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Tuesday 10am - 6pm Wednesday 10am - 6pm Thursday 10am - 6pm Friday 10am - 6pm

Seattle Design Festival

Name: Seattle Design Festival
Address: Smith Tower, 506 2nd Avenue, Seattle, WA, 98104, US
Telephone: +12069571915

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We unleash the design thinker in everyone to illuminate Seattle’s challenges and ignite action

Every year, Seattle Design Festival brings together the design community, a diverse public, civic leaders and business innovators to explore the role of design in inspiring and advancing our quality of life in Seattle.

10/29/2026

Studio Deng's "Flatland Horse" transformed CNC-cut plywood horse figures into an experimental playground at the SDF Block Party.

The team took inspiration from the anonymous horses at the base of bronze general monuments, which seem to scatter US cities and parks. What if, instead of the cold sculptures, we placed emphasis on these nameless animals to create an interactive, shared space for imagination in our parks and public spaces?

🐎Swipe to learn more

10/24/2026

Is your wish granted when you always get a positive response?

"Wishing Well" was an interactive Installation designed by Ruby Chen, asking participants to make a wish, throw a coin in the well, and get an (always) positive, agreeable response - a reflection of using AI tools.

"I got to share this work with hundreds of people at Seattle Design Festival. What I didn’t expect, though, was how many people took a moment to close their eyes and make a wish, and how happy they were when reading the (AI-generated) positive messages. They squeaked in excitement and asked, “How did it know what I wished for?”... I knew the power of sharing positive messages, but I have doubts given this is generated by AI. Does affirmation still have its effects if it’s written by machines?" - Ruby Chen

10/22/2026

We're thrilled to see four projects from this year's Seattle Design Festival submitted to AIA Seattle's 2026 Honor Awards! 🎉

Join us at Town Hall Seattle on November 9 to see this year's awarded projects announced live on stage.

🔗Purchase tickets + browse all 116 submitted projects in the digital Submissions Gallery: https://aiaseattle.org/events/2026-honor-awards-live-event/

10/14/2026

HOK's "In[fluid]ence" used water as a responsive and reflective medium, transforming ordinary environmental movements into an atmospheric experience.

With a translucent ceiling panel channeling water across the ceiling, a triangular design that fostered movement for the water and attendees navigating the installation, and ambient music, In[fluid]ence created a serene environment at the Block Party.

⏩Swipe to learn more!

10/10/2026

Made from scaffolding and construction site materials, Mithun's Sky Patch re-imagines scaffolding and construction site materials as a shaded, reflective gathering space.

The installation "invites inward reflection as visitors sit, recline, and observe the changing sky and world outside."

With materials donated by Lease Crutcher Lewis and PCI, the project will go on to live its next life at a construction site!

🔗Watch the Festival Replay on YouTube to learn more: https://www.youtube.com/

10/08/2026

"I've Come to Bury My Dead" invited SDF attendees to engage with a tactile, analog memorial they could customize: for a love, a connection, a dream, or a self.

“I created this as something you could interact with and decide what you felt like releasing that day. Then it takes you through a few different steps as you look at the interactives that would let you go through a little tiny ritual of letting something go.” - Designer Lacy K Campbell

🔗Learn more in Lacy's Festival Replay interview! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do6IGSKj3_U

10/08/2026

Loved SDF 2026? Learn more about leading the Festival!🤝

If you're excited by SDF's mission, love what you experienced at the Festival, and want to learn more about deepening your engagement, we are developing a pipeline of future leaders to fuel our mission.

Our nominating committee wants to connect to learn more about your skills and interests.

🔗Share information about yourself, a colleague, or a friend who is passionate about the Festival via this short form: https://form.jotform.com/262295471321152

10/01/2026

Gain [IN]STALL [IN]SIGHT into "Un(Build) Kaleidoscope!"

A collaborative installation from Project (Un)Build, University of Oregon's Wood Lab, and Sustainable Northwest Wood, the project invites visitors to see the built environment differently through their series of kaleidoscopes.

"We call [these tubes] tubular timber, and we laminate them together flat using wet and dry layers of veneer. And when we set them out in the sun, they curl autonomously into this shape. And we use the same technology that Project (Un)Build does, with hose clamps, to keep it a consistent diameter. And the whole idea with these is also an idea of reversibility of elements, where they can be re-hydrated and then lie flat." - Helene Brehl, UofO Wood Lab

📸by Brad Curran
🔗Watch the interview on Festival Replay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQHhXYsJ8es

09/24/2026

With re[cover], re[frame], re[member], salvaged lumber was the star.

The Miller Hull Partnership, Magnusson Klemencic Associates, and Hoffman Construction teamed up for SDF to make a contemplative pavilion by reframing salvaged lumber (anywhere from 10-120 years old) - sourced by Deconstruction Dave.

"Markers of time left in nail holes, paint lines, framer’s pencil marks, and mill stamps are left exposed as fragments of someone’s memories and experiences. Rather than concealing or designing away the imperfections inherent to the recovered lumber, the installation celebrates them." - SDF design team

09/22/2026

At the Block Party, the Pop-Up Zone was a space for creativity, learning, and connection.

Attendees learned to cut their own glass mosaics, drew a meal that feels like home to them, learned "Table Tension" (not tennis), and so much more.

Thanks to our Pop-Up Partners for developing exciting Block Party programming!

Address

Smith Tower, 506 2nd Avenue
Seattle, WA
98104

Opening Hours

Tuesday	10am - 6pm
Wednesday	10am - 6pm
Thursday	10am - 6pm
Friday	10am - 6pm

Telephone

+12069571915

Website

http://seadesignfest.org/

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