Design Within Reach Appoints John Hellmann Chief Financial Officer.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Design Within Reach, Inc. (Nasdaq:DWRI) today announced the appointment of John Hellmann as Chief Financial Officer of the Company, effective September 5, 2006. Mr. Hellmann brings nearly 30 years of senior corporate finance and consumer sector experience to Design Within Reach, having served as Chief Financial Officer of several public companies, including Shoe Pavilion, Inc., The Lamaur Corporation, and Inmar Corporation, formerly Topps & Trowsers. His extensive experience includes managing corporate reorganizations, obtaining working capital lines of credit, preparing and reviewing SEC filings, handling investor relations and managing cash flows and budgets.

"We are excited and fortunate to have John join the executive management team at Design Within Reach," said Ray Brunner, President and Chief Executive Officer. "He brings a wealth of finance, accounting, control, inventory management and budgeting experience that will provide immeasurable leadership as we continue our turnaround plan. I am confident that John will play a significant role in shaping the next phase at DWR and returning the Company to profitability."

Prior to joining Design Within Reach, Mr. Hellmann served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Birkenstock Distribution USA, Inc., the exclusive distributor in the United States of Birkenstock sandals. From 2000-2005, he was Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Shoe Pavilion, Inc., a 90-store discount footwear and accessories retailer with annual revenue of $100 million. In this capacity, Mr. Hellmann was responsible for all finance and accounting functions, SEC reporting, investor relations, information technology and human resources. Previously, Mr. Hellmann was Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of The Lamaur Corporation, a publicly traded manufacturer of personal hair care products; Director of Finance at Liberty Electronics, Inc., a manufacturer of computer terminals; and in progressive financial management roles at Inmar Corporation, formerly Topps & Trowsers, a national retail apparel chain. Mr. Hellmann holds a B.S. degree in Accounting, with a minor in Business and Finance, from Mount St. Mary's College in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

About Design Within Reach, Inc.

Design Within Reach, Inc., founded in 1998 and headquartered in San Francisco, is an integrated multi-channel provider of distinctive modern design furnishings and accessories. The Company markets and sells its products to both residential and commercial customers nationwide through the DWR catalog, studios, website and direct sales force, and a single common "in stock and ready to ship" inventory.

"Design Within Reach" is a registered trademark of Design Within Reach, Inc.

This press release includes forward-looking statements, including statements related to anticipated revenues, expenses, earnings, operating cash flows, the outlook for Design Within Reach's markets and the demand for its products. Factors that could cause Design Within Reach's actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements including the following: if we are unable to continue to increase our net sales while reducing our promotional discounts, our profitability may be impaired; if we fail to offer merchandise that our customers find attractive, the demand for our products may be limited; we do not have long-term vendor contracts and as a result we may not have continued or exclusive access to products that we sell; our business depends, in part, on factors affecting consumer spending that are not within our control; our business will be harmed if we are unable to implement our growth strategy successfully; the expansion of our studio operations could result in increased expenses with no guarantee of increased earnings; if we do not manage our inventory levels successfully, our operating results will be adversely affected; we depend on domestic and foreign vendors, some of which are our competitors, for timely and effective sourcing of our merchandise; declines in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to foreign currencies could adversely affect our operating results; and we face intense competition and if we are unable to compete effectively, we may not be able to maintain profitability. Please refer to our reports and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our latest Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the first quarter of fiscal year 2006, for a further discussion of these risks and uncertainties. We also caution you not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. We undertake no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date they were made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.