Global Design Tours (App)
Reviewed by Paul Oswell

In conjunction with Wallpaper Magazine, HTC have launched an app that highlights design-focused destinations in three major cities - New York, Hong Kong and Milan.

The app has guides that have been personally curated by top local designers - they pick out design studios, galleries, shops and even restaurants that appeal to their aesthetically-sensitive tastes.

I, for one, am something of a design philistine, but was given the chance to try out the New York version of the guide. Fearing it might be a little esoteric for my simple tastes, I tentatively put myself in the virtual hands of design experts Andrew Wren, Pei-Ru Keh, Irina Kozlovskaya.

Being a fellow Brit, I go with a few of Andrew Wren's suggestions first. MoMA PS1 seems an obvious place to ease in, but it's not just the museum that Andrew wants us to look at. It's in particular the M. Wells Dinette, a newly-opened cafeteria that has sleek, classroom-inspired furnishings that make you feel like you're eating in the trendiest school dinner hall of all time.

He also suggests a trip out to New York's newest park, the FDR Four Freedoms Park on Roosevelt Island. On the way, I sit in the cab and listen to Andrew's suggested music for the park - each destination comes with its own soundtrack and the soothing tones of Devendra Bernhart work well for this beautiful green space.

A couple of galleries (Hole and Field Projects) and a surf supply shop (Pilgrim) make up the rest of the day and now I'm hungry. Luckily, Andrew also has dinner suggestions and I go on his recommendation to Leadbelly and refuel on lamb sliders and truffle fries.

Over the next couple of days, I entrust my time to places picked out by Pei-Ru (the Wallpaper New York editor) and Irina. I see design studios, pop up exhibitions, hotel lobbies and a couple more restaurants. The studios are the places I'm most apprehensive about visiting - I figure they'll pin me for a complete novice straight away. And yet the owners and craftspeople are nothing but friendly and not at all snobby, taking time to explain things in layman's terms and mostly just full of joyful enthusiasm about their creations and design in general.

It's not an app I would naturally tend towards but it was good for me, taking me out of my usual city-tour comfort zone and into neighbourhoods and places that I wouldn't usually go to. The guides are accessible, friendly, entertaining (the suggested soundtracks are consistently good) and open up the seemingly scary world of high end design. Even to an ignoramus like me.

The HTC Global Design Tours app is free, and can be downloaded from the Google Play Shop. Click HERE.