Bad Design Within Reach, and Painfully!

[sos10]

I was near an Airstream dealer and wanted to check out the new models... unfortunately the Sport series wasn't available yet.. but I checked out the DWR Bambi.

The color combinations are nice, although not that special, the red awning is nice. The clock is out of proportion and the coat-hooks are way to big... but way to big!

Another detail I found astonishingly badly designed were the rails for the new curtains. They are double and stick out about 3 inch from the window.
Perfect for hitting your head and arms when in bed! and they are also thin, and will bend easily.

The plastic panels for the storage bins are replaced with perforated metal. Very thin and if you hit them with a hard object, or lean against them, they will be ruined.

The DWR Bambi gave me the impression of a design for design sake version, not very well though out.

Here some pics.

[BamCamper]

Hmmm. Doesn't look like it was designed by someone who has lived in one for any length of time...pretty but not practical.

[Jaxon]

Sure seems to be the way things are going... looks pretty but not functional in the long run. Guess they could probably take some of the marketing budget and give it to the R&D or production folks...

"All hat & no cattle" as they say around here...

[mojo]

Hey, you could take the curtains off and run a little train around on those tracks!

[Al Falcon]

I also agree that the DWR looked nice but seemed to lack functionality. Like a cheap make-over except not cheap. For the $$ they want for that unit a person could take an existing AS and remodel it way better than that! Hmmm, I think I'll try doing just that with my Sovereign.

[fonseca]

Not only is the interior design of the DWR bambi annoying, you get to pay more for it too. The msrp on some of them is around 55g. I can't stand the idea of driving around with "DWR" firmly emblazoned on the side of my trailer. Why should I advertise for them for free? They should be paying me to tow their logo around!

There's a Design Within Reach store right down the street from us. I've never been in because I've always found the look of the furnishings very pretentious. And have you seen the copy in the brochures? They go on about "European design". One of the things I like about Airstreams is that they are the epitome of good American design.

Heather

[markdoane]

Airstream needs to hire some designers that have good taste and practical design experience.

Hey, how about an AirForums branded Safari? It could be designed by a panel of Airforumers, and have Airforums.com emblazoned on the side!

I'm not sure thay could afford to licence the Airforums name though. Might be VERY expensive.

[Wayward]

Interesting post - whacking the bedroom window blinds at night is the only real annoyance in our SE interior design. And they hug the wall.

So, are these new Airstream designs selling? I'm a big fan of anything the Airstream designers come up that grows their revenue, and the size & demographics of their customer base!

It seems to me that the CCD and SE models brought Airstream a fairly large new segment of buyers they'd not otherwise had. The designers seem intent on keeping the classic Airstream shell that we all love - and create new exciting interiors that keep new buyers coming and, exisitng owners upgrading.

Not too many companies have managed to stay in buiness this long with a such a classic design so I hope the Airstream designers and engineers can keep the dream growing. I know nothing about DesignWithinReach, but the stuff on their website looks great and they seem to be doing well. But regardless, as with the things you point out above....... at this price, good design must also be quality design.

...Scott

[ljmiii]

Originally Posted by fonseca

Not only is the interior design of the DWR bambi annoying, you get to pay more for it too....

Unfortunately, rather than asking DWR to have someone design an new Airstream interior (like they did with Christopher C. Deam for the CCDs) they basically asked 'What stuff do you have lying around that we can throw into this trailer?"

Originally Posted by fonseca

There's a Design Within Reach store right down the street from us....They go on about "European design". One of the things I like about Airstreams is that they are the epitome of good American design.

In fairness to DWR, you need to separate what they are 'selling' from what they are selling. They 'sell' "european design" because that is what the rubes want to buy. What they actually sell is the iconic work of American designers like Charles Eames, Bill Stumpf, and George Nelson (designer of the ball clock in the DWR airstream).

[Wayward]

Had to look "rubes" up on thefreedictionary.com

ouch

oh well, our kids have been looking for just the right word to describe their parents' unusual attraction to a trailer lifestyle

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(rb)n. Slang An unsophisticated country person.

[Probably from Rube, nickname for Reuben.]
hm();Sources=Sources | 2;The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.rube - a person who is not very intelligent or interested in culturebumpkin, chawbacon, hayseed, hick, yahoo, yokel
rustic - an unsophisticated country person

[Excella CM]

If you're around carnys and want some attention, try yelling "Hey Rube!"

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by BamCamper

Hmmm. Doesn't look like it was designed by someone who has lived in one for any length of time...pretty but not practical.

NOT PRETTY;NOT PRACTICAL

[Silverhobby]

I was on a dealers lot in NC Friday morning. The DWR trailer was nice looking on the outside and inside. I found the retail price astronomical. The Atomic Ball clock was a nice touch. I had one back in the 70's.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by Silverhobby

The Atomic Ball clock was a nice touch. I had one back in the 70's.

I WANT MY LAVA LAMP