DWR showroom avoidance  

In the words of MC Humpty Hump...
"Doowutchyalike" 🙂

Agreed!
Do what you like ..you have to live in it, added to which, there IS no collective voice on here..
some of like the same and similar things, others not ..
but I bet all our homes look different 🙂

Your life your stuff your style
I agree! Maketh thyself joyeous! The opinions of other means nothing when it comes to your inner sanctum. You only need worry if you really do want to end up photo'ed for a magazine.

Most of us could be accused o...
Most of us could be accused of that on some level. I am sure most of us have several pieces that you could find in a DWR catalog. The difference is how you present it. DWR carries modern classics. We love modern classics. There is really no escape, save for adding personal touches and other vintage pieces not in production.
Also agreed, buy what you like.

Runway
Most of the furniture in the contestant apartments on Project Runway is from Ikea believe it or not.
What most people are referring to when they say a room looks like a DWR showroom is simply a collection of a lot of the 'classics'. Don't get me wrong, I love DWR and buy stuff from there. But their showrooms lack the kind of personality that is found from layering, from living in.
An Eames chair speaks to just about everyone - but its all the little goofy things that speak to you that define the personality of a space and make it unique.

oh yea ... definitley do what you like
Completely agree with that sentiment ... let your instinct guide you.
In fiddling around with my flat, I started off being quite concerned with what friends thought about the stuff I was going to buy, and then realized that the pieces everyone liked were really dead boring in their commoness / over iconic status.
Having said that, the insight from many on this forum is invaluable and most people seem quite happy to dish out advice and opinions.

I'm not opposed
I'm not opposed to having some of the icons in my home. I mean, there are reasons why we really like them, and those reasons are valid in spite of their sometimes over exposure. The danger is having JUST the classics with nothing that speaks more personally to the person inhabiting the space.
The link below is to a photo on flickr. The layout is beautiful, but almost every single thing is out of the DWR catalog! There is no sense of the person who actually lives there!
http://flickr.com/photos/jeansw/10472465/

Thanks for input
Thanks everybody and especially LuciferSum, that's exactly the kind of specifics I was looking for. That picture of that room, while striking, looks sort of cold and uninviting to me. I bet a banker or an IBM exec lives there.
It's all really about personal opinion and personal comfort level, no matter what kind of house you're trying to decorate. Just remember this thread when I post pictures of my completed rooms. Don't forget I'm the one who really liked that Witco llama that y'all told me not to buy!
Jeez, I really miss that llama.

Then I think...
You should have bought it. 🙂

Unfortunately, your llama...
Unfortunately, your llama friend is probably gone. I think you should have bought him. Obviously your fondness has not waned even though you have heard "expert" opinions.
I don't think there is anything wrong with adding some things others would deem as "wrong." It's actually the thing that adds personality and individuality to your abode. Next time, while you may still be interested in our opinions of an object, I wouldn't ask right out whether or not you should buy it. If you really like it, you SHOULD buy it!
I have several little cheesy knick knacks that I love ... I think everyone does that's honest with themselves! I personally thought your llama was kinda cute.

If you took that same DWR...
If you took that same DWR infested room, added your llama, a few of my grandmotherly quilts, some original artwork ... bada boom, not so DWRish. It's the little things ...

Cocktails
You're all invited to my housewarming cocktail party and you can peruse my future tacky purchases in all their glory while consuming vast amounts of adult beverages. I think I'm aiming to become the "Paula Dean" of MCM.
Watch for inevitable reality decorating show at a later date.
P.S. Barry and Lloyd, Random House was a no go for the clock book. Am pursuing other publishers.--R

...and I vote get rid of...
...and I vote get rid of that vase full of elongated S'mores sticks in the corner.
I can't see things happening in a place like that. I mean, anything with even remote character would be conspicuous. I've said it before about some other uber-polished digs referenced here; you can't play a Tom Waits or a Lefty Frizzell album in a place like that. You can't spread out a project on the floor. You can't sit there and remove price tags with lighter fluid from old LP jackets. You can't eat BBQ in a place like that. It's too slick.
Riki -- just go with your instincts. Surprise yourself. Don't let your worry of a backlash from this forum or anyone else become an impasse to decision.

Plugging for artists
My self serving pitch for my field is buy original artworks. Good works have an agenda and point of view that will lend depth to even the most predictable environment. And of course I can steer you towards some lovely works by myself and others I know (wink).