V&A Bookshop, London

London's V&A museum has for some time now been expanding its shopping outlets, and its latest retail undertaking - a dedicated book store which opens tomorrow (21st March) - promises to offer visitors to this South Kensington stalwart an even more comprehensive retail experience
see more images of the V&A's new bookstore
The museum, of course, has always sold books - no self-respecting institution would dare not to – but this timely enterprise sees the gallery’s existing collection extended beyond recognition, with everything from colouring-in to cultural theory included.
The store has been built with students and specialists in mind, and has been designed to both accentuate and compliment the massive breadth of the V&A’s cross-cultural collection.
Books covering every aspect of art, design, fashion and beyond are available – and bookstore purists will breathe a sigh of relief as the new space has been designed with a library-esque atmosphere firmly in mind.
The bookshop has been put together in collaboration with shelf-making virtuosos, Vitsoe, and utilisies their legendarily simple 606 universal shelving system - un-changed from Dieter Rams’s original 1960’s design.
ADDRESS
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
V&A South Kensington
Cromwell Road
London
SW7 2RL
-
London Design Festival 2025: live updates from the Wallpaper* team
From 11-21 September, London is celebrating design in all its forms. Here's the latest news, launches and other goings-on from London Design Festival 2025, as seen by Wallpaper* editors
-
Inside Ardbeg House, the whimsical Islay hotel from the Scotch distillery
‘Luxury with a laugh’ is how Russell Sage describes his designs for the new hotel, where each room draws on island and whisky lore
-
Luxury cruise line Explora Journeys will set sail in Asia for the first time
28 voyages across Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore will mark the luxury travel brand’s debut in the region
-
Cult classic ‘Teenagers in Their Bedrooms’ captures the angst of being a teen
Are 1990s teens so different? Three decades after its original release, this photography book by Adrienne Salinger has been published again, by DAP
-
Booker Prize 2025: Kiran Desai returns with long-awaited follow-up as longlist is revealed
This year’s Booker Prize longlist captures the emotional complexity of our times, with stories of fractured families, shifting identities and the search for meaning in unfamiliar places
-
How to be butch: Clark Henley’s sharp, satirical and playful manual is back in print
The 1982 classic, ‘The Butch Manual: The Current Drag and How to Do It’, full of tongue-in-cheek advice, is available once again
-
We are all fetishists, says Anastasiia Fedorova in her new book, which takes a deep dive into kink
In ‘Second Skin’, writer and curator Fedorova takes a tour through the materials, objects and power dynamics we have fetishised
-
The gayest love story ever told: Jeremy Atherton Lin's memoir is a tribute to home
In 'Deep House: The Gayest Love Story Ever Told', Jeremy Atherton Lin mixes memoir with a historical deep-dive into marriage equlaity
-
The glory years of the Cannes Film Festival are captured in a new photo book
‘Cannes’ by Derek Ridgers looks back on the photographer's time at the Cannes Film Festival between 1984 and 1996
-
Taschen’s sexy record covers are hitting all the right notes
Taschen has been through 50 years of album art for its latest tome, ‘Sexy Record Covers’
-
‘Dressed to Impress’ captures the vivid world of everyday fashion in the 1950s and 1960s
A new photography book from The Anonymous Project showcases its subjects when they’re dressed for best, posing for events and celebrations unknown