The Wright Way

Staff -- Interior Design, 12/1/2001 12:00:00 AM

Before Martha Stewart was even born, designer Russel Wright invented the concept of lifestyle marketing, paving the way for today's numerous entrepreneurs. Wright initiated this trend by becoming the first designer to brand his products with his own name as well as set home-entertaining guidelines for the American public. Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, surveys Wright's career in Russel Wright: Creating American Lifestyle, which features more than 350 artifacts, including furniture, tableware, and photographs. The retrospective addresses his early days as an industrial designer and his later success as the coauthor (along with his wife, Mary) of the popular Guide to Easier Living, a manifesto on suburban domestic life. The exhibition's series of room installations also explores how Wright informed the average American family on good housekeeping and entertaining. Through March 10, 2002. Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, 2 East 91st Street, New York, (212) 849-8400.