Design Museum

The museum features exhibits of architecture, fashion and graphic and industrial design which essentially means displays of everyday items that feature outstanding design. Sure you could see the same thing for free in a department store, but the Design Museum has carefully amassed a collection that includes everything from furniture to can openers and vacuum cleaners. There is also a programme of exhibits featuring the work of leading designers.

What to see in the Design Museum

Designer Maker User is the museum’s permanent exhibition, which is divided into three galleries: Designer, Maker and User.

The Designer gallery focuses on the thought process behind successful design and the museum’s exhibits include the traffic light designed by David Mellor, British road signs designed by Jock Kinneir and Margaret Calvert and PriestmanGoode’s design for the new tube trains.

The Maker gallery illustrates the thought that designers put into the manufacturing process. This gallery features the Model T Ford, Thonet bentwood cafe chairs and the 2012 Olympic torch as well as everyday objects like tennis balls.

The User gallery features iconic objects that have defined everyday life during the last 100 years including the Vespa scooter, the Olivetti Valentine typewriter, the Braun record player, the Sony Walkman and the Apple iPhone.

Temporary exhibitions

The museum also hosts a programme of temporary exhibitions. Current and planned exhibitions include:

REBEL: 30 Years of London Fashion
This exhibition (until 11 February 2024) celebrates the 30th anniversary of the British Fashion Council’s NEWGEN programme, an initiative that supports emerging fashion designers with the aim of building high-end brands. £16.33.

Email is Dead
The Email is Dead exhibition (28 September–22 October 2023) focuses on email from its early days in the 1970s to predictions about how it could look 50 years from now. Free.

Skateboard
The Skateboard exhibition (20 October 2023–2 June 2024) chronicles the evolution of the skateboard from the 1950s to the present day including the evolution of the design of skateboards and skateboard culture. £16.

Visiting the Design Museum

The Design Museum is located in the former Commonwealth Institute on Kensington High Street. The closest tube station is High Street Kensington, which is an eight-minute walk away. Bus routes 9, 10, 27, 28, 49 and C1 also stop outside the museum.

Admission is free for the Designer Maker User permanent exhibition, but admission charges apply to many of the museum’s temporary exhibitions.

The entire museum is wheelchair accessible. Multisensory tours are available for blind and visually-impaired visitors as well as British Sign Language (BSL) tours for deaf visitors.

Nearby attractions include Holland Park and Kensington Palace, both within a 20-minute walk from the museum. The South Kensington Museum precinct (which includes the Natural History Museum, Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum) is around a half-hour walk from the Design Museum.

Most visitors spend 1–2 hours visiting the Design Museum.