Manitoga Design Collection + Shop

The Manitoga Design Collection + Shop features rotating displays of more than 3,500 objects from the Russel and Mary Wright Design Collection. The Wrights' work shaped modern American lifestyle – from early experiments in spun aluminum to the colorful, rounded ceramics. The shop operates in conjunction with the Wrights’s nearby house museum and park, “Manitoga,” a non-profit venue.
Seamlessly blending a gallery, community outreach, and sales, this unique approach to retail is addressed with an organic, formal language. The environment harmonizes merchandise with minimalist detailing, exhibitions, and natural materials, in a bold yet reductive palette. The design embraces Wright’s core values of craft, individualism, and experimentation, serving as a bridge between art, commerce, and domestic life.
The Gallery area displays objects from the Manitoga permanent collection. The presentation armature is made of American rift-cut white oak. Horizontal shelves flow organically at different heights, bringing Wright's love of nature to the forefront. This bent-wood strategy echoes the collection yet is not derivative.
The retail approach features dense displays on a series of dark grey shelves. Its palettes accentuate Wright's complex tonalities and forms. Plates, vessels, and specialty objects are presented with care to emphasize their sculptural qualities and utilitarian promise. Wright's iconic ewers are inventively hung by a bespoke cable system designed to give the negative space equal character with the objects. They form a colorful array that catches the public’s eye, from the outside or inside, day or night.
Wright’s emphasis on an affordable lifestyle with strong design is part of Manitoga’s educational goals, which include public lectures, artist presentations, and book readings during the day and in the evening. The layout is flexible to accommodate informal conversations and larger crowds. Wood lounge chairs pair with interlocking low tables, displaying books and guides. A woven, oval rug anchors this community oasis.
The public's response has been beyond expectations. The initial inventory sold out in the first week, and sales continue to climb. Although at 300SF, the shop is a small space, this new way of conceiving a retail venue supports the artists’ vision while attracting a broader public.