Philadelphia’s charming Old City neighbourhood has offered up a unique take on design as part of Sensory Design, with works by emerging youngsters rubbing shoulders with pieces by contemporary masters like Marcel Wanders.
The event saw artists, architects and designers explore the way in which design affects the five senses, how the creative essence of every project is perceived and why it provokes certain emotions. Objects, lamps, chairs and other furniture based on that theme were on display at Biello Martin Studio, Kellijane, Minima, Mode Moderne, Moderne Gallery, Northworks, Parisa Rugs & Décor, Pentimenti Gallery, Petit Jardin en Ville, Roche Bobois, Cucine Hill Society and Wexler Gallery.


The eclectic event took over 2nd and 3rd Street, where the enchanting townhouses formed the perfect backdrop to stores that became theatre stages for new expressions of creativity. Minima, for example, unveiled two collections as part of the Touched X Design event. The first was designed by Teresa Chang, whose influences include the purity of Korean and Japanese ceramics, and explored the senses of sight and touch through a limited edition of hand-formed porcelain. The second collection, by Rodolfo Dordoni for Minotti, offered a more classic take on design, with generous and versatile sofas and elegant, innovative and sculptural armchairs.

The star of the show at Roche Bobois was Marcel Wanders and his eclectic approach to design, which was celebrated in Philadelphia with the launch of Globe Trotter, an exclusive new collection which the Dutch designer devised as a round-the-world trip from France to Istanbul in the 1920s.

Petit Jardin en Ville used its 3rd Street space to showcase American brand The Shift. Founded in 2009 by SHIFTSPACE, a design studio based in Philadelphia, the brand explores the link between architecture and industrial design, creating furniture and accessories that blur the conventional border between indoors and out, allowing us to move freely between space to space…
Sensory Design
PDD-Philadelphia Design District
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA)
Running until 13 October 2018
www.philadelphiadesigndistrict.com