Ford 021C Concept Car, 1999. Designed by Marc Newson. Photo courtesy of Ford Motor Company.

Marc Newson’s colorful, exuberant designs invariably provoke a smile. Make no mistake, these objects—from a retro-future automobile to a humble tea cup—come straight from the vernacular of cartoons. The edges are rounded; the colors, bright; the shapes, biomorphic. Yet they also display innovation and wit. Newson is the rare designer whose products qualify as both objets d’art and mass-marketable crowd-pleasers, equally at home in the gallery as in the mall.

Marc Newson: At Home, bedroom section of installation.

A new exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, “Marc Newson: At Home,” which runs through April 20, 2014, is the first survey of the 50-year-old Australian designer’s work in the United States. This is no small feat. Newson has produced copious design objects in myriad categories: toys, utensils, cars, clothing, airplanes, appliances, and (of course) furniture. The exhibition uses the conceit of a freestanding home within the gallery, complete with garage, kitchen, and bathroom, to show his range, demonstrating not only the designer’s breadth, but also that it is possible to live in a completely Newson world.

Read the complete article at Architizer here.

Marc Newson: At Home, Living Room section of installation.