Design Research

A primer on the pioneering lifestyle store that introduced good design to the people

Before Crate & Barrel and Design Within Reach, there was Design Research, the retail concept widely credited with reinventing furniture shopping by pioneering a lifestyle approach that changed the look of bedrooms and stores from coast to coast. The brainchild of architect Ben Thompson, he founded a new way of decorating and living when he opened his first Design Research store in 1953 in Cambridge, …

Cool Hunting Video Presents: SW_1

Our video on Coalesse's lounge-inspired conference furniture with designer Scott Wilson

In this Cool Hunting video we visit the industrial designer Scott Wilson, founder of the Chicago shop Minimal and former Global Creative Director for Nike Explore. Taking us behind the scenes of Coalesse’s new SW_1 furniture collection, he walks us through the concepts and design processes that it took to realize this fresh alternative to the generic conference room.

Golden Rule

Art and vintage clothes in a new Portland store inspired by a mom

The concept of multi-use retail spaces may not be new, but Portland’s recently-opened Golden Rule may be the first to introduce a mom homage. Owner Wynde Dyer started her “social experiment in creativity and commerce” after her mother—a compulsive shopper—passed away and left her with a 17-foot-long U-Haul full of clothes. Instead of calling Goodwill, Dyer decided to peddle the extensive collection of goods in …