Design Within Reach and alternatives: sourcing modern furniture for Canadian interiors

Design Within Reach (DWR) is a US retailer of modern design furniture, part of MillerKnoll, known for licensed mid-century classics and contemporary designs. Designers in Canada often look at it for modern pieces, alongside retailers such as West Elm, CB2, IKEA and Wayfair. This guide compares those sources and explains what Canadian trade buyers should weigh when sourcing modern furniture.

Part of the furniture for interior designers series.

What does Design Within Reach offer?

DWR sells modern furniture, lighting and accessories, including licensed designs from well-known 20th-century and contemporary designers, and runs a trade program for design professionals. Its strength is authenticity of iconic designs; its prices reflect that. For a scheme built around one or two recognizable classics, it's an obvious source.

How do the main modern furniture sources compare?

What makes furniture "modern"?

Modern furniture favours clean lines, visible structure, simple forms and honest materials over ornament. Contemporary design, its current cousin, softens this with curves and natural textures. The comparison of interior design styles sets modern beside mid-century, Scandinavian and transitional schemes.

What should Canadian trade buyers consider?

Where the stock ships from, whether duty, brokerage and exchange apply, delivery to the client's home and the size of the trade discount. Cross-border orders can add costs and time that don't show on the product page. See furniture import duties and brokerage and sales tax on trade furniture.

How does handmade solid wood fit a modern scheme?

Well. Modern doesn't have to mean cold. Handmade solid-wood sideboards, coffee tables, console tables and dining tables with clean lines bring warmth and material character to contemporary rooms, and pair well with a few iconic modern pieces. Artisan stocks 1,710 handmade designs in Brampton, Ontario, at 25% off MSRP for trade accounts, with free delivery to residential addresses in all 10 provinces.

How do you balance iconic pieces and supporting furniture?

Spend on one or two statement pieces that define the room, and choose quieter, well-made supporting furniture for the rest. This keeps budgets under control and stops a room looking like a showroom.

How do you choose modern furniture for small spaces?

Choose scale first, then style. Raised legs, slim profiles and light finishes keep small rooms airy. See space optimization techniques.

Which modern pieces give the most impact per dollar?

Spend on the pieces people see and use most: the dining table, the main seating and one statement storage piece such as a sideboard. Lighting is next, because one sculptural fixture can define a modern room. Supporting pieces, such as side tables, benches and bedside tables, can be quieter and less expensive without weakening the scheme.

How do you mix licensed classics with handmade furniture?

Use one or two recognizable classics as focal points and surround them with well-made, simpler pieces in natural materials. Repeating a wood tone or metal finish ties them together. Handmade solid-wood pieces suit this role: they add warmth and craft without competing with an iconic chair or lamp.

Buying retail rather than trade?

If you're furnishing your own home rather than a client project, retail is the route: compare the retailers above or shop Artisan's retail range at ArtisanFurniture.ca. For client projects, see the furniture trade programs comparison.