One of the South’s biggest cities might not be the first place you’d think of to find globally influenced modern design festival, but June 1–9 marks the 13th year of the Atlanta Design Festival (formerly Design is Human Atlanta), produced by the group MA! Design is Human. The event has something to appeal to design enthusiasts of every stripe, as the topics include interior design, architecture, fashion, transportation, and more. “We try to cover all facets of design because it’s all related,” Elayne DeLeo, cofounder of MA! (short for Modern Atlanta) Design is Human, tells AD PRO. “We’re presenting the stories behind design and the people who are doing it. We think that makes a much more interesting experience” Here, DeLeo shares some of the highlights and how to make the most of the event.
The Basics
The nine-day festival is comprised of more than 40 events, expos, panel discussions, and architecture tours in and around Atlanta and is expected to draw up to 5,000 attendees from around the country. There are also satellite architecture tours happening in nearby Serenbe and farther afield in Asheville, North Carolina.
Plan Ahead
While some events are free to attend, such as Gensler's events series or The Art of Place: Architecture and Interiors book signing with Lee Ledbetter, pre-registering or securing tickets early is recommended. For the festival itself, tickets range in price from $10 to $105 and include access to different events, such as Design Economy Expo or Atlanta magazine's Modern Style Show House.
Hear International Design Voices
Though the festival is based in Atlanta, attendees will notice a significant contingent of international designers. “We’re big fans of Dutch design,” DeLeo says. “There’s so much great work coming out of [Design Academy] Eindhoven and it’s a good opportunity for us to give them a platform here in Atlanta.” Check out a talk with Dutch Design Week organizer Ingrid van der Wacht, interactive design activities with designers Bouke Bruins and Wouter Couvers in two MARTA transit stations, and a discussion with Eindhoven graduate and subversive designer Pauline Wiersema. (“She’ll talk about some of the work she’s done with different brands and how design plays a role in presenting a serious message in a fun way,” DeLeo explains.)
Discover New Products
Design Economy Expo, hosted in the M. Rich building in south downtown, is “where interior designers will find a lot of inspiration and product for projects,” DeLeo says. Design brands without a permanent presence in town, including Rich Brilliant Willing, Flos, and others, will show their work, representing a prime opportunity to discover new innovations from leading manufacturers.
Tour
MA! is perhaps best known for its architecture tours, and the 2019 festival includes walkthroughs of ten projects spread across Atlanta, developed by both established and emerging architects and design studios. “Everyone loves the tours because you get to go into people’s homes and experience them from the inside out,” DeLeo says of the self-guided stops. Highlights include Jennifer Bonner of MALL’s Haus Gables, a family residence made of cross-laminated timber (one of only a few in the U.S.) and an ultramodern Buckhead home defined by a series of terraces.
