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Shopping for furniture before the heyday of Target and IKEA must've been pretty dreary. Cheap invariably meant tacky, while the more creative stuff ("art furniture") was sold exclusively through galleries at hefty prices: You'd go broke before finishing furnishing. Luckily for us, designers like Lyn Godley and Lloyd Schwan paved the way for a shift in home design towards fun, functional and affordable furniture, accessible to the larger public if they wanted it. They did. And starting this Monday at The Design Center's "Playing the Field: The Art and Design of Godley-Schwan" exhibit, you can see some of their seminal work on display, including some 20 pieces of furniture from the 1980s and '90s, as well as home and desktop accessories, table lamps and clocks. Expect plenty of vibrant colors and different shapes from the "whimsical, one-of-a-kind, Jetsons-like pieces," says Design Center Director Hilary Jay, who cites the Crinkle Lamp, a sheet of vinyl scrunched into the shape of a cabbage, and the Musical Chair — which may or may not play music — as two of the most fantastical in the collection. It's furniture that'll make you want to redecorate with a smile. Jay says, "The underlying message of it all is to have fun."

"Playing the Field: The Art and Design of Godley-Schwan," exhibition Mon., Aug. 30, through Nov. 19, opening reception, Fri., Sept. 10, 4-7:30 p.m., free, The Design Center at Philadelphia University, 4200 Henry Ave., 215-951-2860.

—Tami Fertig

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