Displays of contemporary design and innovation, from the everyday to the cutting edge.
Design Museum in Chelsea
Description
I took some students on a trip here, to see the Designer, Maker, User exhibition as part of their primary research. We also saw the Yinka Ilori exhibition. They seemed to enjoy themselves and want another trip. The staff here are lovely and make you feel very welcome. I had a good chat with a couple of them. Thank you all!
MoreThe Design Museum London, is one of the most unique art spaces I have visited, exhibiting pieces not considered so much as art now-a-days, like signs posts bikes, etc, but show-off the development of these ideas, how they failed, and how they succeeded, and how they developed. This is shown throughout the room at the back showing interactive pieces and the developments of technology. Here they felt genuinely appreciated and once again felt like art. The interior and exterior space also felt unique and clean which enhanced the focus on the art inside but also felt like an art form itself. The only downside I felt to this space was the emptiness on some of the walls and felt that it needed more art to fill the exhibiting space, however, my visit was back in August 2022 so this may have improved since. The variety of the work itself was also nice to see, including a variety of textiles, graphics, illustration and more. If you are out in London, I especially recommend visiting this space as this is a unique way to spend an hour of your time to see something you have not seen before.
MoreI was looking forward to visiting this museum but in the end, compared to other museums around London, I find this one the least interesting.Getting through the Free part of the museum takes barely 20 minutes.It’s more of a nostalgic experience and I am sure most of us still own some of the things that are displayed but no different than going to the flea market, maybe you will find more there.Only thing the caught my attention was the beautiful design of the building!
MoreOne of the loveliest museums in London, located on the edge of one of Londons prettiest parks, in a neighbourhood full of shops, restaurants and cafés.Its permanent displays are quite interesting, there is always one free exhibition and a couple others which are paid and often very unique.The museum itself is beautifully design and visitor friendly, with plenty of seating, a beautiful lighting and inviting atmosphere, plus lockers, water fountains, clean washrooms, a café and gift shop.
MoreI’ve visited here a few times. Most recently in September to see (or rather hearthe ASMR exhibition, and last week to see Objects of desire, surrealism and design. I enjoyed both exhibitions. The ASMR one was cool but I think I would’ve done some different things with it myself if I had curated/designed it. Well worth a visit though
MoreAn excellent museum, the building is great architecturally. The free permanent collection covers the evolution of design of the 20th/21st century. Theres lot of texts to match up with the items to give some more info about. Recommended 2 hours to view the permanent collection starting from the top on second floor making way down. Theres also several tables, seating areas, water fountain, toilets, £1 non refundable lockers. Pricey gift shop but lots of variety, Im surprised there was no magnets. Overall a great visit and definitely takes you down memory lane.
MoreInteresting free exhibition showing artifacts through the ages and how design technology has shaped everyday objects we use today. There are other free and ticketed exhibitions available via their website. There two on site shops, one displaying books, state of the art designs etc and another selling pot plants and related products. Well worth a a visit and just a short walk from Kensington High Street tube.
More최고였습니다 It’s the best. Especially, Designer Maker User exhibition was so amazing. I want to give 10 stars. I was thankful that I could see this exhibition for free.
MoreReally not sure what to make of the Design Museum.When you walk in there is no clear guidance of what there is to see (other than a well stocked gift shop). For a first time visitor the only thing seems to be to wander around aimlessly with the hope of discovering something.Its a beautiful space but ironically it needs better wayfinding and better indication of what the visitor can expect. I spoke with another visitor and found her to be in exactly the same position.For example there are closed doors to areas and no indication if there are hidden gems behind or admin offices. People were tentatively opening them and looking inside.Seems like a missed opportunity to truly highlight the World of Design and its value to the World.
MoreThe architecture of the museum itself is stunning and the exhibition is amazing for anyone interested on design. Youll find a mixture of furniture, typography, teapots and many other typical household items.
MoreThis is an excellent museum that covers how the things we use were designed, and the evolution in the design of items from early versions to the present day. It was great to see some of the old tech from our past! The building itself is a work of art once you are inside. It took us around 1.5-2 hours to make our way around. Its mostly on one floor and not that large but there is a lot to see. The exhibits have a fair amount of text associated with them. So I would not say this is the best place for very young children. There are other exhibits on which may have a cost. When we went, there was a free exhibit on the technology that could help us as we get older which was thought provoking. There are lockers, water fountains, toilets, coffee shop, and the most expensive gift shop I have seen for some time. Very different things in it from the norm, but even still it felt expensive. I recommend a visit to the next door holland park which was very enjoyable. The museum is definitely worth a visit.
MoreBrilliant. Interesting free exhibits. The ASMR exhibition is totally absorbing (though as Im into ASMR I didnt need convincing). Lively little cafe with nice, if limited, choice of cakes and heavenly Assam tea. Fab book shop.
MoreNicely designed building, well it is the Design Museum. A really varied collection of many loved item. Many I had one just like that moments. Great fun. Wonderful staff too.
MoreHad a couple of brilliant exhibits on display and the best thing: they were free entry. The collection at the museum is a must visit for any designer irrespective of their discipline and there is a good focus on sustainable and ethical design throughout the experience. Massive plus was the lovely merch shops with equally beautiful items you could pick up if you had some money to spare. Completely recommend spending an afternoon here!
MoreAn interesting, free experience.Although I didn’t have a chance to pay to see the special exhibition, the area that was free was not so expansive, but larger than I anticipated. A worthy visit, with unique and educational displays. It doesn’t have to be a full day trip but it’s certainly something.
MoreLike many other museums, you can spend as little or as much time as you like in here, with a ground or on your own. Its got a modern feel, mostly a younger demographic and a really board range of exhibitions that constantly change, from fashion, football, visual design and many more.If you are a member you can do without booking but if you are not worth booking a timeslot and purchase tickets beforehand!
MoreInteresting museum with various things on display from back in the day until present. Lots of information to read about objects too!Good free museum to visit but I wish there was more things going on.The items in the gift shop was rather expensive for e.g., a small teddy bear priced at £30. - O.O Ridiculous!
MoreGreat building, fantastic location, interesting collection. But a lot of what you might want to view is ticketed. I enjoyed it but Im not going to spend £16 for the football design exhibition.
MoreExcellent exhibition entitled Designing The Beautiful Game about the extensive effect design has had on all aspects of football. Excellently curated and well presented in a sympathetic space that allowed the multi media to tell its story in a clear and informative manner.
MoreAs a creative student at UAL - being exposed to tons of museums and exhibitions, my first visit to this place had been one of my favourite to be at! I love the interior, felt very modern and homely, comfy places to sit and eat with a range of artefacts to look at.With my booking to see the ASMR exhibition (not included in photos - to see for yourselfI was truly immersed and impressed by the curation and interaction of the works. The experience must be seen for yourself!I loved the spacing of the works, they have many floors and so spacious!
MoreWe love this clean, modern, good example of great design everywhere place! ASMR exhibition is must see this season!! We went twice!! Spent 2-30 hours there. Enjoyed and relaxing, very good go into it.
MoreLoved it.The displays were absolutely amazing.Its clear that people have a connection to many objects on display and it was nice to stand and talk to other people about their memories.A real gem
MoreThe permanent collection of the the Museum Its not too big but interesting. Most of the space in the museum its actually dedicated to temporary exhibition.The shop is filled with design books.
MoreFantastic exhibition on ASMR at the moment, interactive and informational- weirdly relaxing!! The rest of the museum is and always has been fascinating to me, the designer/user/maker is a good exhibit, and the restore section was refreshing to see what the museum residency designers have done on a Sustainability front. Loses a star as theres a fair few "out of order" digital interactive resources at the moment, wouldve been a bit more of an elevated experience with them working.A must for anyone interested in the changing climate, design or just looking for a fun day out!
MoreBeautiful space, swooping curves and natural light peeping in. The free exhibits were interesting but highly condensed - a sampling of many many examples where I would have enjoyed digging deeper (the realistic map of the Underground vs. todays is a great example). Note also - not air conditioned (or if it was...not really effective). But an interesting way to spend an hour out of the sun and be reminded of how much thought is often put into things we take for granted - sign standardization, graphical representations, form beyond function. We went because it was about 500ft from where we were staying - so highly convenient - but a better add-on for a trip to the area rather than its sole attraction unless you are a design or architecture student.
MoreVisited this place as I like designs of varieties. This is good for anyone interested in designing especially for the younger generation to see the history of whats on at the time. If youre going to see the main paid exhibition then you can get your tickets in advance otherwise depending on the day you attend not really necessary to pre-book.
MoreThe building is cool in of itself and half of the museum is free. The design and decor are impeccable and the exhibit shave some cool stuff. My only thing is that the paid portion of the museum is quite expensive. Each paid exhibit needs to be paid for individually and costs $16 each, so if I were to go to all 3 it would cost $48 GBP which is quite steep!
MoreThe design museum is an amazing architectural masterpiece and you can learn a lot with the free designer user maker expedition over there. You can also go into paid experiences, however, I havent tried them yet, though I cannot wait to try soon🔥😄
MoreOne of my favourite museums in London. Always a lot of great exhibitions going on that are also child friendly and child interactive. Their latest exhibition on the design of football is a must go for any football lover! The staff were very nice and supportive when buying tickets. Highly recommend visiting
MoreSuch a great immersion into the world of design. Theyve done an amazing job walking with 3 design thinking process. So many cool exhibits really love the sustainable fashion exhibit And the technology innovation exhibit. I brought my innovation by design class here and they are just loving it its bringing to life everything weve been talking about in class.
MoreAmazing exhibition. They have everything from typography to road signs to electronics to fashion to furniture. The most complete collection that represents design from every angle that I‘ve seen so far!They also have a cafe and lots of tables where you can sit with laptop and do some work in relative quietness & with wifi.And all of that absolutely for free!
MoreBeautifully designed building, with its two arching pillar supports it really opens up this whole space.There are two special exhibitions on the design of Football and ASMR which I didnt visit. But the free exhibitions, particularly the Design/ Maker/User on the second floor took me back in time to such things like Sony Walkman, iPods and Typewriters. The broad message I picked up from this exhibition is how design permeates every aspect of our lives.The Bethany Williams exhibition on the 1st floor wasnt as interesting for me, but I can appreciate the great work she has inspired using recycled materials and working with local communities and charities.
MoreI went to the Fred Perry Exhibition. It was one of a kind. (I wished the polos were on auction :P)Moreover, it has many other free permanent exhibitions that are a must visit. The museum is silent and one feels such a peace of mind. I love the way it is designed.They have a souvenir shop and a cafe too! I never tried those.Plus, a park nearby to chill on a sunny day :)
MoreThe building it self is very beautiful and it is a nice place to kill a couple of hours with a nice gift shop and cafeteria. The free exhibition is on basic concepts of design and could be very informative for children and teenagers as an adult with art degree there was nothing new for me. I would recommend it to families.
MoreVisited for the football exhibition which I thoroughly enjoyed. Well curated and excellent subject matter. Felt the right size to hold my attention. The space is interesting as well. Unable to comment on other exhibitions but one to revisit depending what is exhibiting.
MoreFirst visit today and would highly recommend. The design museum is a wonderful building / space that is full of lots of interesting displays. Having said that its fairly small as far as museums go so unless youve booked an exhibition you could easily get through it in an hour. We went to the ASMR exhibit which was really fun and interesting. The biggest surprise of the day was the gift shop, which was actually stuffed with items you might actually want to buy rather than the usual tacky plastic tat you find in other museums.
MoreA modern museum over four floors off Kensington High Street by the entrance to Holland Park. The top two floors are free to visit, with the exhibition on the top floor having been there for some years but worth seeing if you havent been before. The lower floors have temporary exhibitions which you pay to see - we saw the football one which was fascinating even if you are not particularly interested in football. The staff here were very helpful and on two occasions approached us to ask if we had any questions. There is a small cafe with good coffee and a limited menu on the ground floor, however it is a pity that the Searcys restaurant which was on the 2nd flor terrace has closed due to lack of custom. One minor thing to note is that I made contactless payments for the exhibition and the cafe, and both transactions came up with confusing narrative on my account, though the amounts were correct.
MoreVery pleased with my visit, there were many interesting sculptures aswell as interactive points. The building was amazing to just look at by itself.However, the staff were moody and not very pleasant to be around.
MoreAmazing !! The Design Museum is by far my favourite I studied product design and now work in product design so to see a place full of amazing design and products was truly inspiring! cant wait to come back for exhibitions, unfortunately I live in Liverpool so it probably wont be too often :(
MoreVery nice looking building, I thought the exhibit with all the competing schools was very interesting. So many cool ideas put up! I spend around 45 minutes here its not a big museum. Although there was a closed off section when I visited. Entrance is non reservable but is free however the special exhibitions arent free and must be reserved beforehand.
MoreI’ve visited this museum several times and this time I found the designing of football Exhibition. It was interesting and a lot of new information I didn’t know before I really encourage everyone to visit this museum even if they didn’t see this exhibition they should see the main exhibition which is about design in general and it’s amazing.
MoreGreat museum with a good free portion and exhibits that charge an entry fee as well. Loved the displays on brands and branding, and enjoyed the London Tube portion.Lots to give you new ideas and see the world in a new light.
MoreThe museum is just amazing. The tour guides were super informative.The museum is designed in a way that you walk thorough the museum and you can notice how various designs of things actually evolved over the many years of various time periods that are displayed in the museum.Loved the subtleties of the museum. Definitely recommended.
MoreSmall but interesting to walk around. A lot of cool displays. Although most activity tablets were not working, I still would recommend to spend an hour at the museum.The cafe was lovely with nice blueberry muffins and decent selection of tea.
MoreI wish the free exhibits were larger because I really enjoyed them. The architecture of this building is also incredible to look at alongside the art. Ill also note that, with lots of London museums, they start closing off exhibits about 30-60 minutes before they technically close which we didnt realize the first time we tried to visit and were turned away, so dont make the same mistake as us.
MoreWe came here for the Amy Winehouse exhibition originally, but we also visited the other exhibitions and were really impressed. Really beautiful inside and very informative pieces. Would love to come again.
MoreFascinating. Went for help with my Product Design A level. Found loads of stuff for my A level Product Design which is great. Building is gorgeous. The architecture is stunning. Staff were lovely. Had a great time. Not the biggest museum in London but definite significant enough. Would suggest looking at the paid exhibits if you are interested in them. They are put together really well!! Would go back…
MoreNever even heard of this place before. Happened to get dropped off by a bus outside on our way for breakfast and thought wed check it out as we were there.What a surprising find! Not a huge museum which is good if youre pressed for time. You can get around the free exhibitions in around 30-60 minutes.If youre over a certain age, youre going to be in nostalgia heaven especially with the displays of computers and other technologies. It really is a fascinating place. I was transported back 40-50 years.One oddity was the display of Kohinoor fonts in different languages. I know Bengali so I was surprised to see the text extract talk of one of the leading political parties in Bangladesh (the BNPthinking of rioting/striking again. A strangely contentious text should any Bangladeshis happen to visit!I personally would have liked to see more exhibitions open to the public for free. Couldnt see the Amy Winehouse display which was a shame.
MoreWe only visited the free exhibits in the museum. Top floor was surprisingly good, very informative and interesting displays, though quite a few of the interactive exhibits were under maintenance. Third floor was a short exhibit on the museum owner which only takes around 15-20 minutes for a quick skim. Overall a museum with a good concept but not much to see.
MoreThis was a surprisingly nostalgic experience. The museum of design really documents very well consumer trends and product innovation developed over the last century. From the humble peg to the latest 3D printer no iconic invention has been overlooked.The architecture of the space is playful and inventive. This is a great place to come visit for a couple of hours.
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