We are all design connoisseurs now. Where once the purchase of a designer dress, watch or sofa would arouse suspicion and expose the owners to snide suggestions that they were too flash for their own good or possibly even of continental origin, an appreciation of style and good taste in everyday objects is commonplace.
Our own Richard Morrison invited Libby Sellers, the curator of the Design Museum’s forthcoming Designer of the Year exhibition, into his home, as he outlines in T2 today. He expected to be humiliated by her critique of his possessions. Instead, as she excavated his life, she cooed over his clock radio, his voluptuous piano and his dog-eared paperbacks. Unwittingly, he has been living amid classics. Those who follow his example, and take a fresh look at their domestic clutter, may be rewarded by the discovery of gems.
The four candidates for Designer of the Year (in conjunction with The Times and MFI) show how thoughtful design can transform the props of everyday life into objects of desire. Hilary Cottam has displayed verve and ingenuity to turn a failing school into a stellar institution. Jasper Morrison makes humdrum bus stops and office chairs look ravishing. Alistair McAuley and Paul Simmons have breathed new life into textile design, and David Pearson’s sleek Great Ideas paperbacks for Penguin provide a classic brand with a fresh twist.
Modern life is still blighted by much that is ugly and dispiriting. But take a stroll around your house and embark on an aesthetic version of the archaeological dig. You will discover that you have a few items of artistic merit and that the functional can be funky.