Gallery: An Ingenious Museum Design That Turns Visitors Into Creators

  • Image may contain Human Person Art Drawing and Text
    Illustration: Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
    01

    Woman-Drawing-Teacup2

    This December, after three years of renovation, the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York will reopen with 60 percent more gallery space than before, and a range of new interactive technologies by Local Projects.
  • The key to the interactive displays will be an electronic pen. Tap items or wall text with it and stores up a catalogue...
    Illustration: Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
    02

    Pen-Rendering

    The key to the interactive displays will be an electronic pen. Tap items, or wall text, with it, and stores up a catalogue of images from the museum collection.
  • Image may contain Human Person Art Wood Floor Flooring and Rug
    Illustration: Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
    03

    CHNDM-Wallpaper

    With that, users can download images and sketch out design ideas with them. The Immersion Room, seen here, lets visitors virtually design an entire room using the Cooper Hewitt's archive of wall coverings.
  • Image may contain Art Painting and Home Decor
    Illustration: Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
    04

    1943-25-1 Matt Flynn

    One example of the wallpapers available in the collection. The revamped museum opens December 12, 2014.
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