London’s Design Museum has completed its relocation from Shad Thames to a striking new home in Kensington. The museum now occupies a prominent site just off Kensington High Street in the former Commonwealth Institute building, redesigned under the direction of John Pawson. The renovation has nearly tripled the exhibition space compared with the museum’s previous Thames-side location, enabling a broader programme of permanent displays and temporary exhibitions. The new facilities also include the Swarovski Foundation Centre for Learning and the Bakala Auditorium, which seats 202 people.
© Luke Hayes
The museum’s upper floor presents the Designer Maker User gallery, a permanent display that traces contemporary design through architecture and everyday objects. This gallery features functional items such as typewriters and lamps alongside household objects that illustrate how design shapes daily life. A notable highlight is an extensive chair collection that showcases styles across multiple artistic and architectural movements, reflecting the evolution of form, function and material.
Beyond its core displays, the Design Museum runs a Designers in Residence programme that investigates focused themes through commissioned work and research. The museum’s expanded footprint also allows for larger, more diverse temporary exhibitions. Upcoming shows include “Hope to Nope: Graphics and Politics 2008–18” (March 28–Aug. 12), which examines the role of graphic design and digital technology in political campaigns and social movements worldwide; “Azzedine Alaïa: The Couturier” (May 10–Oct. 7), exploring Alaïa’s journey from sculptor to celebrated couturier; and the “LOEWE Craft Prize 2018” (May 4–June 17), which celebrates excellence and innovation in contemporary craft.
Visitors can expect an engaging mix of historical context and contemporary practice across the museum’s programme, reflecting design’s impact on culture, politics and everyday life. The combination of expanded galleries, learning facilities and performance space positions the Design Museum as a major cultural destination in Kensington, offering richer access to exhibitions, talks, workshops and events that connect professional practice with public audiences.