Design Research: The Store That Brought Modern Living to American HomesWhen Ben Thompson opened Design Research in Boston in 1953, his innovative store became synonymous with modern interior design, lighting a public spark that still burns today, though the store itself is no longer. When the mass-produced furniture of impersonal department stores reigned supreme, this boutique retailer dared to provide a learned yet unpretentious environment for sleek design. Today, Design Research's legacy can be seen in the showrooms of Crate & Barrel and Design Within Reach. Through interviews, anecdotes and lush photographs, Design Research documents the array of household objects and furniture introduced to the American home through the legendary store that made good design available to all. |
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57 Brattle 57th Street Aalto accessories aesthetic American Architects Collaborative architecture Armi Ratia Bauhaus beautiful became Ben Thompson Ben’s Benjamin Thompson Boston Brattle Street building chairs Chef Claud Bunyard clients color cooking Crate & Barrel create customers D/R Cambridge D/R staff D/R stores David Wasco Design Research Design Within Reach display everything exhibition fashion Finland Finnish floor flowers furnishings furniture Ghirardelli Square glass glassware hanging Hans Wegner Harvard Square Henriette Mladota interior Italy Jane Thompson Joe Colombo Kaj Franck kitchen Knoll lamps Lexington look loved Margaret Turnbull Marimekko Marimekko dresses Marimekko fabric Massachusetts merchandise modern design Nancy Hemenway Niederer Nurmesniemi opened partners Paul Pauline Dora Raymond Waites retail San Francisco Sandra Smith Griswold School sell shelves shops Six Moon Hill sofa sold space textiles things Thonet toys walls Walter Gropius wanted Wegner window York