Design Museum

Design Museum The world's leading museum devoted to contemporary design in every form. The Design Museum's vision is a world where everyone values design.
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The museum's purpose is to make the impact of the design visible. It aims to achieve this by:

- Building public awareness of design by connecting design with people’s lives and passions
- Reflecting the designer’s role at the forefront of social, technological and environmental change
- Serving the design community. Design is a practice, a diverse discipline, infinitely rich in approaches and cha

racters. It is a young discipline, whose role in the world is evolving. Our unique approach to working with designers is to invite them to ‘think in public’ with us.

Architect I.M. Pei, who was born on this day in 1917, was the visionary mind behind some of the world’s most iconic buil...
26/04/2025

Architect I.M. Pei, who was born on this day in 1917, was the visionary mind behind some of the world’s most iconic buildings 🏛️

Rather than following the ‘form follows function’ principle of design, Pei believed in the modernist foundations of proportion, simplicity and geometry, adding audacious angles and structural daring.

The result is a body of work that is instantly recognisable - here are a few examples...

1. Museum of Islamic Art, Doha
2. The Louvre Pyramid, Paris
3. National Gallery of Art – East Building, Washington D.C.

Which of his works stands out to you?

📸 garyfive via Instagram

Join us on 13 May for ‘On Swimwear Design: Politics, Gender, History’ 🩱Fashion historian and curator Amber Butchart will...
25/04/2025

Join us on 13 May for ‘On Swimwear Design: Politics, Gender, History’ 🩱

Fashion historian and curator Amber Butchart will be joined by swimwear designer Ayesha Mahomed, assistant curator Tiya Dahyabhai, and curator Shaun Cole in a conversation exploring the semiotics of swimwear and its history.

Book now: https://bit.ly/3YcTwBP

In London's leafy Bloomsbury, the Brunswick Centre is a brutalist residential and shopping development, notorious for th...
25/04/2025

In London's leafy Bloomsbury, the Brunswick Centre is a brutalist residential and shopping development, notorious for the love-hate response it tends to evoke.

Designed by British architect Patrick Hodgkinson in the mid-1960s, its distinctive U-shaped form was designed to flood apartments with natural light. Hodgkinson had envisioned a village-like utopia of spacious homes and municipal facilities - however it had already lost its way by the time it opened. The building abruptly lost its funding around 1970 and was sold off to new developers, who finished it quickly and cheaply.

A turning point came in 2002 when the Brunswick Centre received a Grade II listing, sparking a major restoration by Levitt Bernstein. The once-stark concrete was softened with a warm cream hue, closer to Hodgkinson’s original vision, and the complex was reinvigorated.

Today, this once-controversial Brutalist experiment is a thriving hub of shops, restaurants and even a cinema.

📸 elliottsargent2112 on Instagram

Join us on 26 April for a BSL tour of Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style 💦 Explore our enduring love of the water o...
23/04/2025

Join us on 26 April for a BSL tour of Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style 💦

Explore our enduring love of the water over the last 100 years in this group tour for D/deaf visitors who use BSL and their companions.

Book your tickets: https://bit.ly/4iEs4VG

Join us on 26 April for a textile design development workshop 🎨 Learn the foundations of design development and build a ...
22/04/2025

Join us on 26 April for a textile design development workshop 🎨

Learn the foundations of design development and build a portfolio of design concepts in paper and cloth inspired by the museum’s building and collection.

Book now: https://bit.ly/41FvMHx

The Game Boy introduced millions to the joy of video games 🎮Launched by Nintendo on this day in 1989, the handheld conso...
21/04/2025

The Game Boy introduced millions to the joy of video games 🎮

Launched by Nintendo on this day in 1989, the handheld console was created by famed Japanese designer Gunpei Yokoi. It featured a muted grey casing, a monochrome screen, and four perfectly placed buttons.

Durable, portable, and brilliantly intuitive, the Game Boy’s simple design and engaging games attracted a diverse user base. With a battery life of up to 30 hours, it outlasted even the most stubborn Tetris sessions - a game that became synonymous with the device.

Its portability transformed gaming into an everyday activity, accessible during commutes, holidays, and even under the covers at bedtime. Video games entered daily routines and reached a broader audience.

At first, even Nintendo wasn’t sold on its potential. But within two weeks, the entire first run of 300,000 units had sold out.

The Game Boy quickly became more than a gaming device - a cultural touchstone and a triumph of minimal design.

Over 100 million units later, the legacy of this little grey rectangle lives on as one of the best-selling consoles of all time.

Bethan Laura Woods’ Terrazzo Quarry installation takes the form of three giant rocks 🪨 Designed in 2024, these soft, int...
21/04/2025

Bethan Laura Woods’ Terrazzo Quarry installation takes the form of three giant rocks 🪨

Designed in 2024, these soft, interactive sculptures feature the terrazzo pattern she created for design company Poltronova, inspired by the psychedelia of many of their creations.

See this design IRL as part of PLATFORM, a new free display showcasing the work of a designer or studio making an impact on contemporary design. Tap the link to plan your visit: https://bit.ly/40eQbm2

Join us on 8 June for a cyanotypes and cyanolumens workshop 💙 Immerse yourself in the cyanotype and cyanolumen process a...
20/04/2025

Join us on 8 June for a cyanotypes and cyanolumens workshop 💙

Immerse yourself in the cyanotype and cyanolumen process and create amazing designs on paper or fabric using leaves and flowers, exploring artistic layouts in your prints.

Book now: https://bit.ly/4imJtS7

The Kinder Surprise Egg has been delighting children and adults alike since 1974 🐣The chocolate egg was the brainchild o...
20/04/2025

The Kinder Surprise Egg has been delighting children and adults alike since 1974 🐣

The chocolate egg was the brainchild of Italian businessman and master chocolatier Michele Ferrero, who drew inspiration from a beloved Italian Easter tradition: children hunting for chocolate eggs with hidden surprises. Ferrero wanted to capture that joy and turn it into something people could enjoy year round.

The result was a hollow chocolate egg made in two halves, enclosing a yellow plastic capsule - designed to mimic an egg yolk - that held a small toy. When the design was first launched, each toy was individually created and hand-painted.

Whether gifted to someone special or enjoyed as a personal treat, each egg offered a moment of excitement and curiosity. However, the design wasn’t without controversy. The yellow capsules were eventually removed in some regions due to safety concerns for small children - and more recently, the use of single-use plastic has sparked environmental criticism, prompting calls for more sustainable alternatives.

Nonetheless, the Kinder Surprise Egg has enjoyed great popularity, with 30 billion eggs sold worldwide since 1974.

Discover some of the original toys below...

Making waves at the Design Museum - Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style is now open 🏊‍♀️💦 This brilliant exhibition ...
19/04/2025

Making waves at the Design Museum - Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style is now open 🏊‍♀️💦

This brilliant exhibition explores the full spectrum of the design of swimming - from sports performance and fashion, to architecture, through over 200 fascinating objects.

Catch it now until 17 August 2025 – grab your tickets via the link: https://bit.ly/40uUPfP

📸 the_vintage_tourists on Instagram

Join us on 17 May for a lighting design workshop as part of London Craft Week 💡You’ll have the chance to design your own...
18/04/2025

Join us on 17 May for a lighting design workshop as part of London Craft Week 💡

You’ll have the chance to design your own lamp, inspired by our exhibition PLATFORM: Bethan Laura Wood, alongside designer Holly Rollins.

Book now: https://bit.ly/3XF9hRN

A few of the wonderfully whimsical love hotels of Japan 💘The origins of such hotels date back to the Edo Period, but the...
18/04/2025

A few of the wonderfully whimsical love hotels of Japan 💘

The origins of such hotels date back to the Edo Period, but the fantastical structures and gaudy interiors we know today were popularised in the 1960s and 1970s.

They quickly became a solution for young people who needed privacy from their family homes, and the love hotel industry continues to be a booming business today.

According to Forbes, there are around 40,000 across the nation, welcoming an astonishing 500 million visits each year. That’s about 1.4 million couples - roughly two percent of Japan’s population - checking into a love hotel every day.

These photos by Francois Prost were captured on a 2023 road trip between Tokyo and Shikoku. From dinosaurs and UFOs to tropical rainforests and medieval castles, Prost captured the vibrant facades of over 100 establishments. You can see more of these photographs in his book 'Love Hotel', available in the UK and worldwide from Antenne Books.

📸 Francois Prost

Join us on 23 April for relaxed openings of The World of Tim Burton and Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style 💙 This o...
17/04/2025

Join us on 23 April for relaxed openings of The World of Tim Burton and Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style 💙

This opening is suitable for visitors with a neurodivergent profile, sensory processing differences, SEND, neurological conditions or anxiety and their families, companions and carers.

Book now: https://bit.ly/4cjYAtT

A brilliant drawing from Tim Burton's 'Creature Series' 🌎 This series was created over many years and shows Burton's uni...
17/04/2025

A brilliant drawing from Tim Burton's 'Creature Series' 🌎

This series was created over many years and shows Burton's unique visual language and how he expresses conditions like anxiety and schizophrenia as anthropomorphic creatures. In this drawing the world is depicted as a hungry monster devouring those in its path.

Delve into more of Burton's fantastical work at The World of Tim Burton exhibition, on until 26 May - tickets via the link: https://bit.ly/3zJCMsq

Join us on 27 May for ‘We Need to Talk About AI: Graphic Design and the Visual Arts’ 💻 Join Suhair Khan, Luke McDonagh, ...
16/04/2025

Join us on 27 May for ‘We Need to Talk About AI: Graphic Design and the Visual Arts’ 💻

Join Suhair Khan, Luke McDonagh, Adrian Shaughnessy and Caroline Sinders in conversation to investigate how the introduction of AI is changing the creative industries, with a focus on graphic design, illustration and the visual arts.

Book now: https://bit.ly/42C6ASF

Revered as an early advocate for socially and environmentally responsible design, Victor Papanek is lauded as a pioneer ...
16/04/2025

Revered as an early advocate for socially and environmentally responsible design, Victor Papanek is lauded as a pioneer of the sustainable design movement 💚

He warned against the frivolities and excesses of design, and promoted community co-design centred on environmental accountability, social inclusion and political transparency.

His seminal work, Design for the Real World, was a clarion call for an emerging generation of designers to seriously contemplate their role in facilitating social change in the face of accelerated consumer culture, political strife and environmental depletion.

His ideas continue to challenge us - what do you think he would make of today’s design world?

Wishing you all a very happy World Art Day 🎨 We’re marking the day with a look at some of the original artworks by Tim B...
15/04/2025

Wishing you all a very happy World Art Day 🎨

We’re marking the day with a look at some of the original artworks by Tim Burton on display as part of The World of Tim Burton exhibition.

From sketchbooks to large-scale paintings, his art reveals the imagination behind the iconic films.

Discover this exhibition at the museum until 26 May 2025 - tickets via the link: https://bit.ly/3zJCMsq

Join us on 9 May for an audio-described sensory tour of Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style 🩱 This will be a highlig...
14/04/2025

Join us on 9 May for an audio-described sensory tour of Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style 🩱

This will be a highlights tour of the exhibition for blind and visually impaired visitors and their companions.

Book now: https://bit.ly/3RxqB7C

Address

224-238 Kensington High Street
London
W86AG

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 9pm
Tuesday 10am - 9pm
Wednesday 10am - 9pm
Thursday 10am - 9pm
Friday 10am - 9pm
Saturday 10am - 9pm
Sunday 10am - 9pm

Telephone

+44 20 3862 5900

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