10 must-see design and architecture museums in Europe

ArkDes, the Swedish Center for Architecture and Design describes itself as “a museum, study center and arena for debates and discussions about the future of architecture, design and citizenship.” After the renovation carried out to a design by Arrhov Frick Arkitektkontor, the museum reopened its doors to the public in September 2024. The new layout offers an immersive experience for visitors, and brings to light never-before-seen works from ArkDes' collection of more than four million objects.

Designed by OMA Studio and located in Copenhagen Harbor, BLOX is a cultural and urban center opened in 2018. At the heart of this multifunctional building is the headquarters of the Danish Architecture Center (DAC), an institution dedicated to the promotion and dissemination of architecture and design in Denmark and internationally. So Danish! is DAC's permanent exhibition that traces the history of Danish architecture from the Viking Age to the present, highlighting its role as a fundamental element of a democratic society.

The Röhsska Museum in Gothenburg is the only museum dedicated to design, fashion, and crafts in Sweden. Opened to the public in 1916, it has a unique collection that includes some 50,000 artifacts, from 4500-year-old Chinese archaeological finds to contemporary Scandinavian design. With a program of temporary and permanent exhibitions, the museum's goal is to tell the story of the role of design in history but also in everyday life. The Röhsska also boasts a collection of more than five hundred chairs, a selection of which visitors can view in the building's open storage room.

The world's largest museum devoted entirely to design is located in London: the Design Museum, founded in 1989, has been located in Kensington since 2017, in a renovated building jointly designed by Oma, Allies and Morrison, and Arup for the exterior, while the interior is designed by John Pawson. The museum's permanent exhibition features nearly 1,000 design objects from the 20th and 21st centuries – from architecture, fashion, furniture, products, graphic design, and transportation – and is an important record of the key projects that have shaped the modern world.

Renowned for design, Milan is recognized globally as the heart of Italian creativity. This city is home to the Triennale Milano, a historic institution established in 1923, that explores the connections between art, design and architecture and houses the Museum of Italian Design.

The Tchoban Foundation, located in Berlin, is a museum dedicated to architectural drawing. Founded in 2009 by architect Sergei Tchoban, the foundation offers an overview of the history of architecture and urban planning through hand drawing, with works ranging from Schinkel to Mies van der Rohe and Frank Gehry. The collection is a celebration of the importance of drawing as a means of artistic and design expression, with sketches, studies and plans by international architects, highlighting the evolution of architecture through the centuries.

Weil am Rhein, a town situated a short distance from Basel across the German border, hosts the Vitra Design Museum, which opened its doors in 1989. In addition to temporary exhibitions, the permanent collection includes objects and designs by world-renowned architects and designers who have collaborated with Vitra over the decades. The museum, located within a structure designed by Frank Gehry, is part of the Vitra Campus, which features a variety of production facilities, museums, and architectural masterpieces created by renowned architects like Zaha Hadid, Herzog & de Meuron, Tadao Ando, among others.

At 107 rue de Rivoli, the Rohan and Marsan wings of the Louvre house the Musée des Arts Décoratifs and its library. Founded in 1905, it is one of the most important museums dedicated to the applied arts and the development of links between industry, culture, design and fashion. Exploring this museum offers a time-traveling experience, spanning from the Medieval period to modern times, featuring an array of items such as furniture, jewelry, textiles, ceramics, garments, and artifacts from various ages. The modern and contemporary sections feature masterpieces of French design, jewelry, and fashion from the last century.

Also in Milan, the ADI Museum houses more than 350 objects awarded the Compasso d'Oro, the most prestigious industrial design prize, from 1954 to the present day, conceived by Gio Ponti.

Founded in 1863 as the Austrian Imperial Museum of Art and Industry in Vienna, the MAK - Museum of Applied Arts boasts an esteemed collection of over 900,000 items spanning five centuries, including furniture, glassware, porcelain, silver, and textiles, all showcased in expansive galleries designed by modern artists. Within the MAK, you can find the oldest and most extensive museum library in Europe, along with the sketches for the frieze designed by Gustav Klimt for the Stoclet Palace in Brussels, created in the early 1900s.

The Museum für Gestaltung in Zurich is one of the most important museums dedicated to design in Switzerland. Founded in 1875, it is the only Swiss institution that collects works of applied art, industrial design, graphics, posters, and objects to tell the story of the past two centuries. The four collections of Design, Graphics, Decorative Arts, and Posters have more than 500,000 pieces and boast a number of internationally significant works. Since 2014, the four collections have been united in the Toni-Areal, a multipurpose building converted to a design by ARK - EM2N Architekten in the city's west end.