Sometimes it’s the seemingly insignificant that holds the most meaning. This is not only true of this drawing by industrial designer Constantin Boym; it is also true of Boym’s design philosophy as he takes notice of that which commonly goes unnoticed. Front and center in this drawing is a design for a gray upholstered sofa...

For craftsman and industrial designer Russel Wright (1904-1976), flatware was not just a tool for the tabletop. It was a tool for easier living. From the late 1920s through to the 1960s, Wright introduced Americans to modern, practical, and easy-to-care-for homewares and furnishings suited to a more informal and sociable way of life. “Highlight/Pinch” flatware,...

When 20-year old Bernice Smith Tongate walked into a California Navy recruiting office in 1917, and proclaimed “Gee, I wish I were a man, I’d join the Navy!,” I’m sure she was blissfully unaware of the impact she was about to have on the American Navy and women’s equality. Illustrator and artist Howard Chandler Christy...

For many of us residing in New York City, we quickly become accustomed to living in small apartments. Yet, through design, decoration, and furnishings we do our best to make our sometimes-cramped quarters as practical, comfortable, and aesthetically pleasing as possible. In the 1930s, American-born designer Donald Deskey, inspired and influenced by European design of...