niels Hvass became a leader in the Nordic design scene by creating furniture that earned him awards and recognitions from Bo Bedre, Georg Jensen and The Design Foundation.
Harriet Wallace-Jones and Emma Sewell are founders of the London-based design studio Wallace Sewell, known for textiles with bold geometric patterns. Each fabric is processed at a family-run mill that merges age-old techniques with advanced technology.
Designer Nathan Yong creates pieces that project quiet elegance, for which he credits hectic city living. “My work is a reflection of my yearning for nature in this concrete jungle,” he says. The Line Collection (2012) is distinguished by horizontal lines that lend a sense of restfulness.
It takes a skilled designer to make a metal bed look elegant rather than institutional, but Luciano Bertoncini has met the task.
Since the 1980s, Nani Marquina has been one of the leading pioneers of modern rug design, bringing her fine sense of color and texture, engaging aesthetic and warmth to floor coverings.
In 1953, Christian Flensted created his first mobile to celebrate the christening of his daughter, and Flensted Mobiles was born.
A perfect companion in any kitchen, the geometric Orb Grinder (2017) is finely crafted from solid beech. It’s also a friend of the environment, designed by Gareth Neal to stand the test of time and fitted with a CrushGrind ceramic mechanism that increases its longevity.
“I think ‘flow’ is a good word for it,” says designer Hlynur Atlason when asked to describe his Lína Swivel Chair (2018) in one word.
The Ball Clock (1949) was the first of more than 150 clocks designed by George Nelson Associates for the Howard Miller Clock Company, which sold them from 1949 into the 1980s.
Finnish designer Mika Tolvanen named his simple basket “Restore” because it’s constructed of polymer felt made from recycled PET bottles.
The Componibili Storage Unit (1969) takes its name from componibile, Italian for “modular,” consisting of individual storage modules equipped with a sliding front door and tongue-and-groove design to offer attractive, stackable storage.
Wilhelm Wagenfeld was 24 years old when he was admitted as a journeyman to the Bauhaus, where he designed the Wagenfeld Table Lamp (1924), which later came to be known as the Bauhaus Lamp.
Since graduating from London’s Kingston Polytechnic in 1979, Matthew Hilton has built a following for his innovative furniture and lighting, with pieces held in the permanent collections of London’s Geffrye and Victoria & Albert Museums, among others.
With its conical shade featuring layers of different sizes and shapes, Poul Henningsen’s PH5 Pendant Lamp (1958) directs light horizontally and vertically, creating an even, diffused glow. It’s compact enough to be used in multiples and suitable for residential and commercial spaces.
The Eames House Bird rose to stardom in the 1950s when Charles and Ray Eames pulled it from their own living room and positioned it with a group of Eames DKR chairs for a poster.
Using the best natural materials and refined steam-bent methods, Wishbone is made to last for generations. In 1944, Hans Wegner began a series of chairs that were inspired by portraits of Danish merchants sitting in Ming Chairs.
“I’ve always been attracted to strange and unique things,” says Ragnheiður Ösp Sigurðardóttir as she explains how she developed her Knot Pillow (2011).
Known for works that display a lightness of touch and a bold personality, Inga Sempé created a lamp that strikes a romantic note, on or off.
Born in Copenhagen in 1916, Jens Risom began studying in his youth under furniture maker Kaare Klint alongside the likes of Hans Wegner and Børge Mogensen. In 1939, he immigrated to the U.S. and began what became a towering career, initially marked by his designing most of the first collection for...
Delivering maximum comfort with minimum details, the Mags Soft Low Collection (2007) by HAY began with the idea that a sofa must have a simple look because it’s so dominant in a room. With that in mind, it was designed as a low, deep, welcoming space in which to stretch out and lounge.
After being schooled in industrial design and engineering at the Royal College of Art and Imperial College in London, Michael Anastassiades founded his own studio in 1994.
Shin and Tomoko Azumi have brought innovation to a range of products, from subwoofer speakers to salt and pepper shakers to their LEM Piston Stool (2000).
Born in the city of San Sebastián, Spanish designer Ibon Arrizabalaga studied industrial design in Barcelona before starting his career in the automotive industry. Five years later, he quickly switched gears, so to speak, and began designing modern furniture.
Designed for the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen, for which designer Arne Jacobsen was the architect, the Swan Chair (1958) permitted guests to spin on its swivel base, thus becoming active participants in the busy hotel atmosphere.
Upon moving to California in 1940, Swedish architect Greta Magnusson Grossman began combining her European training with a West Coast aesthetic, adding a sense of play. Her Grasshopper Floor Lamp (1948) resembles its namesake in form, with a lithe tubular steel frame and elongated conical shade.
“Giving respect to materials and craft is very important,” says Nathan Yong. In the case of the Cove Bed (2017), the Singapore-based designer fully demonstrates his reverence. The inner edges of the headboard, footboard and side rails, for instance, are rounded over rather than squared off.
Naoto Fukasawa’s approach to design is based on careful observation of people’s actions and feelings, which enables him to create products that fit into people’s lives so naturally that they’re “Without Thought,” a concept he teaches at two universities and to clients worldwide.
The Iris Hantverk company produces high-quality household items using techniques that date back to the 19th century. Enlisting the skills of top designers to conceptualize their products, they hire and support visually impaired craftspeople to create these meticulously assembled pieces.
Slovak designer Lubo Majer has been working under the banner of his own name since 1995, when he earned his degree from the Technical University in Zvolen.
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