Winners announced for the London Design Medal 2014
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

Now in its eighth edition, the Design Medal has become one of the design calendar's most anticipated and significant design accolades. Its quartet of winners - awarded during the London Design Festival in the areas of overall excellence, lifetime achievement, entrepreneurial excellence and emerging talent - form a fitting portrait of the design scene, not only in London but globally.
Backed by Italian watch brand Panerai, the London Design Medal (opens in new tab) was awarded this year to French design siblings Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, who over 20-odd years have achieved a consistently relevant portfolio of work. 'The judges felt that this contribution really needed to be recognised,' says Ben Evans, director of the London Design Festival and longtime advocate of the Medal. 'They are ambidextrous in their design, they can put their hands to many different things and they have got an elegance and simplicity to their work that is very hard to achieve. There aren't many people out there who can come up with such clean and elegant solutions to design challenges.'
British architect Richard Rogers won the Coutts Lifetime Achievement prize. Judges recognised the dual quality of his work, his ability to focus on design while achieving a better quality of urban life and helping cities best serve their citizens. 'He has played a leading role in designing buildings that made us think again about how we use them and how they function,' says Evans. 'His eminence is global, and he is part of a golden era of leading British architects who not only reshaped our city but also reshaped the world to some capacity.'
The Swarovski Emerging Talent and Perrier Jouët Design Entrepreneur Medals, both launched in 2012, give a clear message regarding the state of contemporary design in London and worldwide. Roland Lamb, an RCA grad who founded technology startup ROLI and invented the Seaboard piano, was recognised as this year's most relevant emerging talent, for combining technology and scientific research in his forward-thinking approach to design. Wallpaper* digital contributor and Poke founder Nicolas Roope scooped the Design Entrepreneur Medal. He was lauded for his contribution to digital design and his ability to apply his knowledge to different practices (see his 2010 Plumen light bulb (opens in new tab)).
For Evans, these two winners are good evidence London's current design 'moment' - they are multidisciplinary, forward thinking and ambitious. 'More than 20 design disciplines are of an international standard in London, so I suppose it's inevitable there is a dialogue and crossover between them, and that makes it quite fertile, I think,' he says.
The Medal is not the only initiative to celebrate the international, multidisciplinary reach of the Design Festival. 'We have a massive public audience who are interested in design and creativity,' says Evans. 'London has gained a reputation as a centre for ideas, and I want to continue that.'
Backed by Italian watch brand Panerai, the London Design Medal was awarded this year to French design siblings Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, who over 20-odd years have achieved a consistently relevant portfolio of work
British architect Richard Rogers won the Coutts Lifetime Achievement prize. Judges recognised the dual quality of his work, his ability to focus on design while achieving a better quality of urban life and helping cities best serve their citizens
Roland Lamb, an RCA graduate who founded technology startup ROLI and invented the 'Seaboard' piano, was recognised as this year's most relevant emerging talent
3787189792001
Watch the Seaboard piano in action and hear more about the ROLI philosophy
Wallpaper* digital contributor and Poke founder Nicolas Roope scooped the Design Entrepreneur Medal.
Rosa Bertoli was born in Udine, Italy, and now lives in London. Since 2014, she has been the Design Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees design content for the print and online editions, as well as special editorial projects. Through her role at Wallpaper*, she has written extensively about all areas of design. Rosa has been speaker and moderator for various design talks and conferences including London Craft Week, Maison & Objet, The Italian Cultural Institute (London), Clippings, Zaha Hadid Design, Kartell and Frieze Art Fair. Rosa has been on judging panels for the Chart Architecture Award, the Dutch Design Awards and the DesignGuild Marks. She has written for numerous English and Italian language publications, and worked as a content and communication consultant for fashion and design brands.
-
Dominique White wins Max Mara Art Prize for Women 2022 – 2024
Artist Dominique White has been crowned winner of the ninth edition of the Max Mara Art Prize for Women, presented in a ceremony at Whitechapel Gallery
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Published
-
Leica Women Foto Project Award 2023: meet the winners
The Leica Women Foto Project Award 2023 winners give voice to the marginalised through photography
By Simon Mills • Published
-
Gilbert & George on their new art centre in east London: ‘We all want to live forever, don’t we?’
As the Gilbert & George Centre prepares to open on 1 April 2023, we interview the artist duo on their vision for the space, located in the heart of London’s east end and designed by SIRS Architects
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Published
-
S94 Design makes the most of its uptown location to blur the lines of art and design
S94 Design brings displays from Kwangho Lee, Donald Judd, Max Lamb and more to its Rafael Viñoly-designed location
By Julie Baumgardner • Published
-
Oscars 2023 stage design: ‘a love letter to cinema‘
The Oscars 2023 stage design was entrusted to Misty Buckley and Alana Billingsley, the first female team to take on the role. We speak to Buckley about this momentous commission
By Rosa Bertoli • Published
-
New York farmhouse combines rustic and contemporary design
A project by design studio Arthur’s breathes new life into a farmhouse in Stuyvesant, New York
By Hannah Silver • Published
-
Rihanna’s Super Bowl halftime show: behind the scenes of the stage design
Rihanna’s Super Bowl halftime show designer Willo Perron takes us behind the scenes of his stage design
By Rosa Bertoli • Published
-
Liam Lee’s flourishing practice melds the natural and the domestic
Working with colour-saturated felt, Liam Lee creates biophilic furniture in his Brooklyn studio. His work was recently shortlisted for the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize
By Pei-Ru Keh • Published
-
Female Californian designers celebrated in R & Company exhibition
R & Company presents ‘Born Too Tall: California Women Designers, Postwar to Postmodern’
By Tilly Macalister-Smith • Published
-
Rockefeller Center unveils new look in time for its Christmas tree lighting
A guide to the new Rockefeller Center: renovated buildings and new restaurants to discover in time for the Christmas tree lighting on 30 November 2022
By Pei-Ru Keh • Published
-
Adi Goodrich launches playful and cleverly efficient furniture collection
Adi Goodrich’s new furniture collection is rooted in simplicity and inspired by her childhood lumber yard visits and Enzo Mari’s Autoprogettazione
By Pei-Ru Keh • Published