Design Museum Sir Terence Conran display opens

black and white photograph of terence conran on a wicker chair, from 1950s

(Image credit: TBC)

last updated 2 July 2022

The Design Museum in London is marking what would have been the 90th birthday of Sir Terence Conran with a free new display, ‘The Conran Effect’, which explores both the personal life and professional achievements of Conran.

Personal photographs sit alongside some of his most celebrated designs – including his popular ‘Cone’ chair – while the exhibition also showcases memorabilia from the launch of Conran Design Group and the Habitat chain of stores. The display explores how Habitat changed the way we interacted with design upon the launch of the first store, in London, in 1964, its innovative grouping of furniture, fabrics and cookware, bringing design into the daily lives of the UK public for the first time. Staff, dressed in Mary Quant, were a chic bridge between fashion and form.

picture of a habitat bag courtesy The Design Museum — Habitat bag © the Design Museum

The respected British designer, who founded the Design Museum in 1989 – something he later referred to as one of his proudest achievements – supported design education and the creative industries throughout his life. Conran’s multiple careers are explored in the exhibition, which takes a closer look at his roles as designer, retailer and entrepreneur, dissecting how his designs such as duvets and flat-pack furniture shaped modern life in Britain as we know it.

The exhibition is accompanied by a book, Terence Conran: Making Modern Britain, by Deyan Sudjic, director emeritus of the Design Museum. ‘Terence had so many different careers, from craftsman potter, to the chairman of a £2bn public company, to a restaurateur,’ says Sudjic. ‘As a student he was close to the art world, and Eduardo Paolozzi. By the time he was 25, he had opened five restaurants, started a furniture manufacturing business and a textile company, and worked on the Festival of Britain, and for Paolozzi. He became one of Britain’s most influential taste makers through Habitat.’

Chequers&rsquo; platter designed by Terence Conran and made by Midwinter Pottery Ltd, c. 1957 &copy; the Design Museum — ‘Chequers’ platter designed by Terence Conran and made by Midwinter Pottery Ltd, c. 1957 © the Design Museum

Habitat catalogue, 1971 &copy; the Design Museum — Habitat catalogue, 1971 © the Design Museum

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Hannah Silver is the Art, Culture, Watches & Jewellery Editor of Wallpaper*. Since joining in 2019, she has overseen offbeat art trends and conducted in-depth profiles, as well as writing and commissioning extensively across the worlds of culture and luxury. She enjoys travelling, visiting artists' studios and viewing exhibitions around the world, and has interviewed artists and designers including Maggi Hambling, William Kentridge, Jonathan Anderson, Chantal Joffe, Lubaina Himid, Tilda Swinton and Mickalene Thomas.