In case you missed the news, Dwell magazine editor-in-chief Sam Grawe (pictured) is stepping down. He had been EIC for five years and with the magazine for eleven. No word yet on why he decided to leave, but we did get this (below) statement from Dwell marketing director Nancy Alonzo, which mentions that Grawe turned down an offer to stay with the magazine as editor at large.

We are all saddened to see Sam leave Dwell after 11 years. Sam is largely responsible for the enviable position Dwell holds as a credible and authentic voice in design journalism.  Sam stepped down as EIC and decided not to accept the offer to stay with Dwell as Editor at Large. We know he will continue to do great things and look forward to crossing paths with him often at design events both Nationally and Internationally.

Under Grawe the magazine underwent a redesign in 2008 and was a finalist in the 2009 National Design Award for Corporate Excellence. He was also on staff when the magazine took home a National General Excellence Award from the American Society of Magazine Editors in 2005.

In other news, Dwell’s Design Director Kyle Blue is also leaving. No word on why, but according to Curbed National, he’s heading for New York where his design studio E-T-C is based.

These major departures come right on the heels of  the appointment of Dwell‘s new publisher, Brenda Saget Darling (formerly of House & Garden and Traditional Home). Could there be a connection?