Design Within Reach opens in Galleria, designer sample sale and growing garlic

The new Design Within Reach store in Edina's Galleria feels like stepping inside the modern furniture retailer's catalog.

Shoppers are greeted by a "Light Cloud" of more than 100 mod pendant fixtures suspended from the entry's soaring ceiling.

The light-filled 18,000-square-foot showroom displays 40 room vignettes of sofas, loungers, beds, dining tables and chairs, rugs, lamps and accessories.

You might recognize DWR pieces that are icons of modern design, from the Eames molded plastic chair to the Saarinen Tulip dining table. The store also stocks furniture by new and emerging designers, such as Jeffrey Bernett and Studio Tolvanen, as well as DWR exclusives.

A section called "Lake House" targets Twin Cities shoppers with a modern take on an old-fashioned farmhouse table and other furnishings displayed beneath Nordic-style wood slats.

With so much showroom space, "it's a chance to lie on beds and sit on sofas," said proprietor Jacey Reese.

DWR is in the east-end expansion of Galleria, and is one of the largest Design Within Reach stores, according to Reese.

With upper-end pricing — a Mies van der Rohe leather Barcelona chair is $5,760 — many of these minimalist modern classics can be considered investment heirloom pieces.

On the lower end, the Solapa coffee table by Jon Gasca for $350 is a good entry point to start your collection, suggested Reese.

DWR also carries Loll Designs, environmentally friendly indoor-outdoor furniture from Duluth.

Check out the grand opening with refreshments, photo booth, games and giveaways, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 28. RSVP to pr@dwr.com.

Galleria, 69th St. and France Av. S., Edina, 952-920-0225, dwr.com

Decorate your home with some of the finest designer pieces available at the Minnesota Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers' Annual Sample Sale. The public can browse and shop for high-end lighting, art and rugs. Unique home decor is available at a tempting discount of 50 to 80 percent off. Sale hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 29; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 30. Free. International Market Square, 275 Market St., Mpls.

Cultivating your own garlic is a great way to add a little zest and zing to home cooking. Discover and taste the many varieties of garlic at Growing Garlic: From Field to Fork, with owner and grower of Hudson Clove, Frank Meuschke. Learn the process of collecting cloves, preparing the garden bed and growing garlic through the winter. A second course in the spring will guide participants through spring fertilization and cultivation, ordering next season's cloves and what to do once a bountiful crop is produced. Two-session course: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 28 and April 19. $67. Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, 3675 Arboretum Dr., Chaska. To register go to arboretum.umn.edu.