Benchmark Furniture co-founder and design icon Sir Terence Conran has teamed up with the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) for this year's London Design Festival, tasking a crop of creative luminaries to whip up their ultimate design wish list, which will be unveiled at the V&A on Saturday.
The project first began when Conran pitched this question to friends: ‘What have you always wanted in your home, but never been able to find?’ Of course, the Design Museum-founder counts some of the design and architecture world’s starriest names amongst his acquaintances. These top minds have taken a host of up-and-coming names under their wings to realise products for ‘The Wish List’, all crafted from American hardwood.
Alex de Rijke tasked Barnby & Day with creating a dining table; Norman Foster challenged Norie Matsumoto to create the perfect pencil sharpener; Allen Jones wished for a chaise longue by Lola Lely; and Zaha Hadid asked Gareth Neal to condense his furniture design vision into tableware. Meanwhile, John Pawson turned to sister duo Gwendolyn and Guillane Kerschbaumer of design studio Areti to concoct a trio of items: a triangular shelf, slanted door and a hook.
The resulting objects will be displayed on the V&A's Architecture Gallery landing and the staircase leading up to it from the Grand Entrance. Meanwhile, Sir Paul Smith's most wished for item – a shed designed by Nathalie de Leval – will be on show in the V&A’s John Madejski Garden.
Sebastian Cox has designed a desk-cum-workstation for Sir Terence Conran
Like all of the objects on 'The Wish List', Cox's design is crafted from American hardwood
Zaha Hadid asked Gareth Neal to design tableware
Alex de Rijke tasked Barnby & Day with creating a dining table
John Pawson turned to sister duo Gwendolyn and Guillane Kerschbaumer of design studio Areti to concoct a trio of items: a triangular shelf, slanted door and a hook
Norman Foster challenged Norie Matsumoto to create the perfect pencil sharpener...
...which also comes in a clean-lined pyramid form
Richard and Ab Rogers requested a ladder from Xenia Moseley
Sir Paul Smith asked Nathalie de Leval to conceive a shed
Material used for this project was donated by timber and panel products distributor James Latham
Allen Jones can stretch out on a chaise longue by Lola Lely
Amanda Levete requested an extendable fruit or cheese bowl from Win Assakul
Alison Brooks charged Felix de Pass with creating a set of kitchen stools
ADDRESS
Victoria and Albert Museum
Cromwell Road
London SW7 2RL
-
Cambridge Audio's new earbuds offer premium performance without denting your pocketThe Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 earbuds demonstrate just how far affordable audio tech has come in the last decade
-
A European-style café opens next to London’s Saatchi GalleryDesigned by Dion & Arles, Cafe Linea serves fresh pâtisseries, global dishes and sparkling wines in a stunning Grade II-listed setting
-
Home is where Beethoven Market is – a joyful Italian restaurant in LA’s Mar VistaIn Mar Vista, a historic space is reborn as a modern-day gathering spot, an Italian-infused restaurant where rotisserie chicken, handmade pasta and tableside tiramisu welcome you like family
-
‘100 Years, 60 Designers, 1 Future’: 1882 Ltd plate auction supports ceramic craftThe ceramics brand’s founder Emily Johnson asked 60 artists, designers, musicians and architects – from John Pawson to Robbie Williams – to design plates, which will be auctioned to fund the next generation of craftspeople
-
‘Disabled people have always been here’: a new V&A show centres on disability in designCurator Natalie Kane takes us through five key exhibits from the London show, where design points the way to a more inclusive society
-
Malta’s London Design Biennale installation ‘reclaims death as a moment of reflection, not fear’Wallpaper* speaks with Andrew Borg Wirth, curator of Malta's installation, ‘URNA’, which reimagines cremation rituals
-
11 things that caught our eye at Clerkenwell Design Week 2025The Wallpaper* team bring you highlights from London’s Clerkenwell Design Week (20-22 May) – from public installations to product launches and a biscuit bar
-
‘R for Repair’ at London Design Festival displays broken objects, re-formedIn the second half of a two-part exhibition and as part of London Design Festival 2022, ‘R for Repair’ at the V&A displays broken objects, re-formed
-
‘Finding quality through the act of making’: Pearson Lloyd celebrates 25 years of designPearson Lloyd’s show ‘Change Making’ reflects on past designs from its archives, showcasing the influences on and evolution of the studio, from furniture design to the NHS
-
Tom Dixon marks his studio's 20 years with a show of design experimentsMushroom, cork, steel coral and more: Tom Dixon showcases an overview of his design experiments as he celebrates his practice's 20 years
-
Porro unveils new London showroom at Coal OfficeLondon Design Festival 2022: industrial architecture meets pure geometries in the new Porro showroom, taking over a space within Tom Dixon’s Coal Office to showcase the brand’s systems and furniture
