Modernists such as Mies Van Der Rohe said their work was "not just a phenomenon of our time and country but, rather, part of a movement which is emerging across the whole world".

He was correct in that the designs from such a movement are still with us, if often rehashed and reproduced. It is not surprising, then, to find that Habitat are sponsors of this exhibition.

Their prologue states that "modernism, the key point of reference for art, design and architecture in the twentieth century, has influenced Habitat's collections for the past four decades."

If you need encouragement to go to the exhibition, why not look at it through other people's eyes?

There is enormous general interest in this exhibition, which is not unusual considering that the buildings we inhabit, the chairs we sit on, the graphic design that surrounds us and much of the art that hangs on our walls have been influenced by modernist design.

Many of those who are flocking to the show are architects, graphic designers and artists.

Architect Des Collins, artist John Doherty and graphic designer Lenore Saunders spent a day at the exhibition . . .

and all were impressed with what they saw. Here's what they had to say:

Lenore Saunders, Designer who runs Design4 graphics The show, which covers media from art, architecture, and furniture, to performance, textiles and photography between 1914 and 1939, was surprisingly contemporary.

Wandering from room to room, eyes scanning colours, shapes, videos, costumes and tea sets, one could only marvel at how well put together it was: the flow from one medium to another was flawless;

the freshness of the design was exciting.

From Frank Lloyd Wright to one of the first fitted kitchens, to an astounding and rare example of an automobile called Czech Tatra 87, one was made aware that the artists at work here were really seeing something in their environment and responding to it; they were able to translate a sense of nature and timelessness into their design.

The words Utopian and Abstraction came up frequently and were the basis for the artists to transform their society socially and politically.

I was particularly taken with sketches by Harry Beck, who devised the graphic for the London underground map.

Interestingly enough, the different coloured lines were derived from an engineering perspective based on a sewer system, and not from a directional perspective.

Beck thought the only important information that needed to be shown was the stations, not the direction of trains, and this resulted in a simple and successful graphic design used by millions and copied the world over.

There was homage paid to something as simple as ballbearings! They were seen as beautiful, not only because of what they looked like but because of how useful they were, being both functional and striking as a piece of sculpture.

Marcel Breuer's chairs were incredibly elegant in their simplicity, design and functionality . . . an important concept to the Modernists.

Lester T Beall's striking posters for the American Gas and Electric Administration were amazing examples of graphic design. The obvious use of red and blue in stark flat colour, along with two simple graphics of a house and a lightbulb, gave an instant message to the viewer. All in all, this was a delightful and thoughtful show and one not to be missed.

Des Collins, Architect There is a bewildering volume of projects and memorabilia in this exhibition. It shows how the pioneers of the modernist movement in architecture believed that technology and planning would solve everything.

Their dream was based on socialism, with efficiency and beauty being one and the same, and discarding the lessons of history . . . with no room for individualism.

The show unveils the expanse of the movement, emphasising not only the beauty but also the beast of modern architecture. The beauty is represented in projects such as Alvar Aalto's Vila Mairea, allowing Modernism to merge with regionalism, and the beast is displayed in the now grimy concrete of Le Corbusier's Unite d'Habitation.

There is also beauty in a finely executed scale model of Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye, facilitating a virtual tour of the landmark building.

The overlap of politics and architecture is displayed in the megalomaniacal urban projects of the Stalin era in the Soviet Union. Drawings of the utopian visions of Antionio Sant 'Elia are also on display, as are Le Corbusier's vision of a city for three million people.

The influence of America, and in particular the work of Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, is also evident, not only in the movement's use of new construction methods and materials, but also in the urban housing designs of Dutch modernist Jan Wils.

We can thank the modernist movement for many contemporary design solutions that have been influenced by the period, but we can also be thankful that aspects of the movement's aspirations culminated in failure . . . the notion of flattening Paris to make way for modernist skyscrapers being the stuff of a utopian maniac.

We can reflect on the modernist movement's efforts to change social habits with an orgy of modernist cities and public housing schemes, inspired by socialism and faith in technology, and see that this now lies in disgrace.

The concept failed to recognise that cities are organic and that design works best when it reflects a culture, a people and a place, since the human spirit is not content with a starvation diet of glass and steel.

John Doherty, Artist I was impressed by the Dutch De Stijl movement, the Dutch houses, by Van Doesburg's dwellings for future generations. The Dutch were a small bunch of interesting architects who carried their ideas right through to housing estates.

I liked many of the objects for their shapes, curves and verticals: the light fixtures, the chairs. People say the Barcelona chair is uncomfortable but I have one and find it very comfortable.

The Silver room seemed to stretch for miles, with silver exhibits, including kettles and vases, from all the centuries.

But I moved on from the pots and pans to architecture and paintings I have a passion for Mondrian. People ask how I could be inspired by total abstraction, but I am inspired by the balance within the composition, and the primary colours.

Eileen Gray's work is here, too, looking as good as everyone else, like the E.1027 house in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin she designed with Badovici.

I was impressed by the videos rather than the stills.

One that stands out is the video of Le Corbusier's architecture because you can see everything in 3D.

The Le Corbusier house was just fantastic . . . all flat roofs, which gives great shape. Flat roofs are unpopular because they leak, but I am happy with a flat roof for the sheer aesthetic. If it leaks I'll fix it.

The Barcelona Pavilion was amazing. I was impressed, too, by Mies Van der Rohe's pavilion building . . . the play of materials, of water and marble. I found the exhibition amazing and I am definitely going back.