Design for living: Hilary Jay’s celebration of Philadelphia innovators

They sound like lyrics from The Sound of Music: scissors and cameras and fashion store catwalks; chairs and eyeglasses and train station hallways; plaster gargoyles on historic facades. These are a few of Jay’s favorite things.

For seven years, Hilary Jay has been walking the talk: design is everywhere. As director of DesignPhiladelphia, she has assembled a dizzying array of subjects and objects; from things that can be held in your hand to the city grid that frames your imagination.

The annual 10-day festival is created in partnership with the University of the Arts, but Jay still does a lot of the legwork. We tried to keep up with her as she criss-crossed the city, running from event to event. At the end, we developed a deeper appreciation for the designer of her shoes.