Earlier today, I was in Harvard Square with Christopher and DesignKid. Christopher says, “Let’s go to Design Research.” I object, noting that D/R closed over 30 years ago. “Hm, you’ll see,” comments Christopher. We walk down to 48 Brattle St — lo and behold, there’s Design Research, in all its Mid-Century Modernist glory.
Until this year it was a Crate and Barrel — the first C&B in Massachusetts, in fact. But before that, from 1969 – 1978, was the headquarters for Design Research.
Founded in 1953 by architect Ben Thompson, Design Research (or D/R, as its sign read) was the first “lifestyle” store, selling a collection of international modernist home decor, clothing, and accessories. D/R was the first U.S. store to carry such iconic European brands as Iittala, Artek and Marimekko. Thompson’s store has become the archetype for nearly all lifestyle stores and those who start them, including Jonathan Adler, Crate and Barrel’s Gordon Segal, and Franklin Getchell of Moss.
“Design Research: A Retrospective” is to celebrate 40 years since Design Research moved into three floors at 48 Grove, a striking modernist building designed by Thompson. The effort was spearheaded by Thompson’s widow, Jane, and executed by the Rhode Island School of Design, and is filled with a wide assortment of period pieces. Marimekko has contributed a selection of pieces from it’s collection ranging from the 50′s to the 70′s. There are even some pieces that were originally sold at Design Research!
The display is absolutely beautiful, a display of what Mid-Century Modernism was like before it was vintage. The layout shows an honesty to the pieces that’s missing from a display of the same pieces at a modern store.
Understandably, Design Research can only be appreciated from the sidewalk, and is only temporary. “Design Research: A Retrospective” runs through April 2010.
Also of note: According to this NY Times blog post, Jane Thompson, along with Alexandra Lange, have written a history of Design Research, “D/R: The Store That Brought Modern Living to American Homes” set to be published in 2010 by Chronicle Books.
Check out DesignBoston on Flickr to see the entire set of photos from “Design Research: A Retrospective”.
