London's museum of design and architecture, founded by Sir Terence Conran in 1989 and based in Kensington since 2016, with exhibitions, learning and research.
The Design Museum in London looks at how design shapes the world, from furniture and fashion to graphics, architecture and digital products. Its Kensington building has a permanent display called Designer Maker User, which shows key objects from its collection, and a programme of temporary exhibitions. It runs the annual Designs of the Year awards, which since 2015 have covered six categories: architecture, fashion, graphics, digital, product and transport. Since 2025 a programme called PLATFORM has given one designer a year-long display, with Bethan Laura Wood in 2025 and Simone Brewster in 2026.
Sir Terence Conran founded the museum in 1989, with Stephen Bayley as its first chief executive. It first sat in a former 1940s banana warehouse at Shad Thames on the south bank of the Thames. In 2016 it moved to the former Commonwealth Institute in Kensington, a Grade II* listed 1960s building that had stood empty for more than a decade. It opened there on 24 November 2016 with three times more space. John Pawson's team led the redevelopment. The museum says it is a multifaceted museum, an ever-changing space for the public, industry and education to come together, and that it aims to show how design can help the planet and its people flourish.
Its UK presence is simple: one landmark site in Kensington, London. It is a registered charity, and its permanent collection gallery is free to visit. It was named European Museum of the Year in 2018. Tim Marlow became director and chief executive in 2019, according to Wikipedia. The museum describes a strategy called Transformation 2029 that prepares it for its 40th anniversary.
Learning is central to the museum. The Swarovski Foundation Centre for Learning has a design studio, a creative workshop and seminar rooms, and the museum offers programmes for schools and colleges, families and children, talks, courses and workshops. It also runs an MA in Curating Contemporary Design, the Future Observatory research programme and a Design Researchers in Residence scheme. In spring 2024 it was given Independent Research Organisation status. A first-floor library holds design and architecture books and archive material, and the 202-seat Bakala Auditorium hosts talks.
A museum needs many kinds of people, so the jobs here are broad: curators, who plan exhibitions and look after the collection; designers who build and light the displays; learning staff who run workshops; researchers; visitor-experience and events teams; shop, marketing, fundraising and finance staff; and volunteers. If you enjoy design, history or explaining ideas to others, this is a place where those interests meet. The museum's website lists current work and volunteer opportunities.
Website: designmuseum.org
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