Christine Tan and Shannon Maldonado give us their design picks for 2020

The two Philly-based designers and business owners talk about the designers, shops and spaces pushing Philly in new directions

Forge & Finish

When it comes to design, Shannon Maldonado and Christine Tan think Philly’s still got a long way to go.

Not that that’s a bad thing, they insist. “We’re not satisfied with where Philadelphia design is [now],” explains Maldonado, who grew up in South Philly. “We want to push it in new directions.”

They know what they’re talking about, after all. Maldonado is the founder of retail shop Yowie and the interior designer of Ethel’s Club, NYC’s first coworking space designed for people of color; Tan is co-owner and creative director of Fork Spoon, a Fishtown studio that’s behind the store design of NYC-based Aimé Leon Dore and the visual identity of local restaurant Stock (Tan also runs Fork Spoon’s public storefront, scheduled to reopen sometime next year). Their experience is impressive, their work even more so. But after time spent living, working, and studying away from Philly — Maldonado in New York, Tan in Rhode Island and then in Boston — both chose to return.

That’s because the city’s burgeoning design scene is already stronger than most give it credit for. 

“We’re finding more and more like-minded people who believe that Philly should be comparable to other big cities like New York, Boston, etc. in terms of design & identity,” says Tan. She puts both hands on the table and leans forward. “This city produces more. It just gets no recognition for it.”

Both are thrilled to talk about designers producing and innovating locally. Right now, Maldonado’s particularly interested in jewelry, which she says “feels new… they’re these beautiful, labor-intensive, handmade objects made in someone’s studio.” She mentions local artists Angela Monaco, Forge & Finish, Shop Uh-Huh, and Bario Neal, pointing out that even though all four practice jewelry-making, they each have a very distinct style. “The market’s so saturated. So whenever anyone does anything that different, it’s like oh my god, tell me more.”

The same could be said of Fishtown ceramicist Gabrielle Silverlight, whose whimsical, sculptural pieces has made fans of both Tan and Maldonado. “She’s not looking at trends, and she’s not looking to duplicate things — she has a very keen eye for color and composition,” says Tan.

Christine & Shannon’s Design Picks

If your taste skews more towards literature, they recommend visiting Ulises Books, an independent bookshop in Old Kensington dedicated to artists’ books and independent art publications. Ulises “is a good space, [and] they’ve done a really great job with curating those works,” Maldonado says. (Note: Ulises moved out of its Columbia Ave location in November, and plans to reopen in a new location in early 2020.)

And as Tan points out, the format of a specialized artists’ bookstore — think Printed Matter in New York or Hennessey & Ingalls in Los Angeles — is common in other cities with active art scenes.

Along with specialty stores like Ulises Books, multi-use spaces like Vox Populi, in Callowhill, and Space 1026, recently relocated to Fairmount, are helping define the city’s design ethos. Part art gallery, part studio space, part creative hub, they’ve “always been pushing Philadelphia’s recognition of what art can be,” says Tan.

Part of that comes from variety. “I’ve consistently seen at least one thing I liked at every opening at Vox,” adds Maldonado. “I think they do a good job of presenting varied mediums, everything from video to sculpture.”

Another part comes from Philly’s unique DIY culture, which Tan and Maldonado say is a key factor in their work and community. They describe the energy at 1026 as playful, with a “nitty-grittiness” they say can’t be matched by New York or Boston “white boxes.” “I’ve been to two concerts there, I’ve been to a comedy show,” Maldonado says. “It’s a culture space, just as much as it is an art gallery.”

Shannon Maldonado (left) and Christine Tan (right) at their Techtonics installation on Cherry St. Pier – “Is Design Important To Philadelphia’s Growth?” / Shannon Maldonado

Sometimes, finding good design is just a matter of bringing the right people together. That’s also why Maldonado likes Vicarious Love, a curated pop-up “concept market” hosted at Betsu in Port Richmond. “I feel like usually markets are purely for makers, but [Vicarious Love] includes artists, which is great,” she says. “It’s a really interesting mix of work, and a really diverse, out-of-the-box group.”

But both Tan and Maldonado know pop-ups aren’t for everyone, which is why they recommend retail shops that collect and sell independent artists’ work — “pre-curated,” Tan says, by tastemakers with an eye for new things and good design. Maldonado loves the “amazing collection” of Japanese houseware and textiles at Rikumo in Center City. Tan finds unique gifts at Omoi Zakka, a stationery and lifestyle shop with locations in both Rittenhouse and Old City (“their items aren’t kitschy and they’re all usable, which is what design should be”). And of course, there’s Maldonado’s own Queen-Village-based Yowie, described this summer as “Philadelphia’s coolest boutique.

Finally, if you don’t purchase goods from a local designer or retailer, there are a multitude of other ways to support them; artists are notoriously bad at promoting their own work, Tan says, so spreading the word online or via word of mouth is key. “Just planting the seed of a store or person or shop — that’s helpful,” Maldonado adds. “There are so many people here doing things to keep that DIY community together.”