THE SHOP

Idea House 3 is a design store that champions the brightest new ideas in design. The shoppable collection of design objects includes furniture, lighting, tableware, textiles, and more, by over 50 established and emerging designers. Championing innovative ideas and divergent thinking, the product selection prioritizes diversity, inclusivity, sustainability, and premium quality at a range of price points. The immersive retail experience is presented on the Walker Art Center’s iconic Minneapolis campus. All proceeds support the Walker’s artistic and educational programs.

This unique collection is presented exhibition-style in a modular staging that suggests the different rooms in a home, inspiring visitors to envision how they might live with these design objects in their own spaces. Designed by the forward-looking Zak Group, the space is a hub for connecting communities, serving as a platform for robust cultural programming, education, and experiences with creative visionaries from throughout the region and around the world. 

Idea House 3 was inspired by the Walker’s Idea House project, which began in the 1940s as a visionary way to bring postwar interior design and contemporary art to a wider audience. The brainchild of Daniel Defenbacher, architect and then-director of the Walker, Idea Houses 1 and 2 (1941, 1947) presented the latest innovations in domestic architectural, product, and interior design. Since those first presentations, the Walker has organized dozens of exhibitions exploring the work of architects and designers and the interplay between design, art, and community. Idea House 3 is an iteration of the groundbreaking concept, reimagined for how we live with design today.