Pop-up garden along the Thames

The Design Museum has opened a pop-up garden in 'The Tank' outside the museum along the Thames. The garden is a joint venture with Swiss design company Vitra.

The garden, with its overgrow grass, features designs from some of the biggest names such as Charles and Ray Eames, Jasper Morrison, Jay Osgerby and Verner Panton. It also provides a space for visitors to sit and enjoy the area and sights.

All the pieces featured are also on sale at the museum shop or online here.

Design Museum open exhibition of permanent collection

The Design Museum  has opened a new exhibition containing some of its permanent collection.

Extraordinary Stories about Ordinary Things will be on display on the top floor of the current home of the Design Museum, broken up into six themes or "stories". 

The 'Identity & Design' story features items that contribute to national identity such as the K2 Phone Box by Giles Gilbert Scott, UK road signage by Jock Kinneir and Margaret Calvert, and the London 2012 logo by Wolff Olins.

The 'Taste' story charts the influence of modenism on British design and includes pieces by Marcel Breuer and Erno Goldfinger.

'Why We Collect' features recycled designs from Jasper Morrison's table made of bicycle handlebars to the Campana Brothers' Cartoon Chair made of soft toys.

'Materials & Process' charts the development of plastic technology.

Whilst 'Icons' follows iterations of the Anglepoise Lamp.

'Finally Fashion' focuses trends from the 1960's to the 1990's.

The exhibition was designed by Gitta Gschwendter and consists of the objects being displayed on rough, chunky shelving alongside contextual images and documents. It will run until the museum moves to its new home next year in the former Commonwealth Institute building in South West London, which is currently being redeveloped by John Pawson.

Designs of the Year Awards 2013 Nominations

The Design Museum has announced the nominations for Designs of the Year 2013. Seen as the Oscars of the design world, the nominations will go on display in the museum from 20th March, whilst the winners will be decided by a jury and announced to the public on the 17th April.

Last year's winner was the London 2012 Olympic Relay Torch, and this year still has some Olympic contenders with the Olympic Cauldron by Heatherwick Studio being nominated.

Other nomination's include:

Acrhitecture - The Shard, London, UK
Designed by Renzo Piano
 
Digital - Rain Room
Designed by rAndom International

Fashion -Prada S/S12 RTW Collection
Designed by Miuccia Prada

See the full list of nominations here.

In pursuit of Imperfection: Designers in Residence

Do you love good design as much as we do? Have what it takes to impress Peter Kelly (Editor of Blueprint) and Deyan Sudjic (Director of the Design Museum)? Then get your thinking caps on for the following brief:

In Pursuit of Imperfection

For a century and a half mass production has done all it can to make perfect objects in large numbers that are all exactly the same. But now we have the ability to make objects, or messages, or experiences in quantities that are not ‘perfect’, but rather are unique, or particular, or responsive to their users and owners. We would like product / furniture / graphic/ interactive / furniture designers to explore the idea of the imperfect in an object, an environment, or an experience.

For previous winners, further details on this year's entry and to download the application form, visit the Design Museum site. Deadline for submission is 5pm Monday 28th February so there really is no time like the present!