Animation by Katrīna Sadovņikova

The Museum of Decorative Arts and Design in Riga (MDAD) celebrates its 35th birthday this year. Today, on May 3, the first exhibition in the series of anniversary events, The Close Up of Design Processes, opens its doors to visitors, reflecting current developments in Latvian contemporary design and providing an opportunity to get to know the success stories of Latvian design brands. In the Nice Touch section, Inese Baranovska, director and curator of MDAD, talks about a Latvian design product that she uses every day. 

Stories Editorial May 3, 2024

«At the top of my list of beloved good things are the Bloom stools from Articul (Riga Chair), a gift from my son and daughter to my husband and me. Later on, we bought two more stools ourselves. They are practical, compact, and sturdy; they are useful when there are a lot of guests at the table, or they can be used as a stepping stool when you need to reach a higher shelf.

Furniture designs by Articul are included in the collection of the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design, and we also use Bloom in the museum, both in the public area and in the staff spaces. Our small but cosy staff kitchen is unimaginable without them. I’m glad that meaningful and sustainable things are being created in Latvia!»

Inese Baranovska is an art historian, curator of art and design exhibitions in Latvia and abroad, as well as the author of several art and design books. In 2008, she was awarded the rank of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters of the Republic of France. Since 2011, Inese has been the head of the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design in Riga, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this summer.

 

Looking back on 35 years of work, the museum has chosen to focus on today and to contribute to the future by supporting the Design Export Alliance in its efforts to promote the Design Latvia brand with the exhibition series Close Up of Design Processes. The first exhibition, Spring, will be open until June 28. Three more exhibitions are planned to follow in the series replacing each other until the end of the year.