To raise money for their relocation to Kensington, the Design Museum has partnered with Phillips to stage the 'Time for Design' auction in Berkeley Square.
In aid of the good cause, the Museum has been inundated with generous donations from globally renowned designers and collectors. For example, the Zaha Hadid Foundation has donated three 'Mercuric' collection tables; Ron Arad has contributed his striking 'D-Sofa' in stainless steel; and pop-philanthropist Bono has parted with his Gretsch 'Irish Falcon' guitar.fp
Keen to get in on the action, Apple's chief design officer Sir Jony Ive has created something new: a one-of-a-kind accessory collection for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
Ive has a long history with the Design Museum, which is due to close its Shad Thames location in May, and reopen in Kensington at the end of November. He won their inaugural Designer of the Year award in 2003 for the iMac, and he also showed a prototype of a mobile phone at the museum way back in 1990.
- Read our exclusive behind-the-scenes feature on the Apple Park HQ
His new accessory collection includes an iPad Pro housing, which has been anodised with a custom dye; a blue, suede-lined 'Smart Cover', crafted from supple French leather; and an orange cover for the Apple Pencil, created from fine grain Italian calf leather.
Ive's new products are in single editions, designed exclusively for the Design Museum event. To prove it, 'Edition 1 of 1' has been laser etched on the back surface of the iPad and the interior surface of the 'Smart Cover'.
'We are extremely grateful to the friends of the museum who had donated such outstanding pieces to help us fulfill our ambition of creating one of London’s most important new cultural sites,’ says Design Museum curator (and auction co-curator) Deyan Sudjic.
The auction will also include a range of iconic design objects, often donated directly from the creator's private collections. Pictured left: Gretsch 'Irish Falcon' guitar. Donated by Bono. Estimate: £60,000 – 80,000. Right: 'Poltrona di Proust' armchair, by Alessandro Mendini, 2009. Donated by Alessandro Mendini. Estimate: £30,000 – £50,000
'Bon Bon gold' chair, from the 'Personal Edition' series, by Marcel Wanders, 2010. Donated by Marcel Wanders and Friedman Benda. Estimate: £12,000 – £18,000
'Primitive' table, by Piergiorgio Robino and Stefania Fersini, 2009. Donated by Studio Nucleo and Ammann Gallery. Estimate: £30,000 – £50,000
Set of three 'Bianco Covelano' low tables, from the 'Mercuric' collection, by Zaha Hadid, 2013. Donated by the Zaha Hadid Foundation. Estimate £80,000 – £120,000
Pictured left: 'D-Sofa', by Ron Arad, 1994. Donated by Johannes and Helene Huth. Estimate £100,000 – £150,000. Right: Unique vinyl-wrapped Fiat 500 1.4 16v Sport Dualogic, by Ron Arad, 2008. Donated by Ron Arad. Estimate £20,000 – £30,000
INFORMATION
The ’Time For Design’ live auction will take place on 28 April, with an online auction running from 7 April – 2 May. For more information, visit the Design Museum’s website
Photography courtesy Phillips / Phillips.com
ADDRESS
Phillips
30 Berkeley Square
London, W1J 6EX
-
Reimagining remembrance: Urn Studios introduces artistic urns to the UKBridging the gap between art and memory, Urn Studios offers contemporary, handcrafted funeral urns designed to be proudly displayed
-
Wallpaper* takes a turn around Somerset House for Collect 2025Our round-up of the highlights from the 21st edition of the collectible craft and design fair in London
-
‘It’s a museum-like jewel box’: L’Objet marks 20 years of elegant design with a new London flagshipOpening on 12 March 2025, L’Objet’s new London boutique is rich in chocolate colours and velvet detailing
-
This Beirut design collective threads untold stories into upholstered antique furnitureBeirut-based Bokja opens a Notting Hill pop-up that's a temple to textiles, from upholstered furniture to embroidered cushions crafted by artisans (until 25 March 2025)
-
'A creative explosion' in the West End: Sarabande Foundation takes residency at SelfridgesSarabande Foundation's ‘House of Bandits’ takes up residence with gusto in Selfridges for nine weeks
-
'What Makes a Space Nigerian?' is an exhibition celebrating the key elements of West African Homes‘Our aim was to create a space that Nigerians could connect with', says Moyo Adebayo's on his latest exhibition 'What Makes a Space Nigerian?' which explores what defines a Nigerian home
-
‘I began experimenting and haven’t really stopped,’ Miranda Keyes on working with glassIn a rapidly changing world, the route designers take to discover their calling is increasingly circuitous. Here we speak to Miranda Keyes about her forging her own path to success
-
Feldspar makes its mark on Whitehall with a festive pop-up at Corinthia HotelDevon-based bone china brand Feldspar makes its first foray into shopkeeping with a pop-up at London’s Corinthia Hotel. Ali Morris speaks with the founders and peeks inside
