Fashionable home designer DwellStudio made a splash with their licensed bedding line in Target a few years ago. Then, the company launched a nursery furniture collection—but don’t look for it Target. This furniture is aimed at the upper end of the nursery furniture market.
FYI: All DwellStudio cribs are made by Westwood, which we review here. The first effort is the Mid Century crib, available in three finishes (French White, Natural and Espresso; pictured) for $600.
This basic crib features an unusual “x-base structure” and tapered cone-shaped legs. The effect is a minimalist, 1950’s aesthetic (Dwell dubs it “vintage classic”)–but we wonder if it will be darn difficult to vacuum under the thing. One negative: the crib has exposed bolts—which is disappointing at this price level.
To complement the crib, Dwell sells a matching three-drawer dresser for $750, which has ball-bearing drawer glides, dove-tail joints and a “soft-close” drawer mechanism. The dresser features both solid birch and birch veneer, as well as something Dwell dubs “recovered wood.”
Another crib option is the Norfolk, priced affordably at $363. Again, mid-century design is the esthetic here, although it’s even more plain than the Mid Century crib described above. It comes in white with dark wood legs. A matching three-drawer dresser is $530.
So for those keeping score at home, the average Dwell crib and dresser will run $1100 to $1800. The toddler rails are another $100 to $120. And, no, the crib doesn’t convert to a full-size bed.
DwellStudio’s nursery furniture joins a crowded modern nursery furniture market, where competition has sent prices below that of what Dwell offers (example: babyletto’s Hudson crib strikes hits the same mid-century style notes for just $380).
Quality wise, we like the cribs—manufacturer Westwood is one of our favorite furniture brands. On the other hand, we’ve seen several reports from readers of shipping damage and poor packaging with Dwell. Making matters worse, customers said they were disappointed with Dwell’s customer service in fixing glitches. If you’re going to sell folks nearly $1000 nursery furniture, you’ve got to do better than that. Rating: B-