Design Within Reach, the largest retailer of authentic modern furniture and accessories in the world, today announces the opening of its newest retail space in Portland, Ore., located in the North Pearl District's Stagecraft Building, a circa 1890 two-story brick warehouse that originally served as a distribution center for pottery and housewares.

"We're thrilled to be a part of the vibrant, evolving Pearl District and the opportunity to support the preservation of this historic building," says DWR President John McPhee. The innovative new 26,000 square foot Studio replaces the company's previous location nearby and becomes its largest showroom in North America.

Founded in 1998, Design Within Reach made modern design accessible to the U.S. market through its groundbreaking catalog and e-commerce site and has evolved into a destination for its exclusive collection of modern furniture and accessories. The company has had a local presence in the Portland design community since 2002, when it first opened its doors in the Pearl District.

"Portland is home to incredibly talented design professionals as well as consumers who are passionate about design, and we're excited to provide them with twice as much modern design as ever before," says DWR CEO John Edelman.

Drawing upon that local architectural talent, DFA (the New York-based architecture firm) partnered with Portland's Fieldwork Design and Architecture to create an aesthetically elevated Portland House, which draws inspiration from the landscape of the Pacific Northwest. The wood-slatted ceiling and dark wood floor of the partially enclosed environment reflect the warmth and the spirit of the region.

Oriented across two floors, additional features of the Studio include:

Forty-four room vignettes integrating iconic classics by designers such as Charles and Ray Eames and George Nelson with pieces designed by emerging designers like Egg Collective, Norm Architects and Chris Hardy.
Chilewich Shop-in-Shop: A unique space offering woven floor mats, colorful table placemats, complementary table runners and linen dinner napkins by designer Sandy Chilewich.
Maharam Lounge: A sprawling lounge comprising more than fifty poufs upholstered in a mosaic of Maharam textiles that expands upon the thousands of custom upholstery options available to clients and provides a cozy and informal spot to relax.
Swatch Wall: Two 30-foot-long material and color spectrums representing hundreds of wall-mounted upholstery tiles offers a glimpse of the more than 3000 custom options available from Maharam, Knoll®, Edelman® Leather and Spinneybeck®, among others.
Light Cloud: A multilevel, hanging installation of nearly 300 pendant lights that glow above the Studio entrance and lead clients up a grand staircase to the second floor.
Dining Test Lab: A 50-foot-long hall flanked by back-lit runway displays of the top dining chairs. Clients are encouraged to test drive the chairs and explore mixing different armchairs, side chairs and counter stools from various collections with a myriad of tables.
Private Showroom: Designers and clients may meet with their DWR Account Executive to build 3D room renderings utilizing DWR furniture.
Office and café solutions for home and business.
Extensive assortment of exclusive outdoor collections for lounging and dining.