Editor’s Picks: 2024 in Design
From events and exhibitions to debuts of new design objects—including a lot of unusual lighting and one surprising office chair—these were some favorite moments of the year.
From events and exhibitions to debuts of new design objects—including a lot of unusual lighting and one surprising office chair—these were some favorite moments of the year.
As 2024 winds down, I decided to take stock of the spaces, places, and objects I saw that served as a reminder that—amid all of the acrimonious ugliness that filled our various feeds this year—people are still making cool things out there. This is an incomplete list of design that made an impression.
John Cameron Mitchell’s "Queer Art Church"
Photo: Chantal Anderson
The polymath writer, director, performer behind Hedwig, and other culture-defining work, renovated a truly strange house in New Orleans. The former regional HQ of the Order Templi Orientis (the esoteric society once helmed by Alister Crowley), the home’s defining feature is a large ballroom, and Cameron Mitchell uses the space as a venue for performances, drawing classes, and all kinds of events. Ahead of our January 2024 feature, I was lucky enough to attend one and check out the recent renovation and outsized Art Nouveau addition by Mitchell Kulkin and Justin Barton with Studio West Design & Architecture and Arch Builders.
Alessandro Mendini at the Triennale
Photo by DSL-Studio
The vogue for all things Memphis has certainly waned, but a career-spanning Mendini retrospective in Milan showed the work of a titan of Italian postmodernism enduring beyond any trend. Titled Io Sono un Drago after a self-portrait with the text "Io Non Sono un Architectto, Sono un Drago" (I am not an architect, I am a dragon), the exhibition covered everything from his industrial design for all kinds of brands to his years at Domus and early artwork.
Ceramic and Glass at Alcova
Photo: Olga Mai
See the full story on Dwell.com: Editor’s Picks: 2024 in Design
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