Originally published on California Home + Design
All objects that we come across in our daily lives include elements of design, whether it’s the home we live in, a toothbrush, or even potato chips. Some designers focus on function, others on beauty, and many aim to combine several factors. A new exhibit at San Francisco’s Museum of Craft and Design explores new design spins on everyday objects.
Dubbed New West Coast Design 2, the show features about 60 works made by contemporary designers living in California, Oregon, and Washington. The objects range from chairs and stools to skateboards and bicycles. Each designer in the show takes a stab at making these quotidian items more modern, unique, minimal, or useful.
“Design is really problem solving,” Kathleen Hanna, co-curator for the show, said during a press preview. “Everything you touch in your daily life started with a problem and a designer is solving that problem.”
"Fortune Cookie Stool" made of laminated plywood by Po Shun Leong. Courtesy Museum of Craft and Design.
This is the second New West Coast Design show the museum has hosted. The first exhibit was five years ago; this time around, Hanna and co-curator Ted Cohen wanted to put together an updated version of the show looking at some of the new technology and techniques being used by designers. For example, viewers will see objects made with 3D printers and others that use LED lighting or laser cutting technology.
