Making Design

Located in NYC’s landmark Carnegie Mansion, the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum houses one of the most diverse and comprehensive collections of design work in existence. Originally created in the late 19th-century by sisters Sarah and Eleanor Hewitt, the museum’s collection is now comprised of over 210,000 objects collected from around the world and spanning thirty centuries. Making Design: Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Collections brings these objects to readers both near and far, featuring full-color photos of more than 1,100 collection objects selected by the museum’s curatorial staff. All kinds of items await in these pages, from textiles, wallpapers, architectural blueprints, patterns and furniture to clothing, dishes, home appliances, vintage posters, book covers, paper fans and so much more. Interspersed throughout these images are fifty-four illuminating essays, most of which were written by members of the Cooper Hewitt staff, which weave parallel narrative