On Archpaper: Saccharine Design

My review of Marcel Wanders’ exhibition Daydreams at the Philadelphia Museum of Art for The Architect’s Newspaper just went online. Let’s just say I was not impressed.

I’ve always seen Wanders’ work juxtaposed with minimalism or with the rougher-edged contemporaries at Droog. The contrast makes those flowers and ruffles seem subversive, but here they just seem pretty, even a little tacky. Some of the pieces seem minutes away from being knocked off by Urban Outfitters. I thought this particularly of the Wallflower lamps (2009), glass blossoms with changing hues, arranged in a circle on the wall. With a blacklight and a shag rug, your tween would be all set.

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And in case any of you didn’t know: I am also on Twitter @LangeAlexandra. If I knew how to make my tweets magically appear in the sidebar, I would, but I’m not sure I want to give Tumblr the satisfaction of upgrading to a Premium Theme for that pleasure.

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By Alexandra Lange

Alexandra Lange is an architecture critic and author, and the 2025 Pulitzer Prize winner for Criticism, awarded for her work as a contributing writer for Bloomberg CityLab. She is currently the architecture critic for Curbed and has written extensively for Design Observer, Architect, New York Magazine, and The New York Times. Lange holds a PhD in 20th-century architecture history from New York University. Her writing often explores the intersection of architecture, urban planning, and design, with a focus on how the built environment shapes everyday life. She is also a recipient of the Steven Heller Prize for Cultural Commentary from AIGA, an honor she shares with Design Observer’s Editor-in-Chief, Ellen McGirt.