Color, in design, is the absolute protagonist. Whether for its cultural value, its emotional power, or as a distinctive mark, color—or its absence—has always dominated the creative process of those who design, paint, or build. At the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, Germany, an unprecedented exhibition will be running until the end of May that celebrates this chromatic dimension, giving the permanent collection a new colored soul. Dutch designer Sabine Marcelis has reorganized about 400 iconic pieces following the logic of color, thus transforming the Schaudepot—the Herzog & de Meuron-designed wing that houses the museum’s treasures—into a fantastic kaleidoscopic universe. “Colour Rush!“—the title—is not just an immersive experience, but a journey through the colorful history of modern design.
Dutch designer Sabine Marcelis, invited by the curators, has reorganized approximately 400 pieces following the logic of color, thus transforming the Schaudepot — the Herzog & de Meuron-designed wing that houses the museum’s treasures — into a fantastic kaleidoscopic universe. “Colour Rush!” — the exhibition’s title — is not just an immersive experience, but a journey through the colorful history of modern design.
The idea is simple, but implementing it was a titanic challenge. The result? Total immersion in a sea of colors that flows from bright red to magenta and orange, through earthy greens and deep blues, to warm browns, ethereal whites, and solemn blacks. The furniture, grouped by shade and presented against translucent backdrops with coordinated gradients, creates unexpected dialogues between very different eras and styles (from the nineteenth century to today). Visitors thus discover affinities, contrasts, and intensities never noticed before, perceiving even the subtle differences in materials and finishes that would be lost in a traditional chronological or designer-based arrangement.
The exhibition is enriched with documents from the Vitra Design Museum archives: from Verner Panton’s sketches of his color system to sample books and drawings that reveal the color approach of Alexander Girard, Hella Jongerius, and other masters. Not missing are the famous RAL, Munsell, and Pantone color charts, witnesses to how standardized systems have ended up shaping the spaces in which we live.
